Defence Business Services (DBS) - Operational Support

Kentigern House – Glasgow,
Job Summary
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 UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement.

• Our Vision – To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.
• Our Mission – Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability.

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.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
Come and join the DBS community today!
Job Description
Veterans UK – Armed Forces Pensions is part of DBS, responsible for the award and maintenance of all service pensions. It is made up of two distinct sections: The MoD Authority, which is responsible for all discretionary and policy matters relating to pensions, and the business partner \”Share Services Connected Ltd\” (SSCL), which is responsible for the day-to-day administration.
A Case Worker role exists within the MoD Authority section. This role involves making discretionary decisions on Armed Forces pension casework, and liaison with the business partner, providing advice and authority on a wide range of pension matters. A degree of collaborative working will be required in order to achieve operational goals.

• Review and registration of incoming casework into the MoD Authority Team.
• Investigate and action Discretionary Award Reviews (DARs) received, ensuring that pension scheme rules are correctly appLied.
• Investigate and action cases under the Armed Forces Attributable Benefits (AFAB) scheme, ensuring scheme rules are correctly appLied.
• Assessment of ill-health casework in relation to Armed Forces Pension Scheme Ill Health benefits.
• Identify, investigate and complete additional pension casework where required, including the progressing of and authorisation of all discretionary pension work.
• Ensure that the quality of casework is maintained to the highest standards.
• Liaise and consult with the scheme managers and business partner on the interpretation and application of scheme rules, including new legislation and/or policy.
• Ensure that all correspondence and enquiries are acknowledged and that targets relating to these are met. Complete project work as requested by the management team.

Veterans UK – Armed Forces Pensions is part of DBS, responsible for the award and maintenance of all service pensions. It is made up of two distinct sections: The MoD Authority, which is responsible for all discretionary and policy matters relating to pensions, and the business partner \”Share Services Connected Ltd\” (SSCL), which is responsible for the day-to-day administration.
A Case Worker role exists within the MoD Authority section. This role involves making discretionary decisions on Armed Forces pension casework, and liaison with the business partner, providing advice and authority on a wide range of pension matters. A degree of collaborative working will be required in order to achieve operational goals.

• Review and registration of incoming casework into the MoD Authority Team.
• Investigate and action Discretionary Award Reviews (DARs) received, ensuring that pension scheme rules are correctly appLied.
• Investigate and action cases under the Armed Forces Attributable Benefits (AFAB) scheme, ensuring scheme rules are correctly appLied.
• Assessment of ill-health casework in relation to Armed Forces Pension Scheme Ill Health benefits.
• Identify, investigate and complete additional pension casework where required, including the progressing of and authorisation of all discretionary pension work.
• Ensure that the quality of casework is maintained to the highest standards.
• Liaise and consult with the scheme managers and business partner on the interpretation and application of scheme rules, including new legislation and/or policy.
• Ensure that all correspondence and enquiries are acknowledged and that targets relating to these are met. Complete project work as requested by the management team.

Person specification

• Good communication skills.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• The ability to interpret rules, regulations and instructions.
• Knowledge and experience of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) or experience in benefit delivery would be desirable, however full training will be provided.

Behaviours
We\’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Alongside your salary of £26,770, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,755 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• An environment with flexible working options Monday-Friday
• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service (pro rata). In addition to 8 public holidays per year, you will also receive leave for His Majesty The King’s birthday
• Hybrid working where role permits
• An opportunity to be considered for Reward and Recognition
• Family-friendly policies including – parental leave and adoption leave
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• Professional and personal development of skills
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Minimum of 15 days special leave in a rolling 12 month period for volunteer reserve commitments
• Special paid leave to volunteer up to 6 days per year
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Allowances
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Employment Hours
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Behaviour examples requires more than just information about what you did, it requires you to explain. There are many different approaches you could take to writing behaviours, such as the STAR, or the CAR method. As to which one you chose to use, it’s all down to your personal style of writing. Within the Civil Service, the most common approach is: The STAR method.
Using the STAR method, allows you to set the scene, show what and how you did and the overall outcome. The job holder (and later the interviewer) will use this method to gather all the relevant information about a specific capability that the job requires.
S ituation – Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.

• Where are you?
• Who was there with you?
• What had happened?

T ask – The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.

• What was the task that you had to complete and why?
• What did you have to achieve?

A ctions – What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information of what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I” rather than “we” to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit of something that you did not do.
R esults – Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures easily understandable.

• What results did the actions produce?
• What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?
• Was it a successful outcome? If not what did you learn from the experience?

Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.
Remember- if you are a school leaver or out of employment, and feel that you don’t have the experience to apply for this role then do this-
Make a List Of Your Skills, Strength And Experience
Focus on your education/day-to-day life/extra-curricular activities such as team sports
Highlight anything that would help you perform in the job that you are applying for
For more information on applying for Civil Service jobs and completing your application please visit-
The STAR method , National Careers Service
Success Profiles – GOV.UK ( for the Civil Service – Civil Service – GOV.UK ( choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.
Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.
Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.
Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on your Primary: Behaviour – Making Effective Decisions. In this instance the remaining elements will be tested at interview.
At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Experience:

• CV

At interview you will be assessed against the above (behaviours)
In The Rare Case Where Individuals Have Exact Matching Scores, The Order Of Merit Will Be Determined Based On The Behaviour Scores At Interview In The Following Order

• Behaviour – Making Effective Decisions
• Behaviour – Working Together
• Behaviour – Leadership
• Behaviour – Changing and Improving

If Candidate Scores Are Still Exact, The Merit Order Will Then Be Determined On The Sift Score In The Below Order Or Priority

• Behaviour – Making Effective Decisions
• Behaviour – Leadership
• Behaviour – Changing and Improving
• Behaviour – Working Together
• Career – Previous Skills
• Career – Job History
• Career – Qualification Details

We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn’t always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months.
Application sifting to take place week commencing: 28/07/2025
Interviews are currently taking place via Ms Teams and will be conducted week commencing: 25/08/2025
A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact:
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.
The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.
The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.
To assist with your application please find attached –
DBS Candidate Information Guide – Working for Defence Business Services – GOV.UK ( UK Ministry of Defence: Life , LinkedIn
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 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 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
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
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 : Natalie Slicer
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: #J-18808-Ljbffr