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

 We are looking for a Continuous Improvement Senior Practitioner to be part of a small expert team in the Transitions, Technical Support and Continuous Improvement Unit within the Senior Civil Servant 1* (SCS1*) led Change Group in the Submarine Directorate. The team will operate across the Directorate and will work together to deliver continuous improvement initiatives on activity prioritised by the SCS1* in the Directorate who represent the senior customer base. 

 While the aspiration is for the postholder to be based at His Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde, there may be opportunities for alternative working arrangement at another local MOD site, with regular visits to HMNB Clyde. This can be discussed further at interview. They will work as part of a geographically dispersed team located at Navy Command Headquarters (NCHQ) in Portsmouth and HMNB Devonport. The postholder will need strong and inclusive engagement skills to operate as part of a multi-disciplinary team operating across the Directorate and beyond.  

 This is a hands-on role with responsibility for identifying opportunities and then implementing tangible improvement activities on the ground to increase productivity and the quality of outputs, putting measures in place to understand the effectiveness. The postholder will also act as the bridge to facilitate access to specialist expertise to support change delivery led by projects and programmes. 

 Demand for services will be high, but capacity for the Directorate to engage with the work will be constrained. This means the postholder will need to be able to maximise the value from stakeholder input and demonstrate early wins to generate confidence, credibility and continued support. 

 The team will operate as a centre of excellence for continuous improvement methodologies and practice, and therefore the postholder will need to actively manage their own, wider team and Directorate development.  They will also support the Grade 7 Continuous Improvement Manager in assessing the service provided to the Directorate, identifying opportunities to improve as necessary. 

 The postholder will have regular interactions across the whole Directorate and beyond, at all levels and will therefore require outstanding communication skills and an ability to operate seamlessly across military, civilian, and industrial partner engagements. 

 While this post will be based at HMNB Clyde, there is an expectation for regular travel to other sites, including NCHQ in Portsmouth, HMNB Devonport and MOD Main Building, with overnight stays expected. 

 This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is an informal, non-contractual and voluntary arrangement, blending a balance of attendance in the workplace (which is based on business assessment of where work is best done) and working from home as a personal choice. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post. 

This is a reserved post and therefore only UK nationals are eligible to apply. Further information on this can be found at Civil Service recruitment: nationality rules - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Person specification

Experience: 

• Applied business improvement tools and methodologies with demonstrable success. 
• Background in operational delivery and improvement in a complex, multi-stakeholder and high-risk delivery environment. 
• Creation or maintenance of a ‘customer base’ for a team or service. 

 Desirable 

• Experience of working in or knowledge of the defence or security sector – either through government or industry.
• Application of business improvement tools and methodologies.

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 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 750 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.

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.

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

• Leadership 
• Changing and Improving 
• Making Effective Decisions 
• Working Together 
• Developing Self and Others 

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

• Leadership 
• Changing and Improving 
• Making Effective Decisions 
• Working Together 
• Developing Self and Others 

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 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.