Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services)

Band 4 Civilian Dental Nurse

The closing date is 27 November 2025

Job summary

Are you looking to work in a modern, patient-focused dental practice that prioritises quality care and professional development? At Defence Primary Healthcare, we are intent on providing excellent care in a friendly and encouraging environment.

When it comes to delivering outstanding patient care, our motivated dental nurses make all the difference. We know just how valuable your skills are, so come join the wonderful team at dental centre Bicester.

This role offers 37.5 hours per week and all requests to work flexibly will be considered, allowing for business needs, and reviewed annually. The salary will be pro-rata where part-time hours are undertaken.

Benefits Include

As a valued member of the team you will receive access to outstanding rewards and employee benefits, including:

Dental Nurse Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) £1500 per annum (pro-rata)
Access to the NHS pension scheme
On-call allowance, if applicable
An opportunity to be considered for Reward and Recognition £250-£5000 per year
Inclusive working environment
Discount fee to access on-site fitness facilities
Free parking
General Dental Council (GDC) Annual Fees are currently reimbursed
Paid holiday entitlement
Continuous professional development (CPD) training supplied
Career development training available
On-site free laundry for clinical clothing & free clinical footwear
Defence Discount Card that offers discount in many shops and on-line shopping

Main duties of the job

DPHC is a vibrant and fast paced organisation which aims to provide the very best primary healthcare to members of the Armed Forces and other entitled personnel. DPHC delivers a clinical service in accordance with NHS Standards and MoD policies.

The primary purpose of the successful candidate will be to provide clinical and administrative support for the provision of dental care in Defence Primary Heath Care (DPHC) dental centres, to enhance force generation and operational capability and minimise dental morbidity on operations.

About us

Here at Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC), we are an inclusive and dedicated organisation working to provide excellent care to our entitled personnel.

Our success depends on our people our Whole Force regular and reservist military, civil servants and contractors, all working as one, working together seamlessly to deliver for us.

Our civil servants are a central part of this Whole Force, developing strategy, making policy, supporting ministerial decision-making and Parliamentary processes. In fact, with over 2,000 different roles working across 650 sites around the world, now really is an excellent time to join one of the largest, most exciting departments in government.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to attracting and retaining people from across the full range of backgrounds and enabling flexible ways of working as the norm. We offer maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.

In return, you can expect a department that helps you learn and develop that recognises your expertise and contribution, both as an individual and part of a team.

If you've ever wanted to do more, see more, go further or be better, we have roles in more professions and vocations than ever before. Let's see where your future will take you, together.

Date posted

12 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year Per annum, pro-rata for part time

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share

Reference number

K0003-25-0506

Job locations

Dental Centre Bicester

St Georges Barracks

Arncott

Oxon

OX25 0PP

Job description

Job responsibilities

It is important that you read the attached job description and person specification prior to applying to fully understand all the duties required by Civilian Dental Nurse within DPHC.

Selection Process

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

The Selection at sift stage will be based on your CV application, once copied, and pasted onto your application. Ensure you prove that you have the required skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications, and memberships in your CV, max 3 pages.

At interview you will be assessed against the following:

Technical Skills:

NHS Core NHSC1 Communication
NHS Core NHSC2 Personal & People Development
NHS Core NHSC5 Quality
NHS Core NHSC6 Equality and Diversity

Please see the link to our YouTube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour-based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEpdNWKQSRI

NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework https://www.msg.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/KSF-Handbook.pdf

Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.

Additional Information

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/artificial-intelligence-and-recruitment/

There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.

All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is BPSS.

Access to the NHS pension scheme is available to the successful candidate.

If found successful for this position, you will be required to provide evidence of your immunity to Hepatitis B. Please note that evidence of your vaccination is not a proof of your immunity, but your serology levels will be required. Failure to provide sufficient evidence may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn.

Candidates who hold the qualifications but are not yet registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) are eligible to apply for this vacancy. However, if found successful it is a requirement that you are registered with the GDC prior to starting in the post.

There is no requirement to deploy as this is met by our uniformed personnel, but you will form the continuity of care required by our patients when based at home.

This post does not offer any assistance with relocation allowances.

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. 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.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

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-sgdmsresourcing@mod.gov.uk.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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. 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.