About the job

Job summary

Do you want to be at the heart of real Defence issues and play a key role in the United Kingdom’s (UK) national security?

Established in April 2016, the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO) delivers nuclear capability to deter threats and protect our nation.

The DNO oversees all defence nuclear business (excluding operations) and is responsible for providing nuclear deterrence; sponsoring the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (all the organisations, programmes and people that sustain the UK’s nuclear deterrent); and advising on UK nuclear policy, planning and international co-operation on nuclear matters.

Here at DNO we strongly believe that diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do but is also essential for a thriving and successful organisation. We know that diverse teams bring a wide range of perspectives, experiences and ideas, which lead to better decision-making, creativity and innovation. We have a culture where differences are celebrated and our people feel supported, included and empowered. Join us and be part of an organisation that truly values diversity and inclusion and makes a positive impact on the world. 

We are seeking an enthusiastic project and programme management professional to join the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO), to support the delivery of key capability within the Defence Nuclear Enterprise. This role will be within the Infrastructure and Materials team of DNO, which is managing significant capital investment in this area.

Nuclear weapon production is both complicated and complex. Many of the capabilities required have not been delivered for two generations and consequently there is a need to deliver modern, fit for purpose infrastructure capabilities to support nuclear warhead development and production. This role will sponsor projects and programmes related to the Assembly and Disassembly of nuclear warheads and their sub-components. Working with various Delivery Agents, such as the Atomic Weapons Establishment, this role will employ best practice project and programme management techniques to effectively manage and sponsor the delivery of capability. The post holder will be supported to become a subject matter expert on their area of responsibility.

Due to the nature of the role, regular travel to DNO’s main locations will be required, including Bristol, Aldermaston, and London, which will be re-imbursed in line with MOD’s travel policy. Some travel to other locations across the UK and overseas may be required occasionally.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The post will:

• Lead the development, implementation, and adherence to programmatic strategy for the Assembly & Disassembly area. This includes integration with the wider portfolio, as well as implementation of best-practice project/programme management principles, such as principles from Managing Successful Programmes.
• Sponsor the initiation, planning, and delivery of projects and programmes to performance, cost, and time, within Assembly & Disassembly area. This includes identifying capability gaps, supporting the development of options to mitigate, initiating and managing projects and programmes with Delivery Agents, and leading the production of relevant approvals documentation to support this, such as Business Cases and Review Notes.
• Support the Senior Responsible Officer for project MENSA in his capacity as SRO, including ensuring appropriate governance, reporting, stakeholder management, and risk management. This also includes supporting reporting related to the Government Major Projects Portfolio, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, the National Audit Office and other external audit and assurance engagements for projects.
• Lead and manage the small Assembly & Disassembly team, as part of the wider Infrastructure & Materials team.

The post will also support across the Infrastructure & Materials team as part of a wider cohort of Assistant Heads with similar skills and competencies in order to develop resilience. You will also play a key part in helping shape the leadership and culture of the wider team. This may include leading on process improvements across the team, representing projects and programmes at wider capability and infrastructure forums, and briefing seniors across MOD and wider government. 

Hybrid and flexible working can be considered for this post but will need regular workplace attendance due to security constraints and to enable face to face collaboration. Candidates are encouraged to discuss options with the recruiting line manager before submitting an application.

Person specification

Experience, skills and personal attributes: 

• Strong P3M skills and knowledge. 
• Strong stakeholder management skills.
• Effective management and prioritisation of a demanding workload.  
• Can demonstrate the ability to lead cross-functional teams to deliver critical milestones, recognising and monitoring key dependencies across the wider programme and their impacts.
• Can understand and effectively communicate technical issues to non-technical audiences.

Desirable experience, skills and qualifications:

• Experience working within large or complex projects/programmes, such as projects/programmes within the Governments Major Projects Portfolio
• Qualification in project, programme management (e.g. APMP, PRINCE2, MSP, Project Leadership Programme etc.) or equivalent experience.
• Business Case approvals experience
• Infrastructure procurement and/or delivery experience
• Experience of working within capability management in a Defence context
• Experience of working in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.
• Experience of working in the Defence and Security sector.
• Experience of working in a heavily regulated sector (e.g. Civil Nuclear)
• Degree in a scientific or engineering discipline, or equivalent professional experience
• Membership of a Professional Institution, with route to Incorporation or Chartership.
• Aware of procurement and contract management skills and knowledge. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,670, Ministry of Defence contributes £15,570 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Candidates can apply online via the Civil Service Jobs website by completing the application form before the deadline shown. Apply using the Civil Service Jobs apply button, filling in all required details in all sections. Using the Success Profiles link for information on format and style, ensure you provide evidence for all Behaviours and Experience sections requested in the appropriate competency style.  

*Please note that not following the appropriate format will mean that you may be unable to reach the required grades for sift or interview* 

Candidates will be required to complete an online CV template to include job history, full details of education and qualifications and previous experiences and skills. Please also include any relevant responsibilities and achievements.

You have 500 words for a Personal Statement. Candidates should provide within their personal statement evidence of how their previous skills and experience meet the requirements of the role.

At Interview Candidates will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership

At interview we will ask you to cover a short 10-minute presentation on how you have worked with another party (delivery agent, industry, or another) to realise an outcome, and applied project and programme management in this context. We are particularly interested in how you managed relationships, influenced stakeholders and balanced conflicting priorities.

Candidates who are found to meet an acceptable standard at interview but are not successful in one of the advertised posts may be considered for similar roles within the Business Unit.

The requirements for the role have been benchmarked and these will be used to sift all candidates, with those meeting the minimum requirements invited to interview.  

Nationality Requirements - Further Information for Candidates

1. This post is classed as ‘Reserved’ as per Civil Service Nationality Rules Section 3. In accordance with these rules, ‘only UK nationals may be employed in reserved posts in the Civil Service’[1] (Paragraph. 3.1).

UK National Definition

     2. The definition of a ‘UK National’ can be found at Paragraphs. 1.4-1.8 of the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Dual Nationals

     3.  As per Paragraph. 1.41 of the Civil Service Nationality Rules:

     a)   ‘Candidates with dual nationality are in principle eligible for employment in the Civil Service provided that they meet the requirements in relation to one of their nationalities [i.e. UK National]. They may not be eligible, however, for employment in certain reserved posts where additional nationality requirements are imposed.’ 

Additional Restrictions for Reserved Posts

      4. As per Paragraphs. 3.10-3.11 of the Civil Service Nationality Rules: 

      a) Departments and agencies are entitled to impose additional requirements in reserved posts if this is considered necessary. This could include, for example, requirements as to the residency of the applicant or the nationality of one or both parents of the applicant.’

      5, If you are a Dual National who possesses UK Nationality and wish to check your eligibility for the post, please contact our recruiting team at the details below. Please be advised that we will not be able to provide a justification for our decision for security reasons. 

DNO External Recruitment DNO-ExternalRecruiting@mod.gov.uk

[1]  Irish nationals and Commonwealth citizens are also eligible for employment in reserved posts if they were in the Civil Service at 31 May 1996 or before, or were appointed from a recruitment scheme with a closing date for receipt of applications before 1 June 1996. (Paragraph. 3.1) 

You will also be expected to achieve Developed Vetting clearance, above the normal clearance level expected for the MoD.  

No application can be accepted after the closing date.  

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.