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 and Devonport Naval Bases.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

A new portfolio management team is being established in the Submarine Directorate in Navy Command Headquarters. The portfolio will drive and coordinate the collective delivery of In-Service change programmes to meet submarine readiness requirements for Defence tasks.

This is an exciting time to join a newly forming portfolio office team with opportunity to shape the team and ways of working in a complex but priority area of Defence. We are recruiting SEO level team members to lead on priority portfolio disciplines in support of the G7 Portfolio Office Manager. Experience of portfolio management is not a pre-requisite, but the post-holder will need to be prepared to develop portfolio management skills. They will also need to demonstrate technical competence at practitioner level in project and programme delivery in one, or more, areas of;

1. i) risks, issues and dependency management;
2. ii) benefits management; and,

iii) planning and resource management.

Risk, Issues and Dependencies across the portfolio; co-ordination of consistent identification, documentation, monitoring and reporting. Support to the relevant risk or issue owners to identify and develop appropriate mitigation plans, and escalate as appropriate.

Portfolio Benefits; proactively identify, quantify, and track the realisation of benefits used to justify investment in the portfolio. Ensure a ‘fit for purpose’ approach to benefits measurement and realisation is used to provide assurance that the benefits identified can be achieved.

Portfolio Planner and Resources; work with all projects and programmes within the portfolio. Provide clarity on key portfolio milestones to define what, when and how activities will be organised to ensure the outcomes of the portfolio can be achieved, with the resources available. Define resources required for the portfolio at different stages, and where appropriate, work with the programmes to identify and flex those resources to support successful delivery.

Posts are likely to have line-management responsibility of at least one HEO civilian.

Posts will be based in London Main Building or Portsmouth NCHQ, with the expectation of regular travel between these sites and occasional travel to other Defence locations including NB Clyde and Devonport.

Person specification

Candidates will be required to evidence the following criteria at application stage;

Essential:

• Project Delivery Professional – Suitable for an individual with experience gained in a project delivery role.

 Desirable

• Experience of working in, or knowledge of, the Defence or security sector – either through government or industry
• Demonstrable commitment to learning and using established portfolio, programme and project management methodologies to enable successful delivery.

Technical skills:

• Risk and issue management
• Benefits management
• Planning
• Resource Management

Obtained - or working towards - one, or more, of the following (or equivalent): APMG Managing Benefits Practitioner • APM Project Management Qualification • PRINCE 2 Practitioner • Managing Successful Programmes (Practitioner) • PMI Project Management Professional

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,080, Ministry of Defence contributes £11,631 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:
  • Delivering at Pace - in the event there are a high number of applications, we reserve the right to sift solely on this lead behaviour.
  • Working Together
  • Making Effective Decisions
• Technical Skills (See Project Delivery Capability Framework for definitions) - One, or more, must be at Practitioner level, the remainder at Working level:
  • Risk and issue management
  • Benefits Management
  • Planning
  • Resource Management

(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. Presentation details will be provided to all candidates who are deemed successful at sift, however, it is expected to cover two of the four Technical skills listed, with at least one demonstrating Practitioner level. Supporting Powerpoint slides are not permitted during the presentation. 
• Strengths;
  • Responsible
  • Team Player

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.