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, Strategic Force Development and Capability Sponsorship. 

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

Capability Sponsorship will deliver an ambitious capability portfolio, cohering all capability development programme and project activity across Navy Command. By owning the Capability Management Plan and ensure the effective prioritisation of resources to meet the Navy’s strategic priorities and outcomes. Creating a first-class project control and management functions across a diverse and complex maritime capability 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.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Navy Develop is the Navy’s Capability Design Authority. It is responsible for articulating the force and capability requirements of the future based upon Head Office policy and Navy strategic planning, ensuring that our capability plans are problem-led, mission-focused and threat/risk aware. It also acts as the through-life capability sponsor for all Navy capabilities – advocating for and enacting major portfolio changes to address capability shortfalls and drive towards the Navy of tomorrow. 

 The role of Programme Manager is to support the Programme Director and Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) in managing and leading the Programme through management of Programme deliverables and artefacts, co-ordination and assurance of delivery of the assigned Programme applying best practice leadership, programme controls and management discipline. 

 Each programme is managed through the development phase within Develop Directorate before in most cases transitioning to another Directorate for Delivery. Although the Develop Directorate has a Sub Portfolio Office (Sub-PfO) of P3M resources (including specialists in Risk, Scheduling, Benefits and Programme Controls) to support Programmes/Projects in the longer term, ‘start up’ Programmes may be provided resource from the Project delivery Performance (PDP) Team part of the Performance Group. 

 The post holder will lead an assigned Programme and any wider programme team to achieve co-ordination and assurance of delivery, they are accountable to the Programme Director. 

Management: 

• Overall Programme delivery is managed and monitored effectively to support the implementation of the outlined strategy and direction of the SRO/Programme Director. 
• Assuring the delivery and quality of Programme Outcomes and associated artefacts, within the allocated PCTR (Performance, Cost, Time & Risk) envelopes, ensuring benefits, timescales and other success factors are tracked and managed, proactively. 
• Managing risks and issues to ensure delivery achievability, providing options to address complex risks & issues and manage through to resolution, escalating to the SRO/Programme Director for key decisions. 
• Assuring and interpreting information to provide a coherent set of management information advice to 1* and above to support effective decision making. 
• Own the programme costing, scheduling 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 wider programme team across all Defence Lines of Delivery (DLODs) and Delivery Agents, acting as an intelligent customer to monitor and assess business agreement delivery. 
• Represent SRO and Programme Director as required within NCHQ, across the MOD and wider Government community. 
• Ad-hoc duties as required by the SRO/Programme Director or wider Develop Senior Management Team.

Governance: 

• Management of internal governance arrangements and associated Key Programme Meetings and Boards, acting as Chair or Secretariat where required. 
• Manage the scrutiny, and approvals process to obtain approval as required by NCHQ/MOD and in line with the Integrated Approvals and Assurance Plan (IAAP), including Investment Approvals Committee (IAC) decision-making and NCHQ balance of investment activities as required and within the limits of delegated authority. 
• Manage any internal or external programme reviews analysing the outcomes of the reviews and develop plans to address recommendations. 
• Management information quality using Project Online (POL) is up to date and sufficient to provide robust and accurate central reporting, including H2A and QPRR.

Products/Deliverables: 

• Support the definition of Programme Scope where required identifying areas for spiral development within the wider scope of the long-term Capability Roadmap. 
• Drafting Programme artefacts to a standard suitable for submission as required, including the development of Business Cases and associated evidence. 
• Drafting papers, management briefings, financial and resourcing profile submissions.

Person specification

Strengths: 

• Strong oral and written communication skills, with an ability to brief Senior Management concisely and effectively. 
• Identifying effective options in complex problems and communicating these effectively to facilitate senior decision-making. 
• Adaptable to change and variations in work or environment, demonstrating flexibility and versatility. 
• Ability to proactively create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the organisation. 
• Ability to work without supervision, exercise judgement and good organisational skills. 
• Ability to pay attention to detail whilst also keeping an overview on the wider perspective. 

 Skills and Experience: 

• P3M12 Risk, Opportunity and Issue Management. 
• P3M19 Stakeholder and Communications Management. 
• P3M24 Business Case. 
• Demonstrable experience of delivering Projects/Programmes. 
• Experience in the application and use of project/programme control processes and methodologies, particularly in a complex environment. 
• Experience of team management in a project/programme setting. 

 Desirable skills: 

• Experience in delivering support with a team in a fast-paced challenging environment. 
• Experience of agile working (SCRUM). 
• Experience of working in a Government (Military preferred) environment would be highly advantageous but not essential. 
• Understanding of HMG Business Case and associated Approval processes. 
• Understanding of Cost Modelling would be an advantage. 

 Technical: 

• A minimum of one practitioner level project/programme qualification, or demonstrable equivalent experience, is required for this role eg: MSP Practitioner. 
• Competent in using MS Office tools; Microsoft Excel, MS Project, PowerPoint, Word, Skype and SharePoint. 

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 and Experience.

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

A minimum of one practitioner level project/programme qualification, or demonstrable equivalent experience, is required for this role eg: MSP Practitioner. 

Candidates will be required to complete a Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words. Please provide experience relevant to the role.

At both Application and Interview Candidates will be assessed against the following behaviours:

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

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

Application online, sift of application & interview if successful through sift.  

 

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.