DIO Rural Real Estate Graduate Scheme

We are looking for suitably qualified individuals seeking to develop their career and to achieve their Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accreditation to join our Estates Team. If you are interested in working client-side with Military colleagues on one of the largest estates in the country and/or across an extensive overseas portfolio, and you are motivated by the prospect of working on a diverse range of exciting, interesting and often-challenging projects of National interest in support of the UK Defence Mission, then the DIO Estates Team is for you!
Successful candidates will experience a unique opportunity within the surveying field. Whilst undertaking your surveying role you will also gain a wide range of on-the-job training and experience to assist you in achieving your RICS accreditation. Successful candidates will be included in our estates assessment of professional competence (APC) programme providing guidance and training from our network of surveyors and property professionals and support from our in-house counsellors and assessors.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week., DIO Estates have vacancies for Graduate Rural Surveyors to join our Land Management Services (LMS) Team. These are exciting opportunities to join our nationwide network of highly skilled Surveyors and we are looking for motivated, suitability qualified individuals who have an understanding and a strong interest in Rural Surveying and Estate Management to join our established team. You will work closely with military and civilian colleagues delivering exciting, varied estate activities, programmes, and subject matter professional advice.
As a Graduate Rural Surveyor, you will undertake your APC with the RICS via the 24-month structured route and you will successfully achieve your goal of Chartered Surveyor status (MRICS) with us whilst gaining valuable on the job training and work experience.
By joining our Graduate programme, you will work in a team of Surveyors and property specialists. As you progress throughout your programme you will be given more responsibility and become a key member of the team, with the full support and guidance from expert Chartered Surveyor’s, wider teams and the Estates APC support programme throughout your APC journey.
The MOD estate is wide and varied, on this unique estate variety is certain and no two days will be the same! The breadth of work on offer is exceptional with opportunities to get involved in a wide range of projects across the UK to enable Defence capability.
Land Management Services (LMS)
LMS are an in-house consultancy team providing a full range of surveying and estate management services to the MOD. These include lettings, acquisition of leases, lease management, Landlord & Tenant (MOD both as Landlord & Tenant), rent reviews, lease renewals/expiries and general property related advice to protect MOD interests. LMS also undertake a wide range of stakeholder engagement with local authorities, other government departments and special interest groups as well as providing support and subject matter expert (SME) advice for parliamentary business., In this role you will work, assist and support on a wide range of programmes and services alongside the provision of subject matter expert advice and communications with all key stakeholders.
Working with your APC Supervisor and Counsellor, successful candidates will have Individual training plans put in place for you to ensure that you are able to get the right mix of work and breadth of experience required to complete your APC and become a Chartered Surveyor.
The work is extremely varied and wide ranging, but key activities for the roles are assisting and supporting Surveyors within all aspects of land & rural estate management, including:
+ Liaison with military Heads of Establishment to develop and be accountable for the delivery of professional advice to enable military outputs, working with both internal and external stakeholders such as Natural England, Defra, property developers, adjoining landowners, local authorities, utility companies and the general public.
+ Land and property estate management – carrying out the due diligence to identify, mitigate and manage the legal, financial and reputational risks on MOD land.
+ Management of agreements including landlord & tenant, rent reviews, lease renewals and associated negotiations for lettings and hirings.
+ Engagement with our agricultural occupiers to advise on agricultural matters and farming systems to assist MOD in delivering its operational requirements and to meet its sustainability/net zero targets.
+ Negotiation and granting of occupation agreements (leases, licences, wayleaves, and easements) for a wide range of uses.
+ Acquisition and negotiation of new hirings to meet military requirements.
The roles can be based at any of the stated locations of Catterick, Westdown, West Tofts and Brecon. The successful candidate will be expected to regularly attend their chosen location for learning, face-to-face meetings and collaboration. The role will involve regular travel to sites within their region and occasionally UK wide for meetings and/or site inspections.
All sites will be considered whilst ensuring the location of the successful candidate can still meet the business and travel requirements of the role. Work location will be agreed once the successful candidate has been selected. Please confirm your location on your application form., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Delivering at Pace
+ Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
+ Delivering at Pace

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ Property Professional Expertise: Awareness Level
+ Stakeholder Engagement: Awareness Level, + An environment with flexible working options
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
+ A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
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.
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
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.
Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
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.

