RAF Officer Branch: Supply

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Supply Officer

Manage supply and movements activity in support of exercises and operations, to include personnel, aircraft, freight, fuel, explosives and technical equipment.

Your Career

OVERVIEW

Supply is the key to the RAF's highly complex exercise and operations schedule. Personnel management, stock control, freight and air movements, the management of fuels, explosives and technical equipment, and the development of logistic IT systems are just some of the challenges required by the RAF.

Like most people in the RAF, you'll probably move jobs 2-3 years, and each job is known as a tour. Within your first few years, you'll almost certainly be detached overseas, for anything form up to a few days to a few months both on exercise and in support of operations.

You could take the role of a Flight Commander on one of our UK bases, or within the tactical supply wing - one of the spearhead units for UK forces - or as a team leader on our mobile air squadron, which provides logistic support for exercises and operations all over the world. Later in your career, you may command one of these organisations, or others of a similar nature.

YOUR FIRST TOUR

For your first tour, you'll probably be posted to a flying station in the UK where you'll work alongside more experienced Supply Officers. You'll have responsibility for some of the supply and/or movements operations on the base - your tasks could range from managing the aircraft fuel supply to controlling ground transport and managing personnel.

To meet these challenges, you'll be fully trained in management, logistics and IT skills, as well as receiving specialist training for movements and the management of fuels and explosives. It will be your responsibility to ensure that your team provides cost effective and timely support to enable the RAF to meet its operational commitments.

YOUR TRAINING

Initial Officer Training (IOT)

SPECIALIST TRAINING

After IOT, you'll move to RAF Halton in Bucks for an 18 week specialist training course. This course is designed to give you a thorough grounding in logistics support and the subjects you'll study will include Supply Chain Management, Supply Accounting, Fuels Management, Mobility, Deployed Logistics and Man Management skills associated with being a Logistics Flight Commander. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, as well as being part-accredited against a BSc in Logistics Management from Lincoln Uni.

Ongoing Development

As a Supply Officer, you'll have extensive opportunities for further professional development throughout your career. After your first two tours you'll be able to study for qualifications accredited by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply as well as further qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. Later in your career you may study for a masters degree at Essex, Manchester, Westminster University, the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham or Wiltshire or Lincoln University.

Transferable Skills

Supply Officers who have left the RAF have found jobs in the fields of general management, aviation management and transport as well as in supply chain management.

Entry Qualifications

Age limits: 17.5 - 36

Academic Qualifications: Two A-levels/three Highers plus five GCSEs/SCEs at Grade C/3 or equivalent, including English language and maths.