DIO – Ministry of Defence Guard Service – Security Officer Day Worker

• Join the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and have a future that matters: Be proud; Be challenged; Be unique.

The Challenge

Do you want to join the 2021 Government Security team of the year and be part of our Gold Standard security service?

The Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) provides high quality security services at approximately 100 MOD sites across Great Britain. The MGS has guarded the Defence Estate for over 25 years including high profile locations such as MOD Main Building in London and His Majesty’s Naval Bases at Portsmouth, Devonport and the Clyde. We provide access control, military working dogs, control room operations and other security services. We play a vital role supporting the Defence Mission and work to protect the defence estate and personnel from crime, terrorism, espionage and sabotage threats.

The MGS is part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and employs over 2,500 staff. MGS Officers are often the first point of contact with the MOD for employees, visitors and contractors and we pride ourselves on our professional, customer-focused culture.

All our Security Officers are required to have excellent customer service skills and must be willing to go above and beyond to support security operations across the defence estate. Due to the high profile and strategic locations of the sites we guard, it is essential our Security Officers have a strong work ethic, are able to work as part of a team, are observant to threats and are capable to challenge and de-escalate difficult situations if required. We also require our Security Officers to have good written and verbal communication skills. Our Officers must have resilience and remain positive and friendly in all weather conditions and on all occasions.

We provide our staff with a market leading salary, excellent sickness benefits, together with a defined benefit civil service pension. Free full uniform will be provided.

We are a growing organisation with opportunities for good quality staff to progress their security careers.

The MGS holds the Committed to Equality Gold Standard and we positively encourage applications from all under-represented communities and from all types of working backgrounds.

See more information about the MGS, please read the candidate pack and watch our Security Officer YouTube video https://youtu.be/nzSK9OPOoDI

About MGS

The Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) is a professionally qualified body of Civil Servants who provide a range of security services at over 160 MOD sites across Great Britain. The MGS has guarded the Defence Estate for over 25 years including high profile locations such as MOD Main Building in London and His Majesty’s Naval Bases at Portsmouth, Devonport and the Clyde. The mission of the MGS is to protect Defence from threats including crime, terrorism, espionage and sabotage.

The MGS employs over 2,700 security officers and support staff. Our security services include a large Military Working Dog (MWD) division with 11 units across the country, Control Room Operations, Static and Mobile security duties including access control, visitor access, traffic management, and foot patrols.

We are passionate about the services we deliver and work hard to keep pace with developments in the security industry. The MGS holds the Committed to Equality Gold Standard and we positively encourage applications from all under-represented communities.

Main Responsibilities

The key duties of a Security Officer are as follows.

Please note that these duties can vary from site to site.

• Controlling vehicular and pedestrian access and exit to/from site
• Issue of passes using site IT systems
• Reporting of environmental issues
• Issue and receipt of keys
• Patrolling on foot and in a vehicle
• Searching of vehicles, baggage, personnel, buildings and open areas
• Escorting visitors
• Traffic management
• Checking identity on site (ad hoc)
• Writing reports on breaches of security or defects and maintaining daily logs
• Referral of complaints
• Reporting MGS infrastructure defects
• Dealing with demonstrators and intruders as directed by those holding operational control
• Safeguarding classified information and material
• Cooperating with other security providers
• Collaborating with emergency services and invoking emergency procedures
• Operating and monitoring security systems; CCTV and alarms etc
• Operating and communicating effectively over the telephone and/or radio
• Reporting safety hazards and accidents in accordance with current instructions
• Carrying out, if required, initial action at the scene of any incident
• Other tasks commensurate with the grade

Travel Requirements

Where close area working arrangements are in place staff may be required to attend other sites within their travel to work area (one hour from their home) on a detached duty basis.

Desirable Experience & Skills

A background, qualification or interest in the delivery of site security and/or customer service will be an advantage.

Full UK Driving Licence is desirable.

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

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing

We enable our people to work at the right place, with the right people, at the right time.

We believe that if we look after our people, they will be passionate about delivering great things for our customers.

The MOD Discover My Benefits page lists the full set of benefits. Some of the many benefits you will receive include:

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Free Uniform
• 25 days (215 hours) annual leave rising (1 day per year, 8.6 hours) to 30 days (258) upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Ability to roll over up to 10 days (86 hours) annual leave per year
• Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period to for volunteer military or emergency service reserve commitments
• Special Paid Leave for volunteering up to 6 days a year
• Enhanced parental leave
• Employee Assistance Programme to support your wellbeing
• Most sites have good travel links with free car parking; many also have other facilities such as a Sports & Social Club, Gym and / or site shops
• The possibility to gain a financial in-year reward after successful completion of six months probation and a further in-year reward after your 12 month anniversary and throughout your career with the MGS.

This post does not offer any assistance with relocation allowances.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative, Making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Learning & Development

• Professional and Personal Development of skills
• Access to thousands of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by DIO
• Ability to obtain industry recognised qualifications supported by DIO

Employment Hours

48 hours (including breaks) 

You will normally work 48 hours per week including a daily meal break (43 hours net).This will normally be 4 x 12-hour shifts or 5 x 9,6-hour shifts between the hours of 0600hrs and 2200hrs over the 7 day period, as stipulated by the shift pattern agreed at the Unit depending on site requirements. This will include being rostered in a flexible manner (termed a flexible week) within the shift roster. During the flexible week, the working days and shifts will routinely be stipulated in advance but may be changed at short notice (this should be no less that 48 hours)

Medical

MGS applicants are required to attend a medical appointment to undertake a colour perception test

About DIO

DIO is passionate about ensuring that we are a top performing organisation and a great place to work. We host a diverse range of talent where everyone feels valued and supported enabling our people to thrive, bring greater creativity and innovation to achieve higher organisational performance. We are committed to be an equal opportunities employer and creating a culture where everyone can bring their whole self to work and individuality is truly appreciated.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our 6 staff networks covering Disability, Faith and Belief, Gender Equality, LGBTQI+, Race, Social Mobility and 3 networks dealing with employee wellbeing and support: Speak Safe Volunteers, Mental Health First Aiders and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisers.

Our staff, future and current will be guided by the 4 Cs and we encourage you to be curious and continuously strive for improvement, collaborative in an inclusive culture, ambitious and resilient and committed to Defence, empowered and able to challenge so you can play a key part in shaping the direction of our organisation.

DIO commits to offer its employees the following experience: 

• Meaningful, purposeful work
• The ability to learn and grow
• The right opportunities and resources
• To care about your wellbeing
• To feel valued and included

Our responsibilities include:

• Plan and deliver major capital projects and lifecycle refurbishment
• Provide utilities services
• Manage soft facilities management (i.e. cleaning and catering)
• Provide a safe place to train
• Allocate Service Families Accommodation
• Procure and manage routine maintenance and reactive repair
• Provide a central register of asset information to advise infrastructure planning
• Act as steward of the Defence estate
• Provide the unarmed guarding service

• The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is the estate expert for Defence, supporting the armed forces to enable military capability by planning, building, maintaining, and servicing infrastructure.

 We employ approximately 4,900 staff from a very diverse range of professions, and we work across the world; in Germany, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands, Norway, Poland, Kenya, Belize, Nepal and Oman.

You can view our YouTube video to see more about our work

Job contact :

• Name : MGS-RH
• Email : MGS-RH@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-DIOResourcing@mod.gov.uk