About the job

Job summary

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes, and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe – for today, and tomorrow.

We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of around 27%, to help work work for you.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Clearance (SC). SC must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you have been recruited for. If SC is not obtained or is obtained but with any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you have been recruited for any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. 

Job description

Are you interested in bringing your broader experience to DE&S and help to change and improve the way the Future Common Support Services (FCSS) team contracts for in service support? Want to make a difference? We are looking for a high-performing and driven Lead Programme Manager to join our team in Andover.

You will join our FCSS team as a Lead System Architect to provide direct support for devising the level of service provision for future Land platforms. Alongside this, you will ensure the team is resourced, managed, and governed appropriately to support wider Land Industrial Strategy outcomes. Your approach will be to listen, understand and to respect the value of different views, ideas and ways of working to make ongoing improvements to delivery while bringing a diverse range of stakeholders on the journey with you.

Want to hear what one of our current Senior Project Managers thinks of their role?

“This role will stretch you, due to the breadth, complexity and profile of the portfolio, but in so doing will deliver the most profound sense of personal and professional achievement in having overcome such significant challenges and in working with such an incredible team of people across MOD and Industry.”

Using your wide experience of service provision output based contracting, you will help to shape and influence the future support contracting landscape in Land. You will work alongside and influence senior military programme directors in major programmes to support this change. You will also find yourself managing a delivery team of approximately six operation/project managers and engineers, with direct management of four staff.

At DE&S we operate a hybrid working environment. Regular in-person attendance is required to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourself with the site, team, and projects you will be working on in more detail. There is also the expectation to travel to MOD Abbey Wood and other national contractor sites on weekly basis, of which reasonable notice will be given and your expenses will be paid for from your primary workstation.

What you’ll be doing

• Accountable for establishing, leading and managing high performing multi-disciplinary teams and establishing the architecture of a future support operating model that moves from input based to output based service contracting.
• Leverage commercial credibility to build strong relationships with senior industrial figures.
• Champion Learning from Experience (LFE) to set and build support for a change in industrial strategy to move towards output based contracting.
• Accountable for the delivery of their projects within the performance/cost/time envelope for a portfolio or highly complex project.
• Accountable for ensuring the most cost-effective and efficient means of delivery, whilst mitigating risk and leveraging opportunities.
• Establishing and agreeing with the Customer the objective, requirements and the means of acceptance in line with the MoD’s Operating Model and Defence Lines of Development.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Experience of large project leadership, in particular leadership through assessment and approval prior to implementation.
• Leadership of a multi-disciplinary team, e.g., a mixed military, civilian team.
• Experience of setting industrial strategy and output based contracts.
• Experience of engagement and management of Industry suppliers and leading change in complex stakeholder environments.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Industrial Leadership (Expert)
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership

Benefits

• 25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 27%
• Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts
• Volunteering days
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of - and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.

#LI-Hybrid

Further Information

• Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/DES-Candidate-Information-Pack
• Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-SDA-Terms-and-Conditions

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift - We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift - Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills. Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.
3. Interview - If you're invited to interview, you'll be assessed against the Sift categories listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

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

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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.