Defence Business Services - Archive Assistant

Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference?

Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence?

Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry.

DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UKs Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement.

Vision - To be the best shared service centre in Government

Mission - Proudly delivering excellence in shared services, through customer centric solutions to enable Defence outcomes

DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society.

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Where your role permits, we support a blended working approach alternatively known as hybrid working.

Come and join the DBS community today!

DBS is part of The National Armaments Directorate (NAD) Group which is at the heart of delivering and sustaining the UKs defence capability. Bringing together organisations responsible for developing, procuring, supporting and modernising Defence equipment, infrastructure and services, the Directorate works closely with industry, international partners and academia to ensure the Armed Forces have the capabilities they need to deter threats, protect the nation and succeed on operations. NAD drives innovation, operational readiness and value for money while supporting economic growth and strengthening the UKs defence industrial base.

This role is advertised as 37 hours per week.

The Defence Business Services (DBS) Records Review Team, part of the National Armaments Director Group, is a specialist team of records management and sensitivity review professionals responsible for ensuring the Ministry of Defence (MOD) meets its obligations under the Public Records Act and government information management policy. The team reviews historically significant records to determine whether they should be permanently preserved, transferred to The National Archives or other approved places of deposit, or disposed of in accordance with approved retention schedules. Through this work, the team safeguards the corporate memory of Defence, supports transparency and accountability, and helps preserve the nation's military, operational and policy history for future generations. This is an exciting opportunity to join a highly skilled team responsible for preserving, protecting and reviewing some of Defence's most significant records, contributing directly to the stewardship of MOD's historical record while ensuring compliance with statutory obligations.

What will the successful candidate be doing?

• Following reviewer instruction, redact sensitive information of all classifications from records. Using knowledge of the FOIA, PRA and DPA identify and resolve any discrepancies to prevent the potential release of sensitive information which would have significant negative implications for MOD.  
• Draft and submit applications for sensitive information withheld under Retention Instruments. Liaise with reviewers to amend any discrepancies on sensitivity notes. Action approved schedules from the Advisory Council by updating the archive and supporting database.  
• Prepare retained and closed files to The National Archives (TNA) standard.  
• Assist in the delivery of files to TNA by boxing the files to their standards and escorting transportation.  
• Maintain and update the archive database to reflect the status of holdings.  
• Support searches of the archive by performing searches of the archive database using provided keywords, then retrieve relevant information. 
• Post archival material in adherence with its classification either DCS or Royal Mail. Liaise with DCS regarding the collection of material and to order their postal products. Action the accession of material including investigating any discrepancies with receipts.  
• Supervise visitors who are accessing requested documents. 
• Conduct regular audits of the archival holdings, confirming locations and details are correct and resolve any discrepancies in accordance with security policy.  
• Investigate and resolve enquiries on the status of retained information. Provide the review team with the required files and action any changes.  
• When destroying or supervising the destruction of records ensure they are destroyed in accordance with MOD and Government Policy.  

Due to the nature of the work, this role is site based only.

This is a Fixed-term Appointment as an Archive Manager in the Defence Business Services Records Review Team. Your responsibilities will be as described in this job advert. This post will therefore begin on your appointment and end 23 months after that date. You should be aware that when your Fixed-term Appointment at MOD comes to an end, arrangements will be made in line with the FTA policy.

If you are a permanent MoD civil servant and are found successful for an advertised Fixed-term Appointment (FTA) you should move into the post under a Temporary Transfer (for up to a maximum of 23 months). At the end of the posting you will return to your previous MoD Business area. If this posting is at a higher grade, your promotion will be temporary, and you will return to your substantive grade at the end of the Temporary Transfer. If a Temporary Transfer cannot be agreed between all parties then a transfer on an FTA contract is possible, read the FTA and Change of Work Location in the UK policy for further information.

If you are transferring to MoD from another government department (OGD) you should join the MoD on an inward loan. At the end of the loan you will return to your home (OGD) department. If a loan cannot be agreed between all parties then a transfer on an FTA contract is possible, read the FTA policy for further information.

The successful candidate will:

• Have an understanding of Record Management principles and practices including Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Public Records Act (PRA) and Data Protection Act (DPA) 

• Be highly organised and able to work flexibly to meet changing requirements. 

• Have proficient IT skills including Microsoft Office (MS Teams) 

• Hold a UK Driving License (Desirable)