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.

Nationality, visas and vetting: 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or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn.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.

Some posts may also require you to have lived in the UK for the last 10 years and obtain Developed Vetting (DV) 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or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn.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 DV security clearance can be a lengthy process. You’ll join us once Security Check (SC) clearance is obtained, and then the more enhanced DV checks will continue after you’ve started your employment.

Job description

Are you a highly capable, credible individual with the ability to build positive and engaged relationships in a complex and ever-evolving environment? Do you want to build an exciting career, as part of an organisation that protects and supports the UK Armed Forces, bringing real meaning and impact to everything you do in your role? We have the perfect opportunity for you! We at the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) are excited to be expanding our team of Project Managers across our Project Delivery Function. With multiple positions available in a variety of Project teams, we want you to bring your knowledge, skills and experience into the SDA. A career with us will provide you with diverse opportunities in key roles at the forefront of the most technically complex projects. This will include supporting the delivery of Major Governments Projects. If you have project delivery experience, aspirations for further development, and the passion and commitment to consistently deliver the best outcomes, then you will find yourself in good company as part of our team.

What we do as SDA project managers is key to successfully supporting the UK’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent (CASD). 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.

At the SDA we operate a hybrid working environment. It is expected that you will attend the site approximately three days per week. However, this cannot be guaranteed as some roles may require a greater attendance to site. Initially you will be expected to the attend more frequently to familiarise yourself with the specific site, the team, and the product you will be working on in more detail.  

We are keen to represent the communities we serve within our workforce and to help us achieve this we particularly welcome applications from women, ethnic minorities and disabled people for this role.

What you’ll be doing

• Responsible for leading, managing and developing multidisciplinary teams covering a range of subject areas within associated semi-complex projects, multiple simple projects or complex control accounts.
• Accountable for the delivery of their projects' outputs within the performance/cost/time envelope for a semi-complex project, multiple simple projects or complex control accounts.
• Responsible for ensuring the most cost-effective and efficient means of delivery, whilst mitigating risk and leveraging opportunities.
• Support an open, honest, no blame culture. Actively highlighting failures and shortfalls positively and drawing through LFE into the project or control account, advising on mitigations and engaging with OBI owner to mitigate wider occurrence.
• Responsible for embedding and adhering to all governance and policy and enable the required compliance throughout their team, ensure appropriate challenge and gain approval to deviate when necessary.
• Regularly meet the customer to understanding the objective, requirements and the means of acceptance in line with the MoD's Operating Model and Defence Lines of Development.
• Deliver project requirements within the performance/cost/time envelope. Sustain and leverage value through the monitoring and management of contract performance against commitments (product and services) and meet our own obligations under the contract.
• Responsible for meeting budgets within all In-Year and longer-term accounting periods EPP, ESP and OpEx. Lead and ensure that the wider financial (and resource) profiles are driven from the activities in the project schedule and the WBS
• Lead the construction (through the Project Controls Function) of the Performance Measurement Baseline for the control account.
• Proactively support career management and the wider development of the PMs

Person specification

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

• Evidence of delivering semi-complex projects successfully.

• Experience in building strong stakeholder relationships within all levels of the business.

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.

1. 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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

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.