Assistant Chief of Staff Policy (J9)

UK Ministry of Defence; Fareham; On-site; GBP 76,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic leader to head the J9 Division, providing integrated policy, legal, and media advice to senior military leaders. This role involves managing a diverse team, ensuring compliance with government policies, and influencing policy development. You will play a crucial role in supporting global operations and enhancing communication strategies. Join a forward-thinking organization that values inclusion and offers a robust pension scheme, flexible working options, and opportunities for personal development.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension

Flexible Working Options

Learning and Development Opportunities

Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in high-level policy development, ideally in a defence environment.
• Proven leadership skills to motivate and support a diverse team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the J9 Division, managing a civilian-military team and ensuring policy compliance.
• Provide legal and media advice to senior military leaders and manage operational policy.

Skills

Policy Development

Leadership

Communication Skills

Stakeholder Management

Strategic Thinking

Analytical Skills

Job description

Northwood Headquarters, Sandy Lane, Middlesex, HA6 3HP.

Job Summary

You will head up the J9 Division that provides responsive and integrated policy, legal and media advice to the Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) and their deployed commanders as well as other senior leaders, including Ministers, through the leadership of a civilian-military team based in Northwood HQ and a deployed presence of Policy Advisors on operations. You will be specifically responsible for ensuring the policy and legal basis to underpin the establishment and delivery of global operations commanded by CJO and for ensuing the supporting media wrap.

Job Description

• Policy: To ensure operational activity is conducted in accordance with policies determined by Ministers. To influence the policy development process, ensuring operational and tactical realities are factored into the development and management of operations. To manage the Permanent Joint Headquarters' non-financial Department of State responsibilities.
• Legal: To support the provision of legal advice to the Chief of Joint Operations and his deployed commanders, ensuring consistency with the advice provided to Ministers and policy colleagues by MOD Central Legal Services. To provide direction, guidance and support to Legal Advisors (LEGAD) deployed in the Chief of Joint Operations’ Joint Operational Areas. To support the provision of legal advice to Standing Joint Force Headquarters (SJFHQ) to the extent compatible with the team’s other responsibilities.
• Media: To provide presentational and media handling advice to the Chief of Joint Operations and their deployed commanders. To manage the embedding of journalists within deployed UK units in overseas theatres. To ensure content of Chief of Joint Operations led operations is captured, cleared and available for use to support the communication of Armed Forces activity on operations.
• Leadership: Lead the J9 Division, undertaking line management, mentoring and countersigning tasks as required by the role. This role has 10 direct reports and 30 countersigning roles of Civil Servants and Military Officers. Manage the delegated budget efficiently within agreed limits.
• Advisor: Policy Advisory support to Deployed Commanders, ensuring they are supported with informed, timely Operational Policy Advice. Responsible for the recruitment, selection and deployment of Policy Advisors to operational theatres.
• Role Modelling: Part of the Senior Civil Service leadership team within the Permanent Joint Headquarters. Role model and champion to the Civil Service in the Headquarters and deployed on operations and exemplar to military staff on the role and contribution of the Civil Service to operations and the Permanent Joint Headquarters.
• Policy: To ensure operational activity is conducted in accordance with policies determined by Ministers. To influence the policy development process, ensuring operational and tactical realities are factored into the development and management of operations. To manage the Permanent Joint Headquarters' non-financial Department of State responsibilities.
• Legal: To support the provision of legal advice to the Chief of Joint Operations and his deployed commanders, ensuring consistency with the advice provided to Ministers and policy colleagues by MOD Central Legal Services. To provide direction, guidance and support to Legal Advisors (LEGAD) deployed in the Chief of Joint Operations’ Joint Operational Areas. To support the provision of legal advice to Standing Joint Force Headquarters (SJFHQ) to the extent compatible with the team’s other responsibilities.
• Media: To provide presentational and media handling advice to the Chief of Joint Operations and their deployed commanders. To manage the embedding of journalists within deployed UK units in overseas theatres. To ensure content of Chief of Joint Operations led operations is captured, cleared and available for use to support the communication of Armed Forces activity on operations.
• Leadership: Lead the J9 Division, undertaking line management, mentoring and countersigning tasks as required by the role. This role has 10 direct reports and 30 countersigning roles of Civil Servants and Military Officers. Manage the delegated budget efficiently within agreed limits.
• Advisor: Policy Advisory support to Deployed Commanders, ensuring they are supported with informed, timely Operational Policy Advice. Responsible for the recruitment, selection and deployment of Policy Advisors to operational theatres.
• Role Modelling: Part of the Senior Civil Service leadership team within the Permanent Joint Headquarters. Role model and champion to the Civil Service in the Headquarters and deployed on operations and exemplar to military staff on the role and contribution of the Civil Service to operations and the Permanent Joint Headquarters.
  
  

Person specification

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their experience and skills against the following essential criteria:

• Extensive experience dealing with policy development processes at a high level and ideally with experience of working in a defence environment.
• Proven leadership skills and the ability to motivate, empower and support a diverse and inclusive team, including subject matter experts, to provide high-quality work under pressure and to tight deadlines across a complex and multi-organisational landscape.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including the ability to summarise complex issues and influence Board level stakeholders, Senior Officials, International Partners and External Contacts.
• Proven experience of senior stakeholder management in a political, pressured environment with evidence of being able to build and maintain a strong network of working relationships, in order to respond effectively to Board level priorities and interests. You will also need to provide evidence of how you command the confidence and trust of senior stakeholders across complex environments.
• Excellent strategic thinking and analytical skills, with an ability to anticipate emerging challenges quickly, explain the practical implications of political and diplomatic developments as well as being able to identify pragmatic solutions, despite incomplete or ambiguous information.
  
  

Alongside your salary of £76,000, Ministry of Defence contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
  
  

Selection process details

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process by no later than 23:55 on Thursday 29th May 2025 and will involve providing the two documents outlined below via the Civil Service Jobs portal:

• A CV (no more than 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role.
  
  

Both documents are weighted equally in their scoring, so it's important to consider this when uploading your application. Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.

For further information about the role and full application process, please refer to the candidate pack attached below. If you wish to receive any material in a different format for accessibility, then please contact [e-mail].

External candidates who join the MOD and are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact

• Name : [e-mail]
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]