Parliamentary and Disclosures Assistant Head

Job summary

The Defence Intelligence Policy and Secretariat team is a small but extremely busy team that provides critical support to the delivery of DI business by engaging with parliamentary oversight, assuring DI operates within defined legal frameworks, and managing DI’s engagement with external bodies.

We are looking to recruit a proactive, highly organised and effective leader for our Parliamentary and Disclosures sub-team. This team manages Parliamentary Engagement, our obligations to the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) and Subject Access Requests (SAR), and Legal and other Disclosures.

You will be a vital member of the Policy and Secretariat leadership team ensuring high standards of output are maintained, flex across to support other parts of the team’s responsibilities, and undertake projects to enable the team to adapt to a changing landscape. Alongside your direct line management responsibilities, you will also play a key role in providing effective support, guidance and development opportunities to all staff within the Policy and Secretariat team.

This role is advertised at 37 hours per week (unless part time).

Job description

In Defence Intelligence (DI) our people solve problems, create understanding and give perspective to the diverse and complex Defence threats and challenges in a rapidly changing world. Together our civilians and military personnel inform decision making in Defence, manage complex finance programmes and develop new technology.

The successful candidate will lead the Parliamentary and Disclosures team and play a central role in ensuring DI fulfils its parliamentary, statutory and disclosure obligations.

Parliamentary Scrutiny is an essential part of the governance of the Intelligence community and its activities, and this includes DI. The team is responsible for handling DI parliamentary business and correspondence, including:

• Managing the relationship between DI and the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).

• Compilation of reports to the ISC, and subsequent redactions.

• Managing incoming visits from Parliamentarians, including the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.

• Supporting outgoing visits from DI to parliamentarians.

• Answering Parliamentary Questions Relating to DI.

• Clearing Ministerial Submissions.

Defence Intelligence is often required to share information that it holds, in support of its own work, to support the work of defence and in fulfilling our legal responsibilities to respond to inquiries and legal proceedings. The team is the focal point for DI disclosure matters including:

• Correctly commissioning requests for holdings across DI and collating returns.

• Ensuring the appropriate clearance and permissions for Disclosure.

• Responsibility for DI engagement with Statutory and Legal Duties such as Public Inquiries, and Freedom of Information requests.

• Disclosure into the public domain, such as press releases, public facing websites and social media and avowing individuals to DI.

• Managing Employment Tribunal Disclosure.

DI’s Policy Secretariat team is at the heart of DI business; with a small team, and an ever-changing landscape, most recently with the creation of the Military Intelligence Services (MIS), the team leader will play a central role in:

• Setting the direction and scope of the team.

• Ensuring robust governance and compliance.

• Identifying and managing competing priorities, whilst ensuring staff well-being.
• Leading and role-modelling effective agile working, especially in times of high demand.

In DI we believe your unique experiences, view and understanding of the world could provide a vital perspective and contribution to our work. We recognise that great minds do not think alike and are striving to increase our diversity representation at all levels. As an equal opportunities employer we hire, train and promote people based on merit and inspire to create an inclusive workplace free of discrimination. We also offer flexible working arrangements such as flexi-time, job share and compressed hours.

All jobs advertised in DI are subject to fair and open competition.

Person specification

You will have:

• Experience of dealing with Private Offices, Ministers, and handling parliamentary and/or disclosures casework

• A good understanding of Parliamentary and legal frameworks such as the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Parliamentary Committees, and demonstrable experience of handling complex FOI requests and/or Parliamentary Questions

• The ability to create high-quality written content, translating complex technical language into clear, straightforward messaging

• The ability to proactively develop strong relationships, engaging positively with stakeholders and co-ordinating activity with other teams

• The ability to make effective decisions and demonstrate good judgement for issues which may require escalation or attract political attention

• A keen eye for detail and the ability to analyse and interpret complex information, presenting it in an accessible way

You will be:

• A supportive leader and line manager who champions development and diversity, and provides effective direction and guidance to your team

• An individual with exceptional organisational skills and the ability to manage and deliver multiple and wide ranging tasking strands across your portfolio

• A strong team player who is ready and willing to support colleagues and work collegially

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving

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

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

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

• Policy Profession Framework; 2.2 Parliament and Law - Practitioner Level.Demonstration of this technical skill should be included in 250 words on the application form.
• Policy Profession Framework 3.2. Governance and Project Delivery - Practitioner Level.

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

• Policy Profession Framework; 2.2 Parliament and Law - Practitioner Level.Demonstration of this technical skill should be included in 250 words on the application form.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,630, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,854 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

We offer a range of excellent benefits including but not limited to the following:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Leave entitlement – 25-day annual leave allowance per year increasing by 1 day per year (maximum 30 days per year). In addition, 8 statutory Bank Holidays and 1 privilege day per year.
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