Defence HR Profession
There are approximately 1,500 Human Resources (HR) professionals working across Defence to enable us to achieve our business objectives both as a government department and military HQ. HR professionals are located across the Defence estate in the UK and Overseas, with approximately 15% of the HR community based in Head Office. The profession is broken down into nine job families, the largest of which are HR operations and business partnering.
Great HR professionals….
- Have the ability to cut through complexity to solve problems and deliver a positive impact. This includes the confidence to challenge the status quo using evidence and data.
- Are great team players and leaders.
- Role-model the behaviours that we ask others to adopt: inclusivity, kindness, maintaining high performance standards, building capability in others and engagement.
- Give and receive constructive feedback with honesty and respect.
- Are innovative in our HR practice by learning and keeping our knowledge fresh and taking the opportunity to experiment with new approaches and ideas.
- Have a good perspective and understanding of how digital services can improve the employee experience.
- Create strong networks, build credibility with stakeholders and inspire others to trust and have confidence in us.
Join our community
Belonging to the HR profession community gives you access to a network of thriving HR professionals, a range of online training courses, and plenty of opportunities to learn from others and develop your skills.
Defence has a longstanding partnership with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), and we support staff in working towards a professional qualification or accreditation. The Human Resources Fast Stream and Apprenticeships schemes offer the chance to build professional HR skills while playing an active role in some of the most important HR challenges in Defence. All HR vacancies are listed on the Civil Service Jobs website, where you can also sign up for job alerts.
Defence HR Apprentice experience
“When I began my journey in the HR Profession within the MOD, I was keen to enhance my HR expertise and achieve a recognised qualification. The Level 5 HR apprenticeship provided the perfect opportunity to do just that. Not only did it allow me to deepen my HR knowledge and refine my skills, but it also significantly boosted my confidence. This experience has been instrumental in enabling me to advance further in my career and achieve my professional goals.”
Tommy, Level 5 Apprentice
CIPD professional accreditation experience
“Gaining Associate membership of CIPD via the experience assessment route has provided me with professional recognition of my contributions in HR for the past two years. This has been exceptionally beneficial to shaping my ambitions to further my learning and development. I would recommend the experience assessment route for anyone considering it.”
Siraj, CIPD EA Cohort 21
