Job description for Expert Services Software Safety Engineer

Are you passionate about safety, environmental protection, and functional safety? Do you have experience or an interest in complex software and hardware? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our growing Independent Safety and Environmental Assurance (ISEA) team within Expert Services (ES).

The ISEA team is a dynamic group of specialists in safety and functional safety/Programmable Element (PE) assurance. Our mission is to provide independent assurance to safety and environmental responsible staff at all levels, ensuring compliance with legislation, JSP 815, JSP 816, and other lower-level policies such as ASEMS, regulations, and standards, both defence and civilian where applicable. As an ISEA Specialist, you will bring your expertise in legal, policy, regulatory, and standards frameworks to support Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) environments, technologies, or external customers such as the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA).

You will be working within a significant and expanding assurance area, providing the business with independent safety assurance services across a range of projects and programmes. Collaborating with a team of experts, you will play a key role in delivering assurance services for complex software and hardware systems.

You will have experience with complex software and hardware systems. Knowledge of Defence Standards such as DEF STAN 00-055 and safety standards including IEC 61508, DO-178, and DO-252 would be beneficial.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a growing team that plays a critical role in ensuring safety and environmental compliance across Defence projects.

We champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is required (this is expected to be approximately 60% of your working week) to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance and business need. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead technical software assurance activities and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the systems and software we deliver is safe.
• Working in a highly regulated area, educate others with relevant legislation, regulation, policy, processes, and standards to provide assurance against technical documentation for a sub-system. This includes the essential relation to safety, security and quality of the system, and the interoperability with other systems.
• Identify and analyse software safety acquisition risk reduction measures, ensuring that these are adequately documented and managed.
• Develops and maintains ISEA software assurance plans, monitors compliance, and ensures that software assurance is sufficient to demonstrate that systems are safe to operate. Also produces, reviews, endorses, and recommends acceptance of software safety related artefacts, which includes when equipment/system is operational or being modified.

Person specification

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

• Must have either demonstrable experience of audit and assurance activities to an applicable standard (e.g. ISO 9001, 45001 or 14001).
• An understanding of Programmable Elements safety in a defence environment, e.g. DEF STAN 00-055
• Hold a Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Mathematics based qualification at Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 4; and
• Be professionally registered or intend to be professionally registered with a relevant Professional body/institution related to your discipline, as either:
  • Advanced Registered IT Technician (Adv RITTech) or
  • Registered Scientist (RSci) or
  • Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
• Note: Alternatives to RQF listed above (which cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland only), is the Scottish SCQF or international equivalent qualification backed up by a statement of comparability from UK ENIC.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Core Behaviour 1: Making Effective Decisions
• Core Behaviour 2: Changing and Improving
• Technical Competence 1: Safety Management – Practitioner
• Technical Competence 2: Suitable Systems and Systems Thinking – Practitioner

 Offered Benefits

• 25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 28.97%
• Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts
• Volunteering days
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of – and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.

Further Information

Civil Service Recruitment Principles: Recruitment Principles – Civil Service Commission

Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/DES-Candidate-Information-Pack

Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-Terms-and-Conditions

Civil Service Code: The Code – Civil Service Commission

Any personal data that you provide during the Recruitment process will be treated in accordance with the MOD Privacy Notice which can be accessed here.

Disability Confident:

Please note as a Disability Confident Leader we want to ensure you receive any reasonable adjustments that you need throughout the recruitment process. If you do require any reasonable adjustments, you can let us know on your online application under the section ‘Please indicate and give details of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the recruitment process.’

Selection process details

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift – We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift – Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills. Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.
3. Interview – If you’re invited to interview, you’ll be assessed against the Sift categories (CV Review) listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. 

Please Note: In the event of a tied score at interview, the Order of Merit will be distinguished based on the relative importance of the assessed competencies as per the hierarchy below:

• 1st: Core Behaviour 1
• 2nd: Core Behaviour 1
• 3rd: Technical Competencies
• 4th: CV Review

In the event of a further tie using the method above, we reserve the right to utilise an additional assessment.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact department via email: DESHR-WSC-PMOCOMPLAINTS@mod.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Recruitment Complaints – Civil Service Commission