Disclosure Caseworker (Polish)

On behalf of the MOD, we are looking for a Disclosure Caseworker (Polish) - Inside IR35 for a 6 month contract working Remotely.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is a central government department with a mission to protect our country and provide the ultimate guarantee of its security and independence , as well as helping to protect its values and interests abroad.

The MOD is one of the biggest public procurement organisations in Europe and the single largest customer for UK industry. It currently manages approximately £20 billion of spend on capital investments in equipment and infrastructure every year. Over the next decade the MOD is committed to spending over £190 billion on equipment and support. The MOD’s customers include both the armed forces and national security agencies, and it has a diverse range of requirements, including military fighting vehicles, education services, nuclear submarines and facilities management .

The MOD’s aim is to provide its armed forces with the best capabilities to enable them to protect the UK’s security and advance national interests, both now and in the long term.

To do this the MOD has an annual budget of almost £53 billion and a workforce comprising 197,000 people. of which 54,000 are civilians working for the UK MOD.

The work really matters; the MOD offers a range of engaging roles which have a direct impact on the quality of services they provide, in many locations across the UK. We support teams working in HR, Primary Health Care, Corporate Services, and many others.

About the role :

Army HQMS Disclosures handles requests for information from military service records. This role will support the Polish Disclosures service, which provides access to historic Polish Armed Forces and Polish Resettlement Corps records held by MOD.

Requests are primarily handled under the Freedom of Information Act, alongside other requests for information.

The work is subject to legislative requirements and statutory timescales and, despite the high volume of cases, must always be accurate.

Applications are received through the GOV.UK service and associated mailboxes and recorded on the case management system. Initial work can include checking application details and supporting evidence, searching the Polish index to identify a service number, establishing whether a relevant record is held, ordering the file from Restore and updating the case record.

Once a digitised service record is available, the caseworker reviews the file, applies the appropriate redactions, prepares the standard response and disclosure material, issues the response and records the outcome accurately.

The initial focus is expected to be straightforward Polish service-record cases where the relevant file and barcode have already been identified. Training, guidance and standard response templates will be provided.

We are part of a wider team of around 70 people based in Kentigern House, Glasgow. Increased digitisation and scanning mean that much of the work can now be undertaken remotely.

The main duties and responsibilities of the Disclosure Caseworker (Polish) would be to:

- Process requests in accordance with legislation and MOD guidance;
- Source information and documents;
- Own requests from allocation to closure;
- Prepare, check and redact data;
- Maintain database entries;
- Escalate problematic or contentious cases.
- Produce clear and accurate responses.
- Update the case management system promptly and accurately.
- Review Polish service-record applications and supporting information to establish whether the request can be progressed.
- Search available indexes and record information to help identify the correct service person and service record.
- Review and redact digitised Polish military records, applying established disclosure guidance and templates.
- Maintain accurate case information on the case management system and other approved systems, including service numbers, file references, barcodes and case actions.
- Use Polish language skills to understand relevant names, place names, personal and family information, and basic military-service details contained within historic records and correspondence.

Essential:

- Strong IT Skills.
- MS Office and MS Teams.
- Experience of collating information and maintaining data integrity.
- Strong oral and written English language skills.
- Suitable home WI-FI is required.
- Experience of following relevant policies, procedures and legislation when completing work.
- An ability to create clear plans and set priorities which meet the needs of both the customer and the business, identifying common problems that affect service, reporting them and suggesting possible solutions.
- Ability to manage oneself against targets and deliver required outputs.
- Strong attention to detail and the ability to interpret scanned and handwritten historic records.
- Ability to apply written guidance consistently when reviewing records and identifying information requiring redaction.
- Sufficient written and spoken Polish language skills to understand relevant information within historic military records and associated correspondence.
- Ability to recognise Polish names and place names and understand personal, family and basic military-service information.

Desirable:

- Admin experience.
- Experience of working with historic records, casework, information-management or disclosure processes.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident employer, the MOD encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent candidates . Applications from candidates who identify as having a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

As a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, the MOD welcome applications from veterans, service leavers, reservists and military spouses or partners. Applications from eligible candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following “this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.