Officer Commanding Robson Resilience Centre St Mawgan

A vacancy has arisen for a Squadron Leader People Ops to serve as Officer Commanding Robson Resilience Centre St Mawgan (OC RRCS) at RAF St Mawgan on Full Time Reserve Service (Limited Commitment) Terms and Conditions of Service (TCoS), with an initial proposed start date of 01 September 2026 (or earlier/later, subject to candidate status).

As OC RRCS you are responsible to Commandant Robson Academy of Resilience, through OC Resilience Wing, for the leadership and management of RRCS by providing safe and effective delivery of Force Development and Adventurous Personal Development Training to Military and Civil Servant personnel.  

Responsibilities:

Responsible to Comdt RAR, through OC Res Wg, for the provision of Phase 2 (APDLT) and Eagles activity delivered by RRCS.

Responsible for the leadership and management of all RRCS staff, comprising Service, MoD Civilian and Contractors.

Ensure the safe conduct of training which supports and is aligned to RAF and Joint Service Policy. Lead a safety culture and manage a Safe System of Training iaw Defence policy and RAR procedures.

Management of delegated budgets, public and non-public funds to enhance the trg opportunities for staff and welfare amenities for students.

Have oversight of all logistical elements; ensuring transport, stores, accommodation, and catering are Fit For Purpose.

Co-ordinate with respective stakeholders and external training providers to ensure business continuity.

Production and maintenance of auditable Safety documentation; manage routine training assurance and monitoring of instructional standards.

Implement strategic long-term planning to increase delivery of training outputs and develop the staff teams and infrastructure.

Able to Command a small team of specialists comprising Regular, Reserve, civilian SIO and commercial partners, exploiting strengths and developing weakness.

Maintain oversight and assure safe training delivery at multiple locations whilst ensuring compliance with requirements of a comprehensive Management of Training System (MTS). Able to manage and negotiate effective working practices with RAF SMG Stn, Centre Staff and Commercial Partners to achieve a SOTT and SOTR.

Able to exploit own breadth of experience to enable informed decisions relating to mitigation of Risk to Life (RtL) training activity. Provide informed direction to subordinates and pragmatic advice to OC Res Wg.

Requires the incumbent to deliver clear and unambiguous intent to ensure training does not exceed scope.

Must either have been, or currently be, a Squadron Leader People Ops, Major or Lieutentant Commander (equivalent Profession) or a Flight Lieutenant People Ops eligible for promotion (RAF Only) in accordance with AP 3393 Vol 1 and AP 7000. All Promotions will be ratified by means of a Promotion Board.

• OF 2 Flt Cdr in a Formal Training Establishment; experience of Supervisory Care. Experience delivering Risk to Life training, such as:  APDT/SERE/Mil Para or Unit-based APDT delivery.
• OF3 Command experience of delivery of Risk to Life Training (APDT/SERE/Mil Para) or OC FD Sqn.
•  Military Education. IOD B & C.
• Defence Training Manager. You are responsible for the mentoring of the qualified DTS personnel to ensure supervision is carried out iaw JSP 822.
• Defence Training Supervisor. To be able to carry out mandated supervision on all courses.
• Defence Training Audit Course (DTAC). To be able to undertake 1LoDA / assurance activity iaw JSP 822.
• DTTT or Equivalent. To be able to deliver unsupervised Defence Training iaw JSP 822.
• Commanding Officer of Training Establishments (COTE). To understand the C2 responsibilities of a trg establishment iaw RAF policy.
• Disclosure & Barring Service Check (Enhanced).
• Summer Mountain Leader (SML) or equivalent.
• Paddle UK SUP Tidal Leader.
• Mountain Bike Leader or equivalent.
• Open Canoe 4* Leader or equivalent.
• Rock Climbing Mountain Leader or equivalent.
• First Aid (16hr Outdoors).
• VHF radio competence.

A Selection Board will carry out a rigorous selection process for this post, based principally on an applicant’s last 4 appraisal reports and other evidence as appropriate.  Enquiries concerning this vacancy should be made to:

Name: Squadron Leader Neville Smith / 2IC Resilience Wing

Tel: 07970 984048

Applications.  Candidate applications should as a minimum, comprise of a maximum 2-page CV, and copies of last 4 appraisal reports. Where candidates have been out of military service and / or have additional civilian SQEP relevant for the role, they should include evidence including qualifications, references, civilian appraisals as deemed appropriate, for use by the Selection Board, and should be sent to:

Neville Smith: Neville.smith138@mod.gov.uk

The closing date for applications is 10 July 2026.

Interviews will take place week commencing 03 August 2026 subject to promotion board if required.

Unless already commissioned in the Reserve Air Forces the successful applicant will be required to be commissioned in the Royal Air Force Reserves with a liability for call-out for permanent service.

The appointment is on Full Time Reserve Service (Full Commitment) TCoS in accordance with AP 3392 Vol 7 Part 1 and AP3392 Vol 7 Part 3 Chapter 2 for an initial period of 4 years.

Confirmation of appointment will depend on successful completion of a RAF Medical Board.  Personnel who do not meet the Age/Permanent Joint Medical Employment Standard (PJMES) may apply for the appointment but will only be considered subject to an executive waiver process on a case-by-case basis. 

Candidates must be attested before their 61st birthday. However, suitably qualified personnel may be considered but a waiver must be sought from SO1 Res Spt prior to interview.

Candidates who have been out of regular or reserve service for more than 5 years may be considered for this appointment.  Prior approval must be sought from the relevant Professions Advisor to confirm current and past experience prior to being invited to interview.

Applicants of an equivalent substantive rank from sister Services may apply but will only be accepted into the Royal Air Force Reserves if an appropriate Professions advisor can be identified to sponsor the applicant: this position will not be offered on promotion to sister Services.  The relevant Profession’s advisor approval must be agreed before the interview.

Regular Service Applicants.  Personnel currently serving in the Regular Royal Air Force should be mindful of the current Early Termination Minimum Waiting Time (MWT) for their respective Rank, Profession and ensure this MWT is compatible with the post sponsor’s proposed start date, prior to applying.

Joint Medical Employment Standards. This post is deployable and has safety critical elements and involves operational support activity and is not sedentary in nature. IBN 94/24 does not apply.

Admin Discharge.  Ex-service candidates who have been administratively discharged through the KR1027 process will have their applications rejected as they are not eligible to join the RAF Reserves in accordance with AP 3391.

Pension Issues.  Personnel who qualify for a service pension should take financial advice from Defence Business Services (DBS) Pensions Department on the effect that undertaking reserve service has on their pension (details can be found on the JPA splash screen). Additional guidance can also be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans and MMP116 - Re-employment. Of particular note is reference to the ‘Effect of Re-employment’ on Commutation and, for those leaving on a ‘preserved’ pension, the Resettlement Grant.

Transition between TCoS.  Personnel taking this appointment from other TCoS should consider the impact on any accrued entitlements, such as leave, resettlement etc and should seek specialist guidance where required as certain entitlements are TCoS specific and may not be retained or transferred on transition between TCoS. 

Flexible Working Arrangements.  In accordance with the Flexible Working (FW) Policy, Reserve personnel can request FW arrangements with their line manager.  Any immediate FW requirements should be agreed with the line management at the interview stage.

Individual Reinforcement Training (IRT) (Module 1) and RAF Fitness Test (RAFFT).  Reserve personnel are required to maintain currency in IRT and the RAFFT iaw the relevant TCoS.  The successful applicant will be expected to undertake IRT and the RAFFT within 6 months of commencing employment (if required).

Annual Salary and Leave.  Pay will be in accordance with the pay scales published for the reserve air forces.  Leave entitlement is detailed in JSP 760.

Accommodation. Personnel serving on FTRS(LC) TCoS are eligible to occupy Single Living Accommodation (SLA) if available, at entitled rates, if serving within the Air Command TLB. However, due to a severe shortage, it is unlikely that accommodation will be available at RAF St Mawgan.