Range Safety Officer

Job summary

Are you an experienced safety professional with a passion for managing risk, influencing decision-making, and ensuring the safe delivery of complex trials and testing activities?

Dstl is seeking a Range Safety Officer to provide expert safety leadership, assurance and independent oversight across our test, trial and evaluation activities. As Dstl's senior specialist for range safety, you will play a key role in protecting people, assets and the environment while shaping the future of our range and trials capability.

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 maximises their contribution.

Job description

What you'll do

• Act as Dstl's lead subject matter expert for range safety, providing trusted advice to senior leaders, Duty Holders and project teams.
• Oversee and continually improve the Range Safety Management System, ensuring compliance with Defence regulations and safety standards.
• Provide independent assurance that range activities are planned and delivered safely, with risks reduced to tolerable and ALARP levels.
• Review and challenge safety cases, risk assessments and safe systems of work to ensure robust decision-making.
• Lead investigations into significant incidents and drive organisational learning and continuous improvement.
• Identify emerging risks and provide evidence-based recommendations to support safe and effective trial delivery.
• Represent Dstl in engagements with regulatory bodies and support inspections, audits and assurance activities.
• Contribute to the development of future technologies, capabilities and innovative test and evaluation programmes

As a Dstl Leader you will: -
• Confidently lead, with the ability to adapt quickly to changing direction and priorities. Positively, motivating, inspiring, encouraging and influencing others through effective communication and engagement.
• Maintain and Manage strong, effective relationships with peers, role modelling Enterprise Leadership to deliver the One Dstl vision ensuring collaboration on delivery outcomes and strategic direction.
• Create a positive working environment, aligned with Dstl Principles and Civil Service Behaviours, which supports diversity and inclusion, and enables people to excel.
• Consistently demonstrate and role model Dstl’s leadership behaviours to ensure our Dstl culture is maintained at all levels.
• Foster an inclusive working environment where open communication and psychological safety are prioritised to encourage constructive feedback and continuous improvement.
• Ensure that all team members understand and meet their defined accountabilities, regularly reviewing performance and providing necessary support and training to uphold Dstl’s standards, culture and values which aligns with the Civil Service Code and values.
• Actively endorse the Civil Service Line Management Standards to improve Line Management skills across the organisation.

Person specification

What we're looking for

Essential Qualifications

• NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (or equivalent).

Essential Experience & Skills

• Significant experience in range safety, safety assurance or regulatory compliance within MOD or another high-hazard environment.
• Strong understanding of Defence Ordnance, Munitions and Explosives (OME) regulations and MOD safety frameworks.
• Experience developing and assuring safety cases, risk assessments and governance arrangements.
• Ability to provide independent professional judgement, challenge and assurance at senior levels.
• Expertise in trials, test and evaluation, ballistics, or a related technical discipline.

Why join Dstl?

This is a unique opportunity to influence some of the UK's most complex and innovative test and evaluation activities. You'll work alongside highly skilled specialists, contribute to critical national capability, and help shape the future of safety across Dstl's range and trials enterprise.

If you're ready to make a real impact in a challenging and rewarding role, we'd love to hear from you.

Safety at Dstl

Accountable for ensuring safe and secure work;

• Must appreciate and be responsible for the health and safety of self and others; both understand and meet defined accountabilities as written in Dstl policy,
• Must demonstrate the expected HS (& EP) behaviours as defined by the Civil Service and Dstl and lead by example,
• Must ensure understanding and maintenance of appropriate training, experience and knowledge (i.e. competent / SQEP) for self and direct reports,
• Develop a working environment that is supportive of and champions the Dstl approach to security, health, wellbeing, safety and environmental (HSEP) management,
• Be aware of the downstream impact of their actions and the actions of their direct reports on those outside of their immediate control.
• Implement Dstl's policies and ensure compliance with the Management System

Important Information

Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be UK Nationals who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to undertake the projects we are involved in to protect us from security threats. For this reason, 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.

This role will require full UK security clearance and you should have resided in the UK for the past 5 years. For some roles Developed Vetting will also be required, in this case you should have resided in the UK for the past 10 years.

Qualifications

•NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, or equivalent recognised health and safety qualification

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,448, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory contributes £17,511 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).

Benefits

Dstl’s full range of great benefits can be found in the information pack which includes:

• Financial: An excellent pension scheme starting from 26% employer contribution (find out more here). In Year Rewarding Achievement bonuses and thank you vouchers. Rental deposit scheme and cycle to work scheme.

• Flexible working: Options include alternative working patterns such as; compressed hours, job shares and annualised hours (agreed number of hours per annum paid monthly i.e. working term-time only).

• Working hours: Fle