Military service leaver, spouse or partner?
Find your place with us and stay part of the team defending the UK and our allies.
At Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), we know how valuable your skills, experiences and dedication are to our organisations. Join us and help deliver the best service possible to those serving in the UK Armed Forces.
For service leavers, military spouses and partners, we’re a natural fit. Looking for an opportunity to support those on the front line? Find out what we can offer and the routes to apply.
What types of roles are available?
We recruit people across a wide range of professions, from project managers to engineers, and logistics experts to business managers and commercial specialists. We hire across a variety of domains too, including Land, Air, Ships, Strategic Enablers, and Corporate.
So whatever your skills or interests, explore our functions and see where you could start your rewarding civilian career today.
What we can offer you
As a highly specialised part of UK Defence, we’ve been supporting military leavers on their journeys into civilian life for decades.
We offer a range of benefits, including:
- Market-leading employer pension contribution of around 27% of your salary
- Flexible, hybrid and part-time working opportunities (please note, you’ll need to live within a commutable distance as for some roles regular attendance to site will be required)
- Join us with a break in service from the military of less than five years, having completed five years of service, the military leave allowance will be preserved and you will be awarded 30 days of leave. If not, you’ll still receive 25 days of holiday, plus one additional day every year you work up to 30 days.
- Up to 15 days of paid special leave per year for reservist training
- An extra bank holiday in honour of the sovereign’s birthday
- Funding for professional qualifications and membership to professional associations, specialist training, and support to achieve your professional ambitions
- Annual performance-based bonuses
- Employee well-being and occupational health services
- Subsidised on-site gym and sporting facilities in some locations, including our Abbey Wood site in Bristol
What are the routes to apply for military leavers?
- Apply for a suitable, permanent role on our Vacancies page
- Don’t forgot to opt into the ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’ scheme on our application form – this will allow your application to progress straight to interview, so long as you meet the essential criteria listed on the job advert
- As part of the government-wide ‘Going Forward into Employment’ scheme, military service leavers (and military spouses and partners) can join us on a fixed-term contract, without a formal interview
- You can explore our specific Military Transition Scheme positions by visiting our Vacancies page and applying the ‘Military Transition Scheme’ filter
- Each scheme will advertise all of the relevant locations where the role can be based – let us know your preference and we can match you with the most suitable location for you
- Rather than a traditional interview process, you won’t be competing against other candidates – instead we offer an informal chat to discuss your experience and suitability for the role
- These paid contracts last up to 23 months – during this time we’ll help you fill any gaps on your CV and support you to apply for a suitable, permanent role with us when one becomes available, with CV writing training, coaching, and interview preparation sessions
- If you can’t see a suitable scheme available, simply get in touch via our Talent Acquisition team email address – DESHR-SD-TalentAcquisition@mod.gov.uk. You will be entered into a Talent Pool and we’ll be in touch if a suitable opportunity arises.
- To be eligible to join through this route, you must:
- Be a veteran of the UK Armed Forces; or
- Be in your resettlement period and due to leave the Armed Forces within a reasonable time frame; or
- Have a partner or spouse still serving or discharged within the last 12 months
Please note: We are only accepting applications for the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) Military Transition Scheme at this time.
Explore our schemes
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You’ll benefit from 25 days of holiday, plus one additional day every year you work up to 30 days. You will get eight bank holidays each year, and an extra bank holiday in honour of the King’s birthday
What’s more, if you join us with a break in service from the military of less than five years, and you have completed five years of military service, the military leave allowance will be preserved, and you will be awarded 30 days of leave.
You’ll also have the chance to take up to 15 days of paid special leave a year for reservist training.
Yes – you can find our CV writing guidance here.
Our top tip? Make sure you tailor your CV for the role you’re applying for, clearly highlighting with evidence how you match the essential criteria shown on the job advert. Don’t forget to remove any acronyms or jargon that civilian CV sifters may not understand.
Yes – take a look at our interview preparation guidance
Although the balance between working on site and from home will vary from role to role, some attendance to site will be required for most positions, so you must live within a commutable distance from the site you’re recruited to (your Permanent Duty Station).
A fixed-term contract – sometimes also referred to as a fixed-term appointment, or FTA – is a temporary appointment up to a maximum of 23 months. During this period, you’ll be on the same contracted terms and conditions as permanent employees, and you’ll have access to all of the same rewards and benefits too.
If you have joined us in an Administrative Assistant (level 1) position, and have performed your role to a satisfactory standard, at the end of the contract you may be offered a permanent role without need to interview.
For all other role levels, you will need to apply for a permanent role through the normal recruitment process. During the fixed term appointment, you will have the opportunity to benefit from internal training as well as CV writing courses to help prepare for this.
You must have served for at least one year in the UK Armed Forces, and be within five years of leaving the Armed Forces or within 10 years if you have been medically discharged.
We recommend getting in touch at least six months prior to your termination date to discuss suitable opportunities. We also accept applications from those who have already left the Armed Forces.
If you’re a military spouse or partner, you must have a current serving partner or spouse who falls within the above veteran candidate criteria.
When you join us, you will be allocated a Functional Development Officer (FDO) and a buddy. Your FDO is there to support you throughout your career and will have regular catch-ups with you to discuss your development.
Your buddy is an existing employee who guides you through the first few weeks or months of the job. They will help you get to know the organisation and settle in. Your buddy is also someone you can talk to and give confidential feedback to about how you are getting on.
You’ll also have access to a wide range of training and development courses – this will include CV writing and interview preparation guidance.
We also offer wellbeing and occupational health services for anyone who needs them.
No – those joining via the scheme may be based at any site where there is a relevant vacancy. Talk to us and let us know your preferences.
In line with our pension policy, no member of staff can claim back from their pension if in role for less than two years. However, if you continue to work for us beyond two years, the time spent on the scheme will count towards your pension.
There is no reduction to the military pension, as the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) and Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) are separate entities.
Yes, if a suitable vacancy arises at DE&S or the SDA before the end of your contract, you can apply for this. We highly recommend discussing this with your line manager, who can offer guidance on your application.
We are pleased to offer jobs for military spouses and partners. You can apply via the ‘Going Forward into Employment’ initiative, on a fixed-term contract, or browse our vacancies page to apply. These are brilliant opportunities to support those serving on the front line, and get a great range of benefits such as flexible and hybrid working too.
What our current veterans think about working at DE&S
Georgie spent 10 years working in the RAF before joining us as an Operations Manager in the Operational Delivery function.
“DE&S seemed like a natural transition, using my skill set and defence experience to help deliver support to military capabilities. The opportunities here are extensive and have enabled continued career progression at my own pace, all while having a great work/life balance”
Tom was an engineer in the Royal Navy and has now been working at DE&S for over three years in the Engineering function.
“It’s great to work in such a diverse environment. I work with people from all walks of life who bring with them differences in thought. This is vital in engineering as we need people who can think outside the box”
