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.

Nationality, visas, and vetting: Please note, for security reasons some of these roles may be open to sole UK nationals only. A ‘sole UK national’ refers to an individual who holds citizenship solely in the UK, without dual citizenship or nationality from another country. If successful, you’ll be required to pass Security Check clearance and for some posts, may be required to undergo more in-depth security checks (Developed Vetting). We are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

These roles requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you have been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months.

Job description

Unleash your potential with Defence equipment and Support (DE&S) as an Operations Manager!

Are you a dynamic professional with experience in operational delivery or a related discipline? Do you have a thirst for growth and a passion for excellence? If so, we invite you to join us at DE&S and  help make a difference!

As an Operations Manager, you’ll be at the heart of our mission, leading the delivery of cutting-edge capabilities, equipment, or services to meet the needs of our Armed Forces. You’ll use your expertise in supply and demand, contract management, and project management to coordinate a cross-functional team and other stakeholders, ensuring effective, integrated, and coordinated support throughout the lifecycle of our projects.

You’ll tackle challenges head-on, delivering a range of time-sensitive outputs while building effective relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders. Your actions will directly support military front-line operations. With a proactive approach and a commitment to continuous improvement, you’ll leverage management information to provide valuable insights that drive our collective performance.

We’re committed to your growth, offering training and development opportunities to help you build a rewarding career with DE&S. So, join our vibrant community, that values learning, innovation, and quality,  where you can connect with new people, share perspectives, and celebrate diversity through our wide range of staff networks.

At DE&S, we champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is required, normally 3 days per week, 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 yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.  

What you’ll be doing

• Supporting the delivery of projects and leading in-service support for equipment used by the armed forces.
• Collaborating with a range of internal and external stakeholders to implement solutions through a cross-team effort.
• Monitoring and controlling supplier delivery and performance, monitoring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in terms of the quality, timeliness and reliability of goods or services, taking appropriate action where these requirements are not being met.
• Supervising resources, monitoring actual spend and updating forecasts accordingly to ensure the support meets our military customer requirements fully and within the agreed budget.
• Utilising Management Information to identify trends, risks and issues, and continuous improvement opportunities.

Person specification

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

• Evidence of leading a team.
• Experience working within at least one of the following fields: Operations Management, Project Management, Supply Chain Management, Business Management, Engineering, Through Life Support.
• Proven ability to manage contract delivery and budgets including monitoring actual spend and updating forecasts accordingly.
• Experience of coordinating a cross functional team and other stakeholders to deliver goods or services.
• Demonstrable organisational, influencing and communication skills. 

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of supervising a team through a change, which improved the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of outputs.
• A chartered status from one of the professional bodies associated with your specialist field e.g., CMILT, MCIPS, CMgr, CEng, MAPM, etc. 

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

• Contract Management – Practitioner level
• Governance and performance reporting – Practitioner level
• Leadership – CSBC3
• Making effective decisions – CSBC3

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.

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.

1. 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. When two (or more) candidates are on equal interview scores, positions will be offered based on the scores assessed at interview, in this order – 1st) Technical competence, 2nd) CV Review, 3rd) Behaviour one, 4th) Behaviour two.

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.