About the job

Job summary

The Government has made Shipbuilding one of its top domestic priorities and the Prime Minister is promoting Advanced Manufacturing across all sectors. As an island Nation with a long maritime history and an increasingly global outlook, the ability to build vessels that can carry our goods, people and influence across the world has never been more in focus.

To deliver this ambition, the Prime Minister asked the Defence Secretary to create a new joint unit The National Shipbuilding Office (NSO). The NSO aim is to drive transformative change to empower a globally successful, innovative and sustainable shipbuilding enterprise that works for all parts of the UK. The NSO oversees the Government's interests in UK shipbuilding, supports growth in the sector, and works with industry to improve productivity and competitiveness.

As Chief Executive Officer, you will take ownership of a complex PM priority, and through engagement, influence and professional judgement translate Government’s bold ambitions for the UK Shipbuilding Industry’s advanced manufacturing into meaningful action within Government, Industry and across the UK, ensuring the delivery of both UK maritime capability and an industry renaissance, creating jobs and prosperity.

Are you a strategic and confident leader who is keen to drive forward delivery in a challenging but fascinating high-profile industry? Then we would love to hear from you.

Job description

The current responsibilities of the role include:

• Supporting the Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary, in his role as the Shipbuilding Tsar, on all matters and issues related to shipbuilding.
• Chairing the National Shipbuilding Strategy Board (NSbS), ensuring the NSbS remains fit for purpose, is backed by a credible delivery plan and holding Departments to account for their role in delivery.
• Co-chairing the Shipbuilding Enterprise for Growth (SEG) with a CEO from industry, securing commitments and investment from the Shipbuilding industry, holding them to account for their role in delivering the NSbS, developing strong board level relationships and a clear understanding of market dynamics.
• Advising the Defence Secretary Chaired Shipbuilding Inter-Ministerial Group, ensuring the group is supported by the evidence and advice to provide clear direction, discuss key issues and resolve conflicting priorities.
• Advising Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) of shipbuilding programmes across government, of how best to align their programmes to the National ambition.
• Advising Departmental, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury business case review and spending approval processes.
• Providing clear advice on the alignment of proposed investments with the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
• Championing the Government’s shipbuilding strategy and related decisions, engaging with stakeholders and the media to clearly explain the complex issues involved and promote the Government’s ambition and approach.
• Developing the NSO’s strategic voice, building a compelling national narrative about UK Shipbuilding, building the organisation’s reach and reputation among domestic and international audiences.
• Advocating for the potential, capability, and capacity of UK Shipyards, optimising the nature and timing of all government’s investments and interventions.
• Identifying and addressing roadblocks to delivering the NSbS, engaging with Industry CEOs, Ministers, Treasury, and the Prime Minister as required.
• Developing organisational strategy for the NSO, reviewing its sponsoring and resourcing arrangements, and reporting to the NSO Sponsor Board on the NSO’s corporate plans and organisational performance.
• Leading the NSO delivering a well-connected and respected capability at the top of government, with a motivated and empowered workforce, equipped to drive change and influence outcomes across the enterprise.
• Leading the team and developing the organisation and empowering the team to continue to develop the NSO with clear direction, addressing roadblocks and measuring success.

Person specification

You must be able to demonstrate your experience and skills against the following essential criteria:

• Proven experience in a senior leadership role with responsibility for setting direction; building and inspiring high performing teams.
• A strong communicator – highly credible communication skills, both in writing and in person, with experience of building and influencing strong stakeholder relationships across a complex landscape including with international partners.
• Comfortable gripping complex issues and driving them forward with high emotional intelligence and the ability of engendering trusted relationships that achieve buy-in and commitment.
• Commercial Awareness - ability to understand what makes a business or organisation successful. Understanding of the commercial implications of large scale contracts and working practices.
• Strong influencing and persuading skills, with the ability to gain endorsement to, and generate action on, ambitious transformation plans at all levels (up to and including Board or Ministerial level).
• Project and portfolio management expertise.
• Maritime experience either from Uniformed experience or working within the broader Maritime sector.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. This should be completed no later than 23:55pm on Thursday 29th February 2024 and will involve providing the two documents outlined below via the Civil Service Jobs portal:

• A CV (no more than 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role. 

Both documents are weighted equally in their scoring, so it's important to consider this when uploading your application. Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. 

For further information about the role and full application process, please refer to the candidate pack attached below. If you wish to receive any material in a different format for accessibility, then please contact People-CivHR-SCSCandidateSupport@mod.gov.uk.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.