Things you need to know

Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework and Government Property Career Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.
Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile and the Government Property Career Framework elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.
Should we receive a high volume of applicants for this post we will long-list applicants based on an agreed long-list scoring benchmark. Should those at the interview threshold benchmark not be successful at Interview we will proceed to consider applicants who met the long-list benchmark.
Stage 1:
Initial Application – You will be required to complete online Civil Service Numeracy and Judgement tests.
If you pass these tests you will move on to your full application in stage 2.
Stage 2:
At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours:
+ Delivering at Pace, Personal Statement - As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a personal statement of 500 words. Please use relevant examples to demonstrate your understanding of rural estate management and a basic knowledge of:
+ Leases, rent reviews, lease management, tenant relations.
+ Stakeholder Engagement
Please also try to showcase your relevant skills and experience against the role responsibilities. This statement is your opportunity to give examples of how you fit the requirements of the role.
Stage 3:
At interview you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours:
+ Working Together
+ Delivering at Pace
Technical Skills:
+ Property Professional Expertise: Awareness Level
+ Stakeholder Engagement: Awareness Level
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.
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 is scheduled to take place on week commencing 11th November 2024 following advert closure.
Interviews are currently taking place remotely and will be conducted week commencing 25th November 2024.
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.
Once all interviews have taken place, we will make provisional offers to the successful candidates in December 2024 and begin your pre-employment checks. Please be aware these checks can take several months to complete, however we will remain in contact throughout the process.
Candidates will be required to complete an online Numerical and Civil Service Judgement test.
The Civil Service Judgement Test is not bankable and therefore must be taken on every vacancy where it is applied.
Should you be invited to complete the online tests, please allow sufficient time to complete the tests and the remainder of the full application form; only candidates who are successful at the test stage will be invited to complete the remainder of the application by clicking ‘Submit Application’. Your application must be completed by 23:55 on the closing date of the vacancy. Late submissions cannot be accepted. The tests are not timed, as they work by giving you harder questions if you answer the previous question correctly, and easier if you get it wrong. You should allow up to an hour for each test, and each test must be completed before you will be invited to complete the second part of your application. Internet access will be required for the duration of the test. Please refer to the attached Candidate Guidance for further information.
Candidates that reach the minimum required pass mark will have their results saved as a banked score against the following tests:
+ New Civil Service Numerical Test
When a candidate has a banked score they’re not asked to re-take the same test providing it is set at the same level. Scores will be banked for a 6 month period from the date of test completion. If a candidate is invited to take the same test against multiple vacancies, the banked score will be recognised against all vacancies and all active applications will progress.
CSJT scores cannot be banked as each test is generated from the behaviours required for a specific role which will vary between recruitment campaigns.
If you require any particular arrangements (for example due to a disability or health problem) to be made in order for you to complete the online test you MUST contact the DBS Enquiry Centre on BEFORE accessing the online test.
Opening times Mon -Friday 0800- 1600 hrs.
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: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .
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.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to 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. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It 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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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., + 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.

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).

You must have, or will achieve by September 2025, the following Qualifications/Essential Criteria:
+ A RICS accredited degree in Rural Estate Management/Surveying at 2:2 or above awarded within the last two years.
+ A full, valid UK driver’s licence.
You are encouraged to apply with your predicted grades. Evidence of the above qualifications will be required as part of your pre-employment checks before a formal offer can be made., You must have, or will achieve by September 2025, the following Qualifications/Essential Criteria:
A RICS accredited degree in Rural Estate Management/Surveying at 2:2 or above awarded within the last two years.
A full, valid UK driver’s licence.

Do you want to work for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and play a key role in keeping our country safe through caring for the Defence estate and those that depend on it? DIO manages the Defence estate, one of the UK’s largest and most diverse property portfolios, enabling the armed forces and Defence civilians to live, work, train and deploy. From net carbon-zero accommodation to runways for the F35 fighter jets, our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe!

Alongside your salary of £29,500, Ministry of Defence contributes £8,546 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.