About the job

Job summary

Navy Command Headquarters (NCHQ) is the nerve centre of the Naval Service. It supports operations around the globe and provides the ships, people, aircraft and equipment to deliver the UK’s Defence policy. Civil Servants and Armed Forces personnel work together in a wealth of interesting and exciting jobs in different subject areas. 

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 Ministry of Defence and across the wider Civil Service.

The Submarine Directorate in Navy Command is responsible for all submarine in service capability and availability, including oversight of the Submarine Flotilla and Clyde Naval Base.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

This is a new post to establish and manage a new portfolio office team in the Submarine Directorate in Navy Command Headquarters. The portfolio will drive and coordinate the collective delivery of In-Service change programmes into ‘business as usual’ activity to meet submarine readiness requirements for Defence tasks.

Working alongside the Portfolio Performance and Insight Manager (G7), the Portfolio Office Manager and team will provide the evidence and insight to support the prioritisation and effective allocation of resources across the portfolio to ensure optimal delivery of NCHQ/ Director Submarines strategic objectives to support the wider Defence priorities.

The post-holder will need to take a structured approach to developing the portfolio office function and be able to plan and deliver demonstrable change to the quality of service provided to senior leaders and the wider portfolio community. Together with the Portfolio Manager (G6) and Performance and Insight Manager (G7), the post-holder will need to build and deliver against a detailed portfolio maturity plan - with specific responsibility for developing the ‘portfolio delivery’ function within the portfolio.

The post-holder will need to take a collaborative approach, developing and sharing best practice, and defining and maintaining standards across the project delivery community within the portfolio (projects and programmes and the two naval base portfolio offices), with colleagues in the Navy Sub-portfolio and the Defence Nuclear Enterprise portfolio and with Navy Finance. They will also need to work with key Navy functions where we have a key dependency (e.g. personnel and training) and develop our approach to portfolio assurance with MoD Centre and the Infrastructure Projects Authority.

Early outputs will include:

• refreshing reporting and dashboards for the Directorate Board (portfolio Board) and other senior audiences (Navy and Defence Nuclear Enterprise);
• strengthening existing portfolio governance and providing Secretariat services to key boards and meetings;
• defining the RAIDO Management approaches, processes, and standards;
• creating assurance standards, review timelines, plans, schedules, and requirements;
• establishing stakeholder management principles, approach and processes for the portfolio; and
• producing a benefits strategy, map, and realisation plan, including change control processes.

The Portfolio Office Manager will build a new team of circa 8 staff, with a mix of civilian and military personnel. They will be responsible for team recruitment and development within the project delivery profession. They will report to the Portfolio Manager (G6) who in turn will report to the SCS1* Deputy Director for Change and Coherence.

The post will be based in London Main Building or Portsmouth NCHQ, with the expectation of regular travel between sites and occasional travel to other Defence locations including Naval Bases at Clyde and Devonport.

Person specification

The successful post-holder will:

• Work with business areas to identify and categorise new projects for a decision on entry to the portfolio and provide regular updates on pipeline to Portfolio Board
• Establish clear governance framework and reporting regime aligned to Management of Portfolios best practice. Co-ordinate reporting from projects. Provide secretariat support for senior governance boards
• Maintain portfolio delivery map and critical path to monitor project progress. Recognise and track inter-dependencies across change projects. Recommend how financial and other resources (including functional resources outside the Directorate) be allocated across change initiatives to optimise the organisation’s return on investment. Develop strategies to address resource gaps
• Identify and monitor portfolio risks (threats and opportunities), planning and implementing responses to them and responding to other issues impacting the portfolio. Establish the portfolio processes and standards for managing risks and issues. Risks and issues – Establish the project processes and standards for managing risks and issues
• Support the business to develop mechanisms for measuring benefits. Establish ownership and responsibility within the business for benefit realisation. Review business cases regularly to assess progress towards benefits realisation
• Lead the PfMO to support the project in the delivery of business case benefits and outcomes. Champion the use of best practice project management standards and processes
• Manage the PfMO team and support projects in the identification, recruitment, development, deployment and reassignment of resources throughout the project life-cycle
• Identify, develop and share best practice project management processes, tools and templates and benchmarks against industry standard – particularly in relation to: Risk, Issue and Dependency Management, Benefits Management and Resource Planning

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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

(1) Application will be sifted on:

• CV: Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include; job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.
• Personal Statement: In no more than 750 words provide a personal statement of suitability to showcase your relevant skills and experience against the role requirements. 
• Behaviours:
  • Leadership
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Managing a Quality Service
• Technical Skills:
  • Governance (Practitioner)
  • Planning (Practitioner)

 (2) Interview will be tested against:

• Behaviours;
  • Leadership
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Managing a Quality Service
• Technical Skills;
  • A short (5-10 mins) presentation during the interview process will be required, focusing on two technical skills, Governance (Practitioner) and Planning (Practitioner). The Title to which the presentation is based on will be provided to all candidates who are deemed successful at sift. Supporting Powerpoint slides are not permitted during the presentation.
• Strengths.

Further information on the Technical Skills requirements are available within the Project Delivery Capability Framework, attached to this vacancy. 

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

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.