Changes in DACM to Improve Engagement with Personnel and Command

Of the many objectives of the Army Career Management Review is that DACM Career Managers spend more time with Army personnel and Command talking about Army’s organisational needs and the career management implications, people’s career aspirations, development, posting options and progression.

DACM also wants to improve alignment between Regular Force (RF) and Territorial Force (TF) career management. To enable increased engagement, and improve RF and TF alignment the Army Management Board has approved changes to how DACM is organised to support them to achieve the Review’s objectives.

Recognising that DACM’s current structure and resourcing levels would not enable the improvements required, the following changes will be implemented over the coming months:

Establishing an Assistant Mil Secretary (AMS) position. This position will become the career manager for LTCOLs and enable the Military Secretary (MS) more time to focus on strategic career management and leading DACM to implement improvements across the Army career management systems and within DACM. This role will likely be filled in Dec 23, until then the MS will remain the career manager for LTCOLs.

Establishing two Mil Support Officer Positions. The intention of these positions is to free up the career managers from back office tasks that can dominate their time so that they can get out and about more talking with personnel and command. DACM is taking a 12–14 month pilot approach with these roles as they want to assess the impact of other Review initiatives before committing longer term to additional resourcing. The soldier support officer position has been appointed, with the intention to appoint the officer support role ideally over the coming months.

TF career management resourcing transfer from ACA(R) to DACM Military Secretary Command. The Military Secretary position is ultimately responsible for all of Army Career Management so it makes sense that the full career management workforce directly responsible for this output sits under the MS’ command. Integration into DACM should also promote a one Army approach.

The Territorial Force Military Secretary position has been renamed Territorial Force Principal Advisor, and now reports to the Military Secretary which will ensure a strong TF career management voice at the DACM Exec Command. The AMS position will also pick up LTCOL+ TF career management, with continued involvement from the TF Principal Advisor. The other TF career management roles transferred, effective 1 May, include: TF Officer Career Manager, GS02 Army Reserves, and the Standby Reserve Manager. Establishing two additional administration positions. These positions are being established to free up DACM Command to focus more on leadership, stakeholder engagement and strategic career management, and to address significant increases of administration activity over the past several years.

What does this mean for you?

The intention is that, through changes to how DACM is organised, you should find it easier to catch up with you, or your direct reports’, career manager to discuss career aspirations, development, postings needs or options. Alignment between RF and TF career management should also be realised, starting with improved communications to TF personnel. To contact your career manager – visit DACM’s ILP site under Our People.