Data Exploitation Officer - Army

Job summary

The Ministry of Defence, Civil Service workforce is diverse, with many different functions and professions ranging from cyber and digital transformation, police officers, security guards, trainers, human resources, teachers, psychologists, storekeepers, and policy secretariat staff to support the British Army.

This role is the Joint Aviation Command (JAC) lead for Power Platform development and digital process improvement. Working across HQ functions, the postholder will identify opportunities to improve business processes and support the delivery of practical, secure and sustainable digital solutions that enhance operational and corporate outputs.

The postholder will develop and maintain solutions using Microsoft Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI and SharePoint, working closely with users to understand requirements, simplify processes and deliver proportionate solutions. They will support the full lifecycle of solutions from initial discovery and design through testing, implementation and ongoing support.

Acting as a focal point for Power Platform capability within JAC, the postholder will promote effective use of Microsoft 365 tools, encourage adoption of approved approaches and ensure compliance with information management, security, Army policy and data protection requirements. They will contribute to the identification and prioritisation of improvement opportunities and support JAC in realising benefits from delivered solutions.

The role supports Joint Aviation Command personnel across operational and enabling functions, including military and civilian staff from across Defence. Development and support of the Aircraft Serviceability Report (ASR+) and other prioritised digital-improvement projects will form part of the role, working under senior personnel and with defined business ownership.

JAC operates in a joint environment delivering Battlefield Helicopters and Aviation Combat Service Support capabilities to Defence. The headquarters is based at Marlborough Lines, Andover, and routinely supports activity across the UK and overseas.

Core experience in Power Platform development and stakeholder engagement is desirable on appointment. Defence-specific governance, compliance and local platform training may be completed following arrival in post.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

As the lead for Power Platform Development within Joint Aviation Command, you will support a diverse customer base of operational personnel across the Royal Navy (RN), British Army, Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as Civil Servants and contractors.

Key responsibilities:

• Engage process owners to discover, map and analyse business processes; identify duplication, delay, rework, manual handling and avoidable risk; and define proportionate future-state requirements before selecting a technical solution.
• Independently design, build, test, deploy, document and maintain Power Apps, Power Automate flows, Power BI dashboards and SharePoint-based solutions for a range of HQ use cases.
• Scope and deliver proportionate minimum viable products at pace, using iterative development, early user testing and active control of requirement expansion to realise benefits as quickly as practicable.
• Provide internal consultancy and constructive challenge, including advice where a requested solution should be simplified, redesigned, reused or delivered through a method other than Power Platform.
• Maintain visibility of requests, work in progress, dependencies, live products, benefits and technical debt; support prioritisation according to operational benefit, effort, risk, reuse potential and business-owner readiness.
• Ensure every solution has appropriate Information Management, data protection, permissions, testing, documentation, business ownership, support, continuity, change-control and retirement arrangements.
• Mentor and advise JAC personnel developing local solutions; promote safe citizen development, reusable components, agreed standards and sustainable handover to reduce dependency on a single developer.
• Measure and communicate adoption, efficiencies and other benefits realised by delivered solutions.
• Develop and support ASR+ as one product within the prioritised JAC digital-improvement portfolio, with scope and priority agreed through the relevant business owner and senior sponsor.

Please note: The successful applicant will be required to complete mandatory and specific training relating to the job within 6 months of taking up the position.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• Demonstrable experience of independently designing, building, testing and implementing multiple live Microsoft Power Platform solutions.
• Strong practical competence in Power Apps and Power Automate, including dependable workflow design, permissions, exception handling and supportable deployment.
• Demonstrable experience of developing clear, actionable Power BI dashboards or comparable data-visualisation products for business users.
• Experience of analysing business processes, defining requirements and translating user needs into proportionate improved processes and technical solutions.
• Evidence of delivering iterative or minimum viable products at pace while managing competing requirements and controlling scope.
• Ability to consult, communicate and constructively challenge stakeholders at different levels, including explaining technical options, trade-offs and risks in plain English.
• Experience of testing, technical documentation, controlled handover and lifecycle support for live digital products.
• Understanding of information governance, data protection, data quality, permissions and sustainable product ownership within Microsoft 365.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

• Experience of working within Defence Microsoft 365, a headquarters environment or another regulated enterprise.
• Experience of mentoring citizen developers, establishing reusable standards or building a practitioner network.
• Knowledge of SharePoint administration and Self Service Group Management.
• Experience of benefits realisation, user-centred design, service design or formal business-analysis methods.
• Relevant Microsoft Power Platform certification or equivalent demonstrable professional development

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,740, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,905 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).

The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance.

Other benefits for Army civil servants include:

- 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
- Highly competitive pension scheme
- Personal and professional development of skills
- Alternative working patterns for many roles
- 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 lifes