About the job

Job summary

The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) is a part of the Ministry of Defence responsible for the procurement, in-service support, and disposal of the UK’s nuclear submarines. Our work is of unparalleled strategic importance nationally and internationally, ensuring the security of the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent, and delivering some of the most technically complex programmes in defence.

Here you’ll find a community to belong to – whether that’s alongside project teams with a shared vision or as part of an employee network of like-minded individuals. We believe that, by celebrating different backgrounds and perspectives, together we’ll achieve the extraordinary.

Discover more about our work:

We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of around 27%, to help work, work for you.

For security reasons this role is open to sole UK nationals only. A ‘sole UK national’ refers to an individual who holds citizenship solely in the UK, without dual citizenship or nationality from another country. We’re unable to offer visa sponsorship.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you have been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained, or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months.

Job description

Are you a Head Project Manager excited by the opportunity to shape and define the project delivery of some of the biggest and complex defence programmes in the UK today? The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) are currently seeking enthusiastic and driven Head of Enablement - Project Manager to join our team at HMNB Devonport.

Within this role, you will lead the In-Service Superintendent Submarines (IS SUSM) Enablement team, consisting of Project Delivery (PD), Project Controls (PC), Future Maritime Support Programme (FMSP) governance, and the SUSM Portfolio Management Office. The Enablement team exists to enable IS SUSM outputs for Submarine Upkeep and Fleet Time project delivery and project planning.

In Service Superintendent Submarines (SUSM) is the superintendent for fleet time and upkeep submarine engineering projects in Devonport including Astute, Trafalgar and Vanguard Classes to whom this role reports to.

Growing your career as part of the SDA, we will provide you with the diverse opportunities at the forefront of ensuring the delivery of crucial and significant projects. This could include supporting Disposal, the Transition into Service and In-Service support of submarines and infrastructure in HMNB Devonport. You will be supported by your manager and wider team to achieve your career goals and aspirations with mentoring available to fulfil your potential and funding for industry-recognised qualifications.

Working at Devonport, the largest naval base in Western Europe, you will be able to witness first-hand the output of your project. All whilst utilising and developing your knowledge and experience in line with business needs to support our armed forces. If you have the pride, passion and commitment, with the drive to develop your skills and experience of leadership and delivering successful outcomes, then you will find yourself in good company in the SDA.

At the SDA, we champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is required to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.

What you’ll be doing

• To lead the FMSP Contract Management team and all aspects of project delivery under FMSP arrangements.
• To manage the sustainment of IS SUSM’s and ISM’s Project Delivery at Devonport across HMNB and Industrial Partner’s service provision.
• To lead the IS SUSM Project Controls team and their reporting of the IS SUSM project portfolio.
• To proactively assure and enable the quality and accuracy of all project controls data and artefacts produced by the Project Delivery teams utilised by the project, Portfolios or Domains.
• Analyse performance of projects, portfolios and domains against the PMB, and communicate it to the teams, portfolio managers and senior executive to ensure effective delivery.
• Monitor and guide the production of accurate financial forecasts for both operating expenditure (OPEX) and Equipment Programme spend.
• To manage the interface between IS SUSM’s project delivery team’s and other stakeholders at a project, programme and portfolio level.
• To manage and integrate multiple Project Controls teams across projects, portfolios, domains or within the corporate function, ensuring consistent application of SDA Project controls processes and procedures.
• Work with PMs, Portfolio managers, senior managers and commercial teams to ensure that contractors and suppliers data is received in a timely manner, in an appropriate format and to the required quality.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Significant in-service support stakeholder management experience or equivalent
• Significant experience of leading and managing a project management team delivering a highly complex portfolio of projects.
• Significant experience in contract management.
• Significant experience in business cases and approvals
• Understanding of wider project controls (estimating, cost control, risk management etc.)

It will also benefit your application if you are able to demonstrate the following desirable criteria:

• Knowledge of Submarine Project Delivery
• Knowledge of infrastructure management and delivery
• MAPM ChPP or RPP, relevant Post-Graduate qualification i.e. MSc (Project Management), MPLA or PLP.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Project / Programme Initiation - Expert
• Stakeholder Management - Expert
• Changing & Improving
• Leadership

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,800, Ministry of Defence contributes £18,036 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

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift - We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift - Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills

Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.

3. Interview - If you're invited to interview, you'll be assessed against the Sift categories listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert.

Ready to join us as a Head of Enablement - Project Manager? Apply today.

Security

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.