About the job

Job summary

The mission of the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO) is to deliver nuclear capabilities that deter the threat and protect the nation. You will be responsible to deliver ballistic missile submarine capabilities as required by DNO. You will be the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) of the Dreadnought Submarine Programme, which is the largest major programme in the MOD Portfolio, and Defence’s Number one priority.

As Director Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN) Capability, you will have direct line management responsibility for the Executive Assistant (London), Military Assistant (London), Deputy Director SSBN Capability (Abbey Wood) and Deputy Director Deterrent C4 Capability (Abbey Wood).

Job description

The current responsibilities of the role include:

• Fulfil the role of Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Dreadnought Programme in accordance with IPA Guidance.
• Fulfil the role of a senior leader in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE), as directed by the Chief of Defence Nuclear. Additional requirements involve additional corporate leadership responsibilities and leadership.
• Ensure the safe, secure and effective operation of the DNO Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN) Directorate, supporting all DNO activities as directed by the Chief of Defence Nuclear.
• Manage the outputs and objectives of the DNO SSBN Directorate, which include:

1. Developing an SSBN Capability Management Plan that aligns with the DNO Submarine Capability Management Strategy and deliver the goals set by the DNO Deterrent Management Board and Navy Command
2. Developing a Capability Sub-Portfolio of individual projects and programmes that are required to deliver the SSBN Capability Management Plan
3. Delivering all approved projects and programmes within in the SSBN Capability Portfolio
4. Manage the SSBN Directorate Portfolio coherently within the Nuclear Enterprise Portfolio, ensuring that SSBN decisions and choices are considered on a ‘best for enterprise’ basis

Person specification

1) Proven senior leadership;

• experienced in building, guiding and continuously improving high performing, diverse and inclusive teams
• ability to quickly gain the confidence of senior colleagues
• leading and driving large, disparate teams to deliver against demanding milestones

2) Experience of at least one high complexity project, programme or portfolio;

• characterised as having a high degree of uncertainty; a large number of stakeholders; large in size, technically complex, requiring novel methodologies to adapt to unique situations; and politically sensitive.​
• delivering a complex project, programme or portfolio into a broader capability environment or enterprise, where significant integration and alignment was required to be planned and effectively executed,
• ability to effectively navigate conflicting priorities, schedule requirements and stakeholder commitments.

3) Evidence of managing stakeholder relationships and influencing positive change:

• building and maintaining a strong and effective network of collaborative relationships with a range of key senior colleagues
• ability to engage and influence a range of internal and external stakeholders across a complex environment
• proven track record of engaging effectively in high-level interactions, providing the right level of constructive challenge, advice and fresh thinking
• experience of working with executive leaders across industry, illustrating a deep understanding of a market sector and the relationships within it.

4) Project Delivery practitioner

• a minimum of ‘practitioner’ level as defined by the Infrastructure and Project Authority’s (IPA) accreditation scheme
• graduate of the Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA), or have completed an industry equivalent programme or have industry experience allowing you to demonstrate equivalent skillsets

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 23:55 on Sunday 28th July 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 based on the essential criteria.  

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.