About the job

Job summary

This role is a key and strategically important role in the Royal Navy’s Acquisition Directorate which will be pivotal to the introduction of a new class of ship for the Royal Navy.  This vessel known as the Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) Logistic Support Vessel (LSV) will act as the transport to deliver the autonomous Mine Hunting capability to its operating areas.  MHC is a Government Major Programme and one of the 5 key transition programmes for the RN, which will modernise Mine Hunting and remove the person from the Minefield.  

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, Naval Equipment & Systems Acquisition, Future Support Acquisition, Future Commando Force and Defence Marine Services (Next Generation).

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.

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 Manager (MHC LSV PM) will support the Programme MHC LSV Programme Director (MHC LSV PD) in leading and directing the Programme.  This will be achieved through delivering 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 Manager is accountable to the MHC LSV PD, for Leadership and Control of the Programme and for the integration and performance of the programme within the Director Navy Acquisition portfolio and will be pivotal in cohering the Defence Lines of Development across the RN enterprise to successfully deliver the platform to operations.

Main responsibilities will include:

1. Deliver the strategy and direction for the programme to meet the Programme Mandate, assuring delivery of the programme to Performance, Cost, Time, and Risk.

2. Own the programme costing, scheduling, DLOD integration and risk process including all programme documentation and control products which clearly articulate the programme and how controls will be applied and managed to support effective and timely decision making. Lead the development of risk contingency and the drive to achieve affordability. Apply configuration control across the programme documentation suite. 

3. Lead the wider programme team across all Defence Lines of Development (DLODS), acting as NCHQ intelligent customer to monitor and assess business agreement delivery, providing leadership of pan DLOD management of programme issues and dependencies, instigating, and driving activities to ensure comprehensive and proactive issues management across the programme. Provide options to address complex issues and manage through to resolution, escalating to the SRO for key decisions.

4. Manage external programme reviews and reporting to achieve timely assessments and assurance (via the Infrastructure and Projects Authority [IPA]) of the programme prior to key decision points and at biannual reviews by the Defence Major Programmes Portfolio (DMPP) team. Analyse the outcomes of the reviews and develop plans to address recommendations.

5. Liaise with senior stakeholders, 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.

6. Co-ordinate and support the provision of business cases, evidence and assurance to meet the MHC LSV approval strategy providing expertise on smart approvals, business case scope, analysis and drafting to a standard suitable for submission. Manage the category A business case, evidence portfolio, scrutiny, and approvals process to obtain approval from the IAC and HMT.

7. Work closely with the MHC Mission System (MS) Programme Managers to ensure coherency of the MHC LSV and MHC MS elements to ensure both are complementary and managed to ensure the wider programme aims are met.

Person specification

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

• Programme Management & Leadership
• Risk, Issue & Opportunity management within a programme management role
• Stakeholder management and influence within a 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 £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, Experience and Technical skills.

Applications will be sifted on:

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:

• Programme Management & Leadership
• Risk, Issue & Opportunity management within a programme management role
• Stakeholder management and influence within a 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.

Interviews will be sifted against the following behaviours and technical skills

Leadership - 
Seeing the big picture 
Delivering at pace 

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.