• Details

Reference number

399031

Salary

£36,530

per annum, (pro rata). London locations may attract an allowance of £3,300 per annum.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Higher Executive Officer

C2

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

MOD - Head Office & Corporate Services - Defence Business Services (DBS) - Digital, Information and Technology (DIT) -

Digital, Information, Technology - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Type of role

Knowledge and Information Management
Library

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

London - Main Building

About the job

Job summary

Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference?

Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence?

Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry. DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement.

• Our Vision - To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.
• Our Mission – Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability.

DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society.

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Where your role permits, we support a blended working approach alternatively known as hybrid working.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

Come and join the DBS community today!

https://youtu.be/gUw0ToaRGgk

We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised information professional to manage our physical and digital library and develop the resources and services to MOD users based in HQ London and wider MOD audience via the digital Library. The post holder will be responsible for the management and development of the Whitehall Library services including collections management, Library Management System (Softlink-Liberty), online publishing using SharePoint and commercial databases such as EBSCO and ProQuest. Furthermore, you will be responsible for procurement, and finance management of these library resources in response to developing trends and customers’ needs. You will also plan and deliver Information literacy programme of training sessions to enable the best usage of the resources on offer.

What will the successful candidate be doing?

The successful candidate will have a substantial role in leading and running the Whitehall Library services including:

• collection management of digital and print library resources
• overall responsibility for acquisitions procedures, cataloguing as well as setting and maintaining appropriate standards
• finance responsibility for spend on print and electronic resources
• monitoring the service delivery for Library services including customer satisfaction monitoring and evaluation
• Whitehall Library input into collaborative purchasing and enabling contracts
• line management responsibility for 3 Assistant Librarians and CSO for Library Support Officer
• overseeing delivery of information literacy training sessions to user base
• management responsibilities for the purchase or renewal of electronic and print resources
• systems manager of the library management system (LMS- Softlink Liberty)
• ensure business continuity measures are in place for Library service
• duties on the main library enquiry desk on a rota basis

Person specification

The ideal candidate will be able to provide a consistently high-quality library service that supports all our users to achieve successful and professional outcomes. Respond to and resolve issues raised by users, including access and use. Manage, maintain, and update the digital Library’s resources on our internal website. Develop services that are aligned with our users’ needs and engage with them to promote the use of digital resources and maintain a high level of users’ satisfaction. Plan and deliver training sessions as part of induction and ongoing support in accessing and using digital resources. Create information, support materials and guidance for our users, and disseminate these across various channels, including intranet. Maintain the digital library page (updates, resources etc). Build strong relationships with suppliers to ensure content is relevant and up to date, managing licensing and pricing agreements in pursuit of the best value for money. Collect, analyse and report on data around usage, access, relevance and value for money, recommending and driving improvements.
You will have experience in working in a similar environment (preferably within a specialist library) with customer facing responsibilities. You should be familiar with using a variety of resource databases such as EBSCO, ProQuest, Jstor ect. Cataloguing systems for library collections and working with licensing models. You will be able to communicate the value of library resources to MOD users.

You will need to demonstrate that you have:

• a sound knowledge of library management systems and big knowledge databases
• excellent customer service skills
• good knowledge of Microsoft including O365 and SharePoint
• strong organisation, an eye for detail, and a proactive, solutions-focused mindset
• oral and written communication, and presentation skills. *
• the ability to work independently and as part of a team and be able to foster positive relations with staff at all levels.

Qualifications

A CILIP approved qualifications, or an overseas qualification recognised by CILIP as equivalent; OR Have achieved CILIP certification (ACLIP) and have 2 years full time equivalent experience of professional information work; OR Have a NVQ level 4 or equivalent in library and information studies plus experience of professional information work.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

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

• GKIM Professional Skills Framework for Library Management - LI11| Providing library services Practitioner Level 2
• GKIM Professional Skills Framework for Library Management - LI07 | Cataloguing and classifying information Practitioner Level 2

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,530, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,582 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• An environment with flexible working options Monday-Friday
• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service (pro rata). In addition to 8 public holidays per year, you will also receive leave for the King’s birthday
• Hybrid working, where role permits
• An opportunity to be considered for Reward & Recognition- £250-£5000 per year
• Family friendly policies including parental leave and adoption leave
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• Professional and personal development of skills
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Minimum of 15 days special leave in a rolling 12 month period for volunteer reserve commitments
• Special paid leave to volunteer up to 6 days per year
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Allowances

This post does not offer relocation expenses.

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.

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

Employment Hours

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.

Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on the following success profile elements:

Primary: Career - Personal Statement

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

Experience:

• CV
• Personal Statement - 1250 words - Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the job description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert. Please provide examples of your knowledge of the following:
  • Library Management Systems (LMS);
  • Collection management - print and online;
  • Literature searches;
  • Information literacy;
  • Knowledge of databases such as EBSCO, PrQuest,etc.
  • SharePoint publishing;
  • Cataloguing & subjecting

At interview you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving

In the rare case where individuals have exact matching scores, the order of merit will be determined based on the behaviour scores at interview in the following order:

1 - Technical - GKIM Professional Skills Framework for Library Management - LI11, Providing library services
2 - Behaviour - Leadership
3 - Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service
4 - Behaviour - Changing and Improving
5 - Technical - GKIM Professional Skills Framework for Library Management - LI07 , Cataloguing and classifying information

If candidate scores are still exact, the merit order will then be determined on the sift score in the following order:

1 - Career - Personal Statement
2 - Career - Qualification Details
3 - Career - Job History
4 - Career - Previous Skills

We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn’t always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months.

Application sifting to take place late April.

Interviews are currently taking place via the following method: MS Teams

Interviews will be conducted early May.

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews.

We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

To assist with your application please find attached -

DBS Candidate Information Guide - Working for Defence Business Services - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

(26) UK Ministry of Defence: Life , LinkedIn

https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F63ce61fd8fa8f53fe6b1b3e9%2FGKIMSkillsFramework-static.docx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

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

See our vetting charter .

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

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

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 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.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Bozena Adamiec
• Email : bozena.adamiec100@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@MOD.gov.uk in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/