About the job

Job summary

As the LSV Programme Director you will lead the acquisition of a new class of ships to the Royal Navy.

The Director Navy Acquisition (DNA) organisation is the Navy’s centre of expertise for leading the delivery of major acquisition programmes. Programmes in our Portfolio are grouped into Programme Management Offices (PMO) according to the capability being delivered: Ships Acquisition, Support Shipping Acquisition, Future Support Acquisition, Future Commando Force, Defence Marine Services (Next Generation) and Naval Equipment & Systems Acquisition, where this programme will be delivered from.

Each programme is led through its delivery phase by a dedicated core programme team. Supporting the programmes are a P3M Team (with specialists in Risk, Schedules, Benefits, Finance, Communications, Acceptance and Governance), and an Acquisition Portfolio Team (covering Portfolio Definition, Assurance and Governance).

We value diversity within our team and operate flexible ways of working; we support all our team members to find the right balance of home and office working that is right for them and the programmes.

In Navy Command, our civil servants work alongside their military colleagues in jobs that matter; jobs which often have a direct impact on the quality of the operational capabilities we deliver. Roles can offer great job satisfaction and there are many opportunities to develop and progress both within the Department and across the wider Civil Service.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. 

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to work on a £7Bn funded programme that is transforming the future of the Navy’s Mine Hunting Capability.  This role will manage, coordinate, and assure delivery of the LSV class of ships on behalf of the Senior Responsible Owner; you will be accountable to the MHC LSV Programme Director and will be required to deputise as and when required.  Drawing on your strengths as an independent thinker with proven leadership ability and a reputation for programme professional excellence, you will be empowered by the Senior Responsible Owner to drive the delivery of this Government Major Programme Portfolio (GMPP) Category A programme with a headmark of Full Business Case for Block 2 of the Mine Hunting Capability.  The role will work closely with DE&S and will have broader interaction with the UK Shipbuilding enterprise with potential international aspects depending on the preferred solution.

The MHC LSV Programme Director (MHC LSV PD) will work alongside the MHC Mission System Programme Director (MHC MS PD) to support the Programme Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) in leading and directing the Programme.  This will be achieved through setting the strategy and direction for the programme and ensuring the delivery of mandated outcomes through the application of best practice leadership, programme controls and management discipline.

The Programme Director is accountable to the SRO, Deputy Director Equipment & Systems Acquisition, for Leadership and Control of the Programme and for the integration and performance of the programme within the Director Navy Acquisition portfolio.

Main responsibilities will include:

1. Define and set the strategy and direction for the procurement of the LSV to meet the Programme Mandate, assuring delivery of the programme to Performance, Cost, Time, and Risk.
2. Provide effective programme control to the SRO, reporting performance against financial delegation/assumptions. Where so delegated, exercise responsibility for the S9, P9 and operating budget and as authorised in the Programme Director letter of delegation from the SRO to deliver the military capability and other benefits required of the Programme, maximising value for money.
3. Set approval and assurance strategy, commissioning independent reviews at key decision points throughout the programme lifecycle and ensuring full compliance with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) requirements for major Government programmes.
4. Lead on the coordination and production of Programme Reviews, Business Cases / Review Notes / Information Notes and supporting evidence to secure required approvals.
5. Set priorities and direct trades (within delegated decision rights) to inform balance of investment and benefits realised within the Performance, Time, Cost and Risk (PTCR) envelope.
6. Liaise with senior stakeholders including MOD, DE&S, Cabinet Office, Treasury and the National Shipbuilding Office, representing the SRO as required. Ensure effective stakeholder management for the Programme; notably, ensuring common understanding and that key dependencies and external risk are managed within the Programme master schedule and risk register.

Person specification

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate evidence of personal delivery in the following areas:

• Complex programme management and delivery
• Business Case delivery
• Senior Programme Management & Leadership
• Risk, Issue & Opportunity management within a programme management role
• Senior stakeholder management and influence within a complex and high-profile programme management role
• Management and handling of sensitive and/or classified information

The successful candidate will ideally hold relevant professional qualifications and be a member of a relevant professional body – e.g. APM

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £67,820, Ministry of Defence contributes £18,311 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, Experience and Technical skills.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.  

Candidates will need to provide a Job History and Statement of Suitability (750 words). 

Individuals are advised to tailor their Personal Statement to provide evidence of personal delivery in the following areas:

• Complex programme management and delivery
• Business Case delivery
• Programme Management & Leadership
• Risk, Issue & Opportunity management within a programme management role
• Senior stakeholder management and influence within a complex and high profile programme management role
• Management and handling of sensitive and/or classified information
• Desirable - Include any personal experience relating to shipbuilding or other comparably complex major capital programme delivery’

The initial sift will take place within two weeks of the advert closing date, and interviews will follow as soon as practicable.  Interviews will take place in person at HMS Excellent, Whale Island, Portsmouth

At interview, you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours:  

• Leadership 
• Seeing the bigger picture  
• Delivering at pace  

vacancies unless explicitly requested when the advert is submitted for activation)  

All Adverts- DCS Scheme- NOT Business critical-  Wordings:  

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 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.