Are you passionate about delivering high impact research and analysis?
Do you want to make a difference to the way Defence and Security operates and how it protects the UK and our armed forces, from real-world threats, both at home and abroad?

Our Platform Systems Division of Dstl supports the Ministry of Defence and wider government in a broad range of ground breaking technical research areas. We respond to current and future demands ensuring that the UK retains a battle-winning advantage and provide a broad range of impartial evidence-based analysis supporting high priority decision-making and evaluate exciting new capabilities and technologies.

Our work is about delivering, sustaining and improving our military capability for the UK in key areas:
• Survivability - we safeguard our armoured vehicles, warships and aircraft against the harshest combat environments
• Weapons - where our research delivers the most advanced weapon capabilities for our armed services
• Systems - we ensure that all the latest advanced equipment operates together seamlessly on our warships, military vehicles, and aircraft.

On our structured 2 year development scheme, you'll benefit from broad placements across our Division to let you experience the breadth of opportunities in the organisation, and an external placement either within another Dstl Division or in the wider defence community. This will provide you with a thorough grounding in working across defence, with real-world experience and training provided to enhance your technical and core personal skills enabling you to flourish.

After the scheme you will then join a specific area within our Division where you will continue to develop your specialist knowledge and skills.

You'll work on a wide variety of projects from modelling and theory to practical demonstrations and field trials in world class laboratories and workshops as well as trial sites in the UK and abroad. You will take vital capabilities and push them to their limits, using creativity and innovation to solve real-world problems for real-world customers. We work at the forefront of defence research and innovation, which is a dynamic and rapidly evolving environment. Quite simply, this is work that you cannot do anywhere else.

Job description

In this role you will:
• Complete a two year development scheme allowing you to balance project delivery with personal development.
• Have the opportunity to work towards chartership with the appropriate institution.
• Attend military and industry awareness visits, improving your understanding of our customer’s requirements.
• Work within a multidisciplinary team to provide timely, impartial, evidence-based advice.
• Lead small work packages, being responsible for your own research and analysis.
• Provide technical advice and direction to industrial and academic partners and suppliers.
• Prepare and deliver technical reports and presentations to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Develop your knowledge and understanding of defence and security challenges and issues.

You will undertake technical work from the very start of your career at Dstl, working with industry, academia and international partners to deliver advice to our customers right across the MOD and other parts of Government. There will be opportunities to travel to military sites, attend various trials and undertake international travel.

You will work with a Project Manager and Project Technical Authority who will be responsible for the overall delivery of the project, however you will be expected to lead individual work packages or aspects of the work and deliver these to a high standard.

You will develop the skills needed to explain your complex technical research to diverse audiences and ensure their understanding. You'll also develop networks with external partners, always ensuring we continue to deliver the technical quality expected of Dstl and maximising the value of our research.

Your work will contribute to a diverse team of specialists delivering critical scientific, analytical and engineering solutions. This could be developing the latest novel and bespoke tools, models and techniques for improving platforms from nano-drones and tanks up to aircraft carriers, working on trials outside the office developing future armour and sensors or in laboratory testing countermeasures. The work can be anything used to give our customers the edge in their operations, to do their job and get home safe – plus all the great things we simply can’t tell you about until you join.
 

Responsibilities

We are looking for someone who:
• Has an inquisitive and inquiring mind
• Sees the bigger picture and wider context of our customers’ needs
• Enjoys problem solving
• Has good attention to detail
• Is creative and innovative
• Can solve practical problems Is keen to put forward own ideas
• Has great communication skills
• Is self-motivated and comfortable working under their own initiative
• Collaborates with others and works well in a team

Technical Skills
While not essential to all roles within the Division, it is desirable for candidates to demonstrate sound technical skills and reasoning through qualifications, hobbies or interests.

In addition to a sound technical background from your degree it is also desirable, but not essential, to show an ability to use any of the following:
• Basic hand tools
• Operate basic test equipment such as: Digital Voltmeter, Oscilloscope, Spectrum Analyzer
• Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools
• MATLAB, Mathematica or similar
• Eelctronic design tools such as:Pspice, OrCAD, Vivado
• National Instruments equipment and LabVIEW data acquisition
• Programming in Python, C, C++, C# or FORTRAN

We are also looking those who have a particular interest in Embedded Software Analysis and knowledge of processor architectures including micro processors, micro controllers and digital signal processors for some of our roles.

Previous experience of working with the military (including cadets) or other government agencies will be considered advantageous but is not a requirement.

Qualifications
We are seeking graduates with a degree in a STEM subject.
In particular we are looking for:
• Computer Science
• Engineering (Electronics and/or Mechanical)
• Maths
• Physics

Other degrees may also be considered.

Security Clearance Required
Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be British Citizens who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to understand the work you will undertake to protect us from any security threats. For this reason, we regret that 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 across the enterprise. We work closely with the Defence and Security Industry on many projects, so it would be great to work with you via one of our partners.

Training and Development
Our development scheme will support your early career development through a mixture of on-the-job, course-based training and placements.
These include:
• Internal placements providing you with the opportunity to experience a wide range of technical areas
• External secondment to build your experience and networks
• A wide range of exciting training modules for you choose from to build your technical ability and military, defence and security domain awareness.
• Awareness visits to customers and suppliers.
• Formal training courses to develop your technical skills.
• Talks and discussion groups led by some of our technical experts.
• Personal skills development.
• Networking with other graduates, both in our division and across Dstl, including access to our new starter support network.

Behaviours

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

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

Technical skills

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

• Please state the title of the degree you are studying, list the modules you are taking and any scores have you received.
• Please list your top three technical areas of interest or degree modules and include a short explanation of why you enjoy these aspects the most?
• What transferable skills can you bring from elsewhere in your work/life/extra-curricular activities which you feel might be relevant for a role at Dstl?

Benefits

We'll provide a great range of benefits including:

- Fully flexible working, including alternative working patterns, annualised hours, compressed hours and job share, to name a few.
- Flexible Working hours, a 12 month reference period and the ability to bank hours. Up to 20 hours can be taken in any calendar month.
- Excellent learning and development to ensure everyone fulfils their potential.
- Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.
- Chartership and accreditation support.
- Pension.
- Generous annual leave, with the ability to buy and sell up to 5 days holiday per year.
- A competitive salary.
- Onsite gyms and restaurants.
- Staff discounts for high street and online shopping, restaurants and days out.

Our Diversity Networks

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 maximizes their contribution. We have a number of support networks to ensure all employees feel supported at work.

These include the following:
• Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Network
• Faith and Culture Network
• Parents and Carer Support Network
• Alternative Working Network
• Gender Equality Network
• New Starters Network
• Enabled Network, for people with visible and non-visible disabilities

For further information about DSTL please check out our LinkedIn page 

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Applications will be reviewed throughout the advertising period focusing on your skills and experiences and how these match the requirements of the job description which is attached.

The next stage will be a formal interview, which will also take place throughout the advertising period - interview dates detailed below. Due to the current situation this is likely to be via a video link.
For the formal interview you will be asked to prepare a 10 minute informal presentation on a technical piece of work you have completed.

Interview Dates:
Monday 9th November
Tuesday 17th November
Thursday 26 November
Friday 4th December
Monday 7 December
Tuesday 15 December

We want you to have your best chance of success in our recruitment process, so If at any stage of the application process you would like help or assistance please contact the Dstl Recruitment Team dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk and we will do all we can to support you. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence in their application of meeting the minimum essential requirements of the post, set out in the job description. You will be asked to indicate if you are applying under this scheme when you submit your application.

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

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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.

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.