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: Please note, for security reasons some of these roles may be 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. If successful, you’ll be required to pass Security Check clearance and for some posts, may be required to undergo more in-depth security checks (Developed Vetting). We are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

These roles require you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and to 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or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn.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

Do you want to be part of a team that delivers world-class submarine capabilities to the Royal Navy? If so, then you might be the perfect fit to join the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) as a Supply Chain Specialist Manager.

At the SDA, we have a vital mission: to deliver the United Kingdom’s submarine capability and ensure the Royal Navy have the cutting-edge, life-saving tools and battle-winning capabilities to overcome any challenge, now and in the future. 

As a Supply Chain Specialist Manager within the Customer Liaison Team, you will be at the heart of our mission, leading a small team that provides In-Service Support to operational platforms. You will be involved in a range of Supply Chain activities that drive operational success, such as Customer Demand Planning/Progression, Inventory Supply Planning, Supplier Management and Supply Chain Performance Management. You will be the key to enabling optimised supply chains and resolving emerging issues in a timely manner.

You will have the opportunity to grow your skills through training and on the job learning, and to deliver a high-quality service to your customers. You will showcase your ability to collaborate with others to support your customers in the Royal Navy and other SDA Delivery Teams.

You will leverage your keen eye for detail and data management skills to make smart decisions and drive continuous improvement within our supply chain operations.

At SDA, we champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is expected 3 days per a week at the Clyde offices 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.

Due to the security requirements this post is reserved for Sole UK Nationals only. 

What you’ll be doing

• Supporting the day-to-day management of the delivery of in-service support within area of responsibility, according to the customer requirements.
• Aiding the time critical provision of materiel requirements for Clyde based customers.
• Managing assurance, endorsement, and