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 for you.

Job description

Are you a Quality Assurance Engineer looking to start or progress your career within the civil service? Within a newly built team and supporting a wider team of 12 other multi-disciplined engineers, The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) are recruiting an Engineering Quality Assurance (ENG QA) practitioner to conduct technical assurance activities which will support evidencing platform maturity and programme confidence in supplier performance. 

Currently in the Detailed Design and Long Lead (D2L2) phase, you will also be required to conduct audits which will support evidencing platform maturity and programme confidence in supplier performance.

As part of our In-service submarine (ISM) team, you will implement the necessary assurance strategies in order to promote quality culture and assure quality and safety at either of our MoD sites in either Bristol or Barrow. Working across all submarine programmes, you’ll provide support and advice on quality assurance (QA) improvement interventions and ensure proper engagement with selected submarine programme suppliers. You’ll develop and deliver quality through governance, assurance, and improvement to ISO 9001:2015 requirements and MoD mandated policy.

SSN AUKUS will be the replacement submarine for the current in-service SSN Astute class submarines which form part of the UK’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD) capability.

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. 

This role can be based in Bristol or Barrow with occasional travel and overnight stays between the locations where all costs would be subsidised.

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.

Whilst on the Abbey Wood site in Bristol, you’ll experience our impressive range of on-site facilities including a restaurant and coffee bistros and free parking. Our sports facilities include a fully equipped gym and sports hall with bookable classes, as well as a squash court, tennis courts and a football pitch. In addition to the above at Barrow, you’ll have the exciting opportunity of seeing the products being built at first hand whilst making use of the new office space.

What you’ll be doing

• Providing support to our Government Quality Assurance (GQA) planning, collaborating with our Engineering Governance (ENG GOV) Compliance team to identify and schedule our GQA activities
• Facilitating GQA Surveillance, liaising with supplier points of contact and collaborating with Government Quality Assurance Representatives (GQARs) to identify risks, initiate surveillance activity taskings and collate/analyse findings to inform the overall technical assurance picture for the new submarine programme
• Facilitating Guide to Engineering Activities and Reviews (GEAR), identifying the levels of maturity across our areas of Technical Governance and supporting the identification of recommended actions to address any shortfalls
• Supporting internal Audits, engaging with stakeholders across the programme to investigate areas of uncertainty and proposing opportunities for improvement
• Utilising appropriate metrics and tools to report levels of SDA technical assurance to the Programme Integrator
• Contribute to Quality investigations, root cause analysis, internal process performance improvement activities and supplier escalations/interventions.

Person specification

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

• Applied knowledge in the application of QA discipline within the acquisition environment supported by expertise in multiple QA specialist areas including Configuration Management.
• Breadth of industry/manufacturing and QA experience gained from involvement with multiple projects and domains including supply chain engagement.
• Experience in delivering audits

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

• MQ 4 Acquisition Assurance – Practitioner
• EFCF 4 Technical Decision Making – Practitioner
• Communicating and Influencing – CSBC 3
• Changing and Improving – CSBC 3

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,100, Ministry of Defence contributes £9,747 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.

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.