Navy Command, Business Support Assistant

Job summary

At Navy Command, we lead, support, and sustain the Royal Navy across every theatre of operations. We coordinate the people, platforms, and missions that keep the Fleet ready for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Together, we uphold centuries of naval tradition while driving innovation that ensures the Royal Navy’s readiness to protect our nation and secure our future.

As the authority for the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine capability, the Submarine Directorate oversees one of the most complex and critical elements of UK defence. Covering everything from in‑service management to long‑term fleet modernisation, the directorate ensures the Submarine Flotilla remains safe, reliable, and ready to meet national security requirements.

This position is a Reserved Post within the Civil Service, for which only sole UK nationals are eligible. Under the Civil Service Nationality Rules, UK nationals include British citizens, British subjects with the right of abode in the United Kingdom, and British Overseas Territories citizens.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Are you the kind of person who can keep a busy senior leader one step ahead, turn diary chaos into calm, and still greet the unexpected with a smile? This is a brilliant opportunity to sit at the heart of the Submarines Directorate, supporting senior leaders in a fast-paced, high-profile environment where no two days are quite the same. From managing a complex diary and coordinating travel, to working with senior stakeholders across Defence and beyond, you’ll be the organised, confident and trusted person who helps keep things moving. If you enjoy variety, responsibility and being part of a small, friendly team doing work that really matters, we’d love to hear from you.What you will be doing:

• Diary Management: To be the single point of contact for the management of sernior leaders time, using Microsoft Outlook 365 diary. The Business Support Assistant (BSA) is to respond to meeting requests from multiple stakeholders, organise and schedule meetings required and maintain an up to date diary, responding as required to short notice changes. The BSA is to lead weekly diary meetings and work with senior leaders to ensure maximal efficiency of their time including intelligent sequencing of meetings and allocation of preparation time. They will prioritise commitments. The BSA will proactively deconflict meetings in the diary, taking decisions aligned to business priorities, and ensure alternative arrangements are made where necessary.
• Correspondence: To act as the primary point of contact for all incoming and outgoing correspondence. The BSA will prioritise correspondence and communications with stakeholders to ensure routine engagements and the receipt of any required supporting information for business in a timely manner to allow for preparation. The BSA will ensure that correspondence is distributed to relevant personnel and filed in line with information management best practice.
• Stakeholder Management: Establishing professional relationships with a range of customers and stakeholders, prioritised against objectives. Collaborating with these to share information, resources and support. The BSA will support the team in maintaining stakeholder information and contacts, and provide day to day interaction with stakeholders offices/staff.
• Travel: To arrange duty domestic and international travel requirements using the HRG booking system and local budget control procedures.
• Meet and greet: Meet and greet visitors and escort them to and from the meeting room / building as required. Ensure visitors are booked in at reception and arrange building passes as appropriate.
• Meeting and Conference rooms: The BSA will arrange the booking, rearrangement and cancellation of meeting and conference room facilities. They will proactively ensure that meetings rooms are arranged for any meetings that are managed through the senior leaders calendar. They will also liaise with colleagues to ensure that meetings is managed, for example by booking secure eVTC and other meeting rooms as needed.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Previous experience in administrative roles
• Strong experience of using Microsoft 360
• Able to build positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• The ability to deal with multiple conflicting priorities

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,740, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,905 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).

• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Market-leading employer pension contribution of 28.97%
• Personal & professional development
• Alternative working patterns for many roles
• Access to a confidential, professional support service
• Discount schemes
• Bicycle / season-ticket loans
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave
• Special paid leave to volunteer (up to 6 days a year)

In Navy Command we believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you’ll be supported through your learning journey and your career. This can include working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking an apprenticeship as part of your role.

You’ll have access to a variety of qualifications pathways ranging from GCSE/A-Level equivalent all the way up to master’s degree, depending on your role, your previous skills and your experience. Some qualifications even include “on-the-job” training which means minimal disruption to your working day but maximum impact.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

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

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

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.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and othe