Job Description

Details

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Reference number

404733

Salary

23,116
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP

Job grade

Other
Skillzone 1

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

MOD - Army - Defence Children Services

Type of role

Other

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

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Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information

Location

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Dunblane

About the job

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Job summary

Queen Victoria School (QVS) is a co-educational boarding school funded by the Ministry of Defence to provide stable and uninterrupted education and boarding to some 270 children of Service personnel, from ages 10/11 to 18. The school is set in 45 acres of beautiful Perthshire countryside.


We are seeking a 30 hour per week Housekeeper who reports to the QVS Facilities Manager (FM). The job purpose is primarily housekeeping and cleaning within one of the four Boarding Houses (predominately pupil bedrooms and pupil common spaces).


The boarding houses have up to 80+ pupils ranging from P7 to S6, who live in single, two or four-person bedrooms spread out over self-contained accommodation.


The standards required are high but the starting position is that each pupil is expected to make their bed down daily and keep their room tidy. The Housekeeper would be expected to build on that by carrying out the vacuuming, dusting and wet cleaning down of horizontal surfaces as appropriate, dusting the higher and lower parts of the room with an extendable duster, cleaning the wash hand basin and checking to ensure the environment is wholesome.


The Ministry of Defence employs over 50,000 Civil Servants. Within that, the Army Top Level Budget (TLB) employs around 7,000 MOD Civil Servants located at over 300 locations. Ours is a diverse workforce, with roles ranging from trainers, human resources, teachers, and psychologists to storekeepers, financiers, project and programme managers, and policy secretariat staff. There are many different functions and professions delivering key outputs for the Army. As such using data to aid understanding of our workforce is vital.


This position is advertised at 30 hours per week.

Job description

Housekeepers are assigned to one of the four boarding houses at QVS. The job entails working closely with the House Master (HoM) and House Matron who will prioritise activities and issue any reasonable day to day requirements in order to suit the prevailing conditions in the boarding house.


It should be noted that although the post is affiliated to one Boarding House, there will be on occasion a requirement to cover Housekeeping tasks in any of the other three Boarding Houses.


The Housekeeper would be expected to build on pupils' own tidiness and cleanliness within their bedrooms by carrying out the vacuuming, dusting and wet cleaning down of horizontal surfaces as appropriate, dusting the higher and lower parts of the room with an extendable duster, cleaning the wash hand basin and checking to ensure the environment is wholesome. Other spaces such as shared corridors, boarding house office and refreshment areas are also within the Housekeepers remit.



The Housekeeper would be expected to perform some indirect pastoral duties around the house to promote the welfare of pupils (though contact is minimal). Their role is to maintain a stable, welcoming environment, flagging concerns discreetly, and being a trusted presence for pupils in the background. Any significant issues or concerns that the Housekeeper may have should be escalated promptly to the HoM, Matron or promoted Staff Member.


The Housekeeper should be alert to other matters whilst going about their duties, such as damages, defects or concerns with unsafe practices. Any of these should be brought to the attention of House Staff. If urgent, and House Staff are not available, the matter should be escalated to FM Department.


Ad hoc and additional support to the Matron may be necessary, this is limited to dispatching and receiving laundry and helping with pupil administration in the Matron's Dispensary. On a weekly basis, it is normal to substitute for the Matron on their day off.


In the main summer holiday, the Housekeeper duties switch from the care of QVS pupils to housekeeping in support of hosting Summer Letting activity. In this case, the Housekeepers work together, as a team.


If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com

Person specification

Essential

Experience of housekeeping / cleaning work Knowledge of health and safety considerations relating to cleaning

Desirable

Knowledge of the duties of a Housekeeper for large premises Good inter-personal and communication skills Ability to use own initiative to identify and prioritise tasks Ability to work alone and as part of a team Approachable and courteous manner A desire to work in Boarding School environment An understanding of the need for confidentiality within the School setting/environment Ability to identify basic repair tasks Skilled in maintaining a stable, welcoming environment, dealing sensitively with any issues discreetly.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:


Making Effective Decisions Managing a Quality Service Working Together

Benefits

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Alongside your salary of 23,116, Ministry of Defence contributes 6,696 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
As a QVS employee you will become a MOD Civil Servant. Benefits for QVS/MOD Civil Servants include:

Personal and professional development opportunities. Part of a forward-looking organisation with inclusive workplace policies and prides itself on being a supportive employer. Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Civil Service Pension On campus car parking. Access to excellent sports facilities, including a multi-gym.

Discover My Benefits:


Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD. https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/


This post does not offer any assistance with Relocation Allowances.


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.

Things you need to know

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Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
The sift will be conducted on behaviours, CV and personal statement.


At application and interview you will be assessed against the following behaviours:


Making effective decisions


Managing a Quality Service


Working Together


You should have experience of Cleaning/Housekeeping


The successful candidate will be required to complete a Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) prior to commencing the role.


When 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.


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.


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.


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.



Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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) 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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

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This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans 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

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Job contact :

Name : Laura Reilly Email : laura.reilly@modschools.org
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Recruitment team

Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam1@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see Further Information document attached