Operational Analyst – Support to Operations

• Can you think creatively and consider all possible solutions to a problem?
• Are you passionate about delivering highly rewarding analysis to help protect the UK and our Armed Forces from real-world threats, both at home and abroad?
• Do you want to work alongside interesting people on exciting projects that will deliver impactful support to current Operations and crises across the world?
• Do you have an analytical mind with an ability to structure, tackle and visualise complex problems?

If the answer to these questions is yes, we want to hear from you!

We require a motivated individual to join the Operations Support Team which enables Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) provision of deployed Science & Technology (S&T) to military operations overseas and to UK based crises, as well as providing longer term embedded S&T secondees to operational headquarters.

Work spans the breadth of military and Other Government Department (OGD) domains, from current military Operations in response to the invasion of Ukraine and recent Non-combatant Evacuation Operations, to leading the coordination of the lab’s COVID-19 support.

Within Strategy Portfolio and Capability (SPC) Division, the Operations Support team develops and maintains key support to operations capabilities on behalf of Dstl:

• Readiness – the capability which develops, trains, maintains and deploys a pool of Operational Analysts (OAs) and Scientific Advisors (SCIADs) from across Dstl, held at high readiness to deploy in support of military operations and UK Crises.
• Methods, Models, Tools, Data and Software (MMTDS) – develops and maintains an appropriate suite of MMTDS to enable deployable staff (OAs, SCIADs) to deliver evidence based support to decision makers on Operations.
• Operate – identifies, resources, supports and coordinates deployments of Dstl staff including collation of SITREPs, VTCs and welfare checks.
• Reachback – the Dstl process for answering urgent S&T questions from military operations and homeland emergencies, in timescales of days down to hours.
• Deployments – the capability responsible for ensuring the safety and security of staff visiting high risk and fragile countries.
• This role has the scope to provide analytical support across all areas of the capability, dependent on candidate’s skillset and interests, with a primary focus on Readiness and/or MMTDS.

This challenging yet rewarding role offers you a unique opportunity to gain a great insight into and impact on the varied aspects of Dstl’s support to operations, both at home and abroad.

This is a high impact, cross-cutting and challenging role requiring dedication, proactivity and excellent communication and influencing skills.

There is scope to train and practise as a deployable analyst in this role.

Dstl recognises the importance of diversity and inclusion as people from diverse backgrounds bring fresh ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive working environment in which each employee fulfils their potential and maximises their contribution.

We particularly welcome female and ethnic minority applicants and those from the LGBTQI community, as they are under-represented within Dstl at these levels.

As a Level 4 Operational Analyst, in this role will you:

• Support all areas of the capability using Operational Research methods to help ensure Dstl can meet the demand for deployed S&T support.
• Support or lead short notice operational tasks from customers, either through your own technical work or supporting others in the lab to deliver.
• Contribute to capability development through the maintenance, development and assurance of existing tools & models.
• Be willing and eager to learn new skills to keep yourself up-to-date in your field.
• Explore and visualise data to present its story in a meaningful way to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Provide timely, impartial, evidence-based advice to customers to enable them to make informed decisions.

In addition to the above, the Level 5 Operational Analyst will also have responsibility of the following:

• Liaise with customers to determine and shape requirements.
• Lead capability areas to identify and shape new activity to ensure Dstl can support future, as well as current, Operations. 

For the Level 4 Operational Analyst role, we are looking for someone who has:

• A desire to have a direct impact on Dstl’s Support to Operations and Crises response
• A sharp, enquiring mind with the ability to think laterally, define a problem, use clear communication, team working, and influencing skills and excellent problem solving skills
• The ability to be proactive, flexible and deliver rapidly
• The ability to develop bespoke tools and techniques in order to solve challenging new problems, and to use diverse analytical methods including but not limited to; empirical analysis, statistics, linear programming and simulation.
• A basic understanding of the core military domains of Land, Air, Maritime, and Joint, and how they could be supported by operational analysis.

In addition to the above for the Level 5  Operational Analyst role, we are for someone who has:

• The ability to conduct capability planning and development.

Qualifications:

Essential:

• A degree in a scientific, mathematical, analytical or relevant technical subject matter, or demonstrable equivalent work experience.

Important Information:

Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be UK Nationals who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to undertake the projects we are involved in to protect us from security threats. For this reason, only UK Nationals will be able to apply for this role. If you are an international or dual-national candidate, and you think you have the skills we need, please consider applying to any of our government, security or defence partners.

This role will require full UK security clearance and you should have resided in the UK for the past 5 years. For some roles Developed Vetting will also be required, in this case you should have resided in the UK for the past 10 years.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Operational Research

Benefits 

Dstl’s full range of great benefits can be found in the information pack which includes:

• Financial: An excellent pension scheme starting from 26% employer contribution (find out more here). In Year Rewarding Achievement bonuses and thank you vouchers. Rental deposit scheme and cycle to work scheme.

• Flexible working: Options include alternative working patterns such as; compressed hours (e.g. working a 4 day week/ 9 day fortnight), job shares and annualised hours (agreed number of hours per annum paid monthly i.e. working term-time only).

• Working hours: Flexibility around your working day (e.g. start time, finish time). Ability to bank hours in a 12 month reference period including the ability to accrue and use 3 days per calendar month.

• Where you work: Depending on your role, blended working may be available including remote working to suit you and your team. This can be discussed at interview.

• Annual leave: 25 days pro rata (rising to 30 after 5 years) plus 8 public holidays with the ability to buy/sell 5 additional days per annum.

• Family: Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks with full pay, an additional 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid

• Learning and Development: Dstl encourages and supports charterships, accreditations and provides employees access to fully funded apprenticeships up to level 7 (Masters Degree). Dstl will pay for 2 memberships with relevant bodies/institutions. Employees also have access to Civil Service Learning.

• Facilities: Onsite parking, EV Charging points, restaurants, cafés and gyms.

This job is not open to candidates who hold a dual nationality.

Job contact :

• Name : Dstl Recruitment
• Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk