Page 81 - RADC 2020
P. 81
OR JOBS
British Army Headquarters SSgt Role
SSgt R Cooper
SSgt Business Requirements Army Headquarters
On my promotion to SSgt, the jobs list was limited, however, there was a job available that was not your normal Dental posting and one that does not come around very often. The job was situated at Army Headquarters, Andover, in the role of SSgt Business Requirements. Naturally, I had no idea what the job would entail, however the opportunity to try a new
role, something incredibly different from Dental Centre Practice Management, was enticing. After enquiring about the post,
I decided to give it a try and was lucky enough to be selected for a three year posting.
I took up post on 01 August 2019 and was grateful this was during the summer leave period. This gave me the opportunity to familiarise myself with this new, and
very different way of working, and also get stuck into the very concise and thorough hand-over notes WO2 Boslem had left for me. As Dental Practice Managers, we are generally used to having a cosy little office tucked away in the depths of the Dental Centre, however, at Army HQ, we work in an open environment called a ‘floorplate’. This is a large office with numerous banks
of screens and docking stations set out in rows. We work from laptops that allow for smarter ways of working (SWoW). It did take a little time to get used to the new system, however, sitting with your colleagues in
an open setting and being afforded the autonomy of working from home when required has been truly empowering. It encompasses the work-life balance perfectly and results in increased productivity. This allowed me to continue to work throughout the recent COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.
The SSgt Business Requirements job role is extremely varied. There are general responsibilities that are discussed below
This is what we do...
and then there are exciting projects and opportunities that drop into your inbox and provide a challenge. This keeps things interesting and allows you to hone existing skills and even learn a variety of new processes and procedures, adding to your skill-set. An example of this was earlier this year when I organised Adventure Training for the Directorate. This was Sub-Aqua Diving for 10 days in Malta, however, due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, it unfortunately could not go ahead.
Throughout my time at AHQ, I have
acted as the Branch IT facilitator. This
saw me pick up the fabulous work WO2 Boslem had started as I progressed with
the design and implementation of a new Sharepoint site for the Branch. I liaised
with a variety of teams within the branch finalising their requirements and also worked collaboratively with the other departments within AHQ to ensure the requirements
were in place ready for the ‘go live’ date. The knowledge, skills and experience I have developed throughout this process enabled me to go on and create a new Army Health COVID-19 Sharepoint site, a site that has become widely used by all Units within the British Army on their return to work following the COVID-19 pandemic.
I support SO1 Health Strategy whose role is to support the development, and influence of, Joint Business Agreements (JBA). A
JBA formalises an agreement between Top Level Budget (TLB) holders, particularly where one depends upon the outcome or service provided by another. An example
of this is the agreement between the Army and DPHC where Army provides manpower to DPHC and DPHC provides healthcare
for the Army (in simple terms). The JBA is used to document and govern the agreed levels of performance, cost and time of that agreement, and will feature in Command
External view of Blenheim Building, Army Headquarters
Plans. While TLB holders are held to account against the aims of their Command Plan, in many cases, these cannot be delivered alone. For the practice managers out there, the JBA is similar to Service
Level Agreements, however, the JBA is between multiple services and not just two. Furthermore, in my support to SO1 Health Strategy, I assist in linking 2* stakeholder assurance areas against firmbase healthcare support requirements. In layman’s terms, I assist in identifying trends, shortfalls, and best practices, in the healthcare service provided to Army personnel. An extremely interesting and stimulating job.
I have learnt so much in the short amount of time I have spent at Army Headquarters. After spending a considerable amount
of time working in a Joint environment, embedded within DPHC, I thought I had
a fair knowledge base on how Defence worked, however, it was only until this posting that I came to realise there is so much more to learn and understand. If you are thinking of completing a full career in the British Army, this is definitely the post for you!! It will broaden your knowledge, enable you with a host of transferable skills and provide you with a greater understanding of how the British Army operates. In addition, your view on working in a Joint environment (i.e. DPHC) will be supported and enhanced by a deeper understanding of wider Defence activities, something that will be extremely helpful once you progress to the more senior ranks of the Corps!
and who we are...
DESIGN & PUBLISH
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RADC BULLETIN 2020 79
