Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JQ or Dstl Portsdown West, Fareham, Hampshire, PO17 6AD
At Dstl, our vision is to have a modern way of working efficiently, accommodating and enabling our people to create, collaborate and deliver. To do this successfully in this job will require attendance at a Dstl location; Government Departments including wider MoD or Delivery and Mission Partner’s premises for 60% of your working time. Where business needs allow, and with the agreement of your line manager, there may be the option for a combination of workplace and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement
Job Summary
Dstl are seeking a proactive and detail‑driven
Health, Safety & Environmental (HS&E) Auditor to lead and manage our Line 2 internal audit and assurance programme in accordance with JSP 815 and JSP 816. This is a key role in strengthening our safety culture, ensuring compliance, and supporting continuous improvement across the organisation.
Working closely with the Risk, Assurance and Governance (RAG) Group, you will help shape an annual audit plan that reflects a learning organisation—one that identifies risks early, assures compliance, and drives meaningful change. You will collaborate with stakeholders across the business to set expectations, gather evidence, and support the delivery of the annual HS&E report to the MOD via the Head of Safety.
This role requires strong communication, analytical capability, and the ability to work collaboratively across HS&E functions and with leaders at all levels.
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
In this role you will:
- Work from within the HS&E Capability, collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders from across the business.
- Need to be a people person who enjoys building and/or maintaining both new and existing trusting working relationships with people at all levels of the business.
- Be expected to advocate audit as a business improvement tool and break audit myths through your engagement with the business. This is an important role and we expect you to identify compliant and non-compliant aspects of HS&E raising potential risks and propose areas of improvement and/or opportunities.
- Lead, manage, monitor and conduct audits to ensure the successful delivery of the Annual Assurance Plan.
- Conduct any follow-up assurance activities as a result of investigation outcomes.
In This Role You Will
- Work from within the HS&E Capability, collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders from across the business.
- Need to be a people person who enjoys building and/or maintaining both new and existing trusting working relationships with people at all levels of the business.
- Be expected to advocate audit as a business improvement tool and break audit myths through your engagement with the business. This is an important role and we expect you to identify compliant and non-compliant aspects of HS&E raising potential risks and propose areas of improvement and/or opportunities.
- Lead, manage, monitor and conduct audits to ensure the successful delivery of the Annual Assurance Plan.
- Conduct any follow-up assurance activities as a result of investigation outcomes.
Person specification
Technical Skills
We are looking for someone who has:
- Strong communication and report writing skills.
- Highly organised and motivated.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to demonstrate diplomacy and confidentiality.
- The ability to work well under pressure and prioritise work activities accordingly.
- The ability to interpret and comprehend information (including technical information) and
interpret this succinctly into a report.
Essential Experience
- Delivery of Assurance plans and improvement recommendation.
- Conducted and delivered Audit and Assurance reports and activities.
- An understanding of HS&E compliance against regulatory requirements
Please see full Job Profile attached at the bottom of this page
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
Must be able to demonstrate qualification and/or competence (training and skill
application) of conducting internal audits (e.g. Institute of Internal Auditors, Lead Auditor
Course, International Register of Certificated Auditors).
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
- Making Effective Decisions
Alongside your salary of £40,224, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory contributes £11,652 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: Flexibility around your working day (e.g. start time, finish time). Ability to bank hours in a 12 month reference period including the ability to accrue and use 3 days per calendar month.
- Where you work: Depending on your role, blended working may be available including remote working to suit you and your team. This can be discussed at interview.
- Annual leave: 25 days pro rata (rising to 30 after 5 years) plus 8 public holidays with the ability to buy/sell 5 additional days per annum.
- Family: Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks with full pay, an additional 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid
- Learning and Development: Dstl encourages and supports charterships, accreditations and provides employees access to fully funded apprenticeships up to level 7 (Masters Degree). Dstl will pay for 2 memberships with relevant bodies/institutions. Employees also have access to Civil Service Learning.
- Facilities: Onsite parking, EV Charging points, restaurants, cafés and gyms.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
We want you to have your best chance of success in our recruitment process, so If at any stage of the application process you would like help or assistance please contact the Dstl Recruitment Team dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk and we will do all we can to support you.
Sifting will take place week commencing the 28th September with interviews to be arranged from the week commencing 12th October onwards
Your interview will consist of behavioural & technical interview to include a presentation entitled 'How do you ensure audit findings are robust, evidence-based and lead to meaningful improvement?'
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
Open to UK nationals only.
This job is not open to candidates who hold a dual nationality.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
- Name : Dstl Recruitment Team
- Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk
Further information
Should you wish to raise a formal complaint about the Dstl recruitment process you should email dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk stating the nature of the issue. We will respond within 5 working days.