About the job

Job summary

The DEVELOP Directorate leads the development of the Royal Navy’s future warfighting capability and acts as the platform for the through-life capability for all maritime capabilities in order to achieve the optimum mix of present and future warfighting technologies for a modern, global and ready Royal Navy.

DEVELOP is divided into two parts, Maritime Capability and Force Development and Capability Sponsor.

Maritime Capability and Force Development is responsible for developing the changing and future demands of our operational commitments as outlined within the Defence Plan, Transformation Plan and Navy Command Plan by delivering a more agile and adaptable military capability.

The Capability Sponsor delivers an ambitious capability portfolio: cohering all capability development programme and project activity across Navy Command, owning the Capability Management Plan and effective prioritisation of resources to meet the Navy’s strategic priorities and outcomes, and creating first-class project control and management functions across a diverse and complex portfolio.

Through the development of future concepts, DEVELOP also leads future thinking beyond these headmarks and seeks to harness DSTL research to exploit the novel, affordable, battle-winning technologies of tomorrow and houses the NavyX Team which is driving innovation throughout the Naval Service. It also leads NCHQ’s Strategic and Maritime Force Development activity, collaborating with US and NATO allies on international capability development.

The Force Development (FDev) team sit within Develop and holds responsibility also for delivery of MUS OPEX. This team is primarily responsible for producing a single coherent Navy Command view of the future maritime force beyond the Funded Force (0-10 years), through the Future Force (10-20 years) and into the Conceptual Force (20 years onwards).

The FDev team work with the Defence Strategic Force Development (SFD) process (through DCDC/JW and MoD Head Office), providing a coherent Navy input, ensuring an appropriate understanding of current and future maritime capabilities.  Furthermore, it ensures that the outputs of the strategic / operational level Head Office Force Development are translated into the operational and tactical understanding for the maritime environment. This provides context for the Capability Management Plan (CMP) process and a mechanism to assess the effectiveness of the CMP.  The FDev team routinely engage with other Commands and international allies and partners and assist in promoting a common understanding of capability requirement, where capabilities delivered by different Commands are required FDV to deliver a coherent output.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The Royal Navy conducts Operational Experimentation (OPEX) alongside Allies and international partners, in support of the intent of the Integrated Review, Integrated Operating Concept and Maritime Operating Concept among other key driving policy directives, as well as in support of specific commitments such as to the NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Initiative (MUSI). 

Maritime Unmanned/Autonomous Systems Operational Experimentation (MUS OPEX) is activity to plan, design, conduct and analyse experiments in support of new concepts and capabilities development, related in whole or in part to the employment and integration of Maritime Unmanned/Autonomous Systems.  MUS OPEX incorporates Experimenting in Exercises (EiE), typically at Joint and Combined scale.

OPEX is the intersection between Operators and Innovation. With an operational bias, in representative settings and against operational problem sets in a typically Joint and Combined Allied collaborative environment, OPEX brings together Operators, niche experts and innovators (military, civilian, academic, industry and others) to enable a better understanding of what works, what does not, and why. OPEX uses controlled investigations to gain evidence in support of developing new concepts, ideas and capabilities.

OPEX seeks to reduce uncertainty, evaluate innovations objectively, identify solutions that may not be clear through study and analysis alone, and reduce the risk of selecting a poor solution. In Warfare Development, experimentation can bring potential capabilities to life in exercises and operational settings.

 In an Allied setting, OPEX can inform the development of Alliance thinking, support National choices, and help to identify opportunities for Common-Funded or Multi-National Solutions and is a key-enabler driving interoperability and interchangeability of future systems. Experimenting in Exercises (EiE) brings NATO’s operational component together with the Alliance’s experimenters; this union enables new concepts and capabilities to be tested rigorously in realistic environments and conditions.

The Royal Navy is rapidly evolving – deciding to prioritise autonomy in everything we build - and is at the forefront of requirement setting for UK Science & Technology. Against this exciting and cutting-edge backdrop which seeks to enhance and accelerate our future autonomous and uncrewed capabilities, the purpose of this role is to support the coherence, co-ordination, planning, generation, execution and benefits management of this activity to maximise UK advantage. Working to a Senior Executive Officer lead, and with working pattern flexibility and excellent opportunities for travel, Successful candidates require the ability to work well with a diverse group of colleagues across traditional team boundaries, with adaptability, resilience, proactivity and innovative thought. This role will suit an individual who is interested in developing Autonomous future capabilities and in helping the RN seize and maintain the initiative in this fast-developing area.

Support the co-ordination, planning and delivery of a coherent programme utilising the drumbeat of MUS OPEX opportunities / commitments to enhance and accelerate gathering of evidence across all DLODs in support of Develop lines of effort. Leading in some cases.   

 

Work across Navy Command, the wider RN/RM and MOD, DE&S, Dstl and industry as well as international allies, thinking innovatively to identify opportunities that can be exploited through MUS OPEX activities.

 

In collaboration with Develop and Navy Safety teams, ensure exercise safety aspects are managed for the UK component of allied collaborative operational experimentation.  Ensure effective UK exercise safety orders are produced.

 

Working with colleagues both pan-UK and Allies, support planning and delivery of MUS OPEX - predominately but not limited to the flagship exercises REPMUS and DYNAMIC MESSENGER, building as both capacity and demand dictates. 

 

Role Responsibilities 

Develop options to address complex issues and manage through to resolution.  Develop new approaches to address newly identified challenges.

In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, draft industry calls and convene selection panels.

Manage Industry and Media elements during exercise planning, deployment and execution.

Act as Deputy UK Exercise lead during exercise planning / deployment / execution.

Manage exercise benefits management tracker and lessons log.

Draft Exercise Admin orders.

Draft high-quality reports including as appropriate lessons, recommendations and observations.  

Deputise as required, including at planning conferences and the NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Initiative.

Act as Secretary of the Navy Develop Experimentation Working Group. 

Maintain Develop OPEX tracker. Populate RN experimentation activity in Project Orchard.

Identify opportunities for exploitation of activity e.g. through the generation of Capability Mandates or Concept Cards

Incumbent must be able to travel overseas regularly (indicatively, approximately 6 times a year for periods not exceeding 1 week) and for up to four weeks duration on 1-2 occasions.  During these periods, work and travel outside of normal working hours may be required (in accordance with extant Policy, Rules and Guidance).

Person specification

Essential

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Able to work without supervision
• Demonstrate resilience, exercise judgement and good organisation skills
• Show determination in the pursuit of objectives
• Attention to detail and the ability to critically evaluate information gathered across multiple sources, recommending improvements as necessary
• Demonstrate attention to detail whilst maintaining an overview on the wider perspective
• MS Office Applications

 

Desirable

• Maritime/defence trials experience or maritime warfare/weapon engineering experience
• Leadership/decision making in complex and pressurised environment
• Awareness of Government Security requirements
• Experience managing stakeholder working groups

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,290, Ministry of Defence contributes £9,528 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.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and experience

Candidates will be required to complete a Statement of Suitability of no more than 500 words. Please provide experience relevant to the role

Candidates will be required to provide Statements against the Behaviours of no more than 250 words per behaviour

At Application and Interview you will be assessed against the following behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• 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.