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or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn.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 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 Project Manager’s to join our team at BAE Barrow.

Want to hear what one of our Level 3 Project Manager’s thinks of their role?

‘What we do as project managers is key to successful and timely delivery of safe and effective equipment to Front Line Commands and their service personnel. Every day we play a functional part of making this happen, and that is ultimately what is important. The breadth of experience that you gain here is so wide due to the diversity of delivery that we do. The additional benefits are also great: flexible working hours and a generous pension scheme for example.’

One of these roles is working on the SDA SSN AUKUS Programme which is an exciting venture bringing together 3 major Industry Partners and the SDA into a synergistic cooperative that will drive forward both submarine technology and submarine delivery. The Programme has just moved into the exciting Detailed Design and Long Leads (D2L2) stage with new governance, forums, management info etc that require developing and supporting.

Within this role you could find yourself drafting business cases, assisting with monthly reporting of Engineering performance including milestone management and supporting equipment decisions panels and Stage Gate reviews. If you have good interpersonal and stakeholder management skills and a strong ability to work autonomously, this could be the post for you.

Our second position is working alongside our industry partners delivering the last Astute Attack Submarine to the Royal Navy. This is an excellent opportunity to gain first-hand experience. You will gain leadership and stakeholder management skills as well as ‘hands-on’ experience of the complexity of Nuclear Submarine Production.  You will be part of a joint SDA and Industry Team, working with multi-disciplinary functional colleagues.

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 the Acquisition, Transition into Service and In-Service support of submarines in BAE Barrow. 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.

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. You could also be required to travel/visits our Bristol HQ monthly.

Person specification

• Working in multi-disciplinary teams covering a range of subject areas within associated semi-complex projects, multiple simple projects or complex projects.
• Supporting the delivery of their projects' outputs within the performance/cost/time envelope for a semi-complex project, multiple simple projects or complex projects.
• Assisting with ensuring the most cost-effective and efficient means of delivery, whilst mitigating risk and leveraging opportunities.
• Supporting embedding governance and policy and assisting with ensuring compliance inc appropriate challenge and gain approval to deviate when necessary.
• Regularly meet industrial partners include reviews of scope delivery
• Assist with the delivery of project requirements/milestones within the performance/cost/time envelope and supporting the monitoring and management of contract performance inc contract commitments.

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

• Managing a team to deliver projects/outputs
• Experience in managing a project to delivery outputs and outcomes
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and building positive working relationships
• The ability to solve problems and find solutions
• Proven ability to be resilient in an ever-changing environment

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

• Controlling a Project - Practitioner
• Stakeholder Management - Supervised Practitioner
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,600, Ministry of Defence contributes £11,502 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.

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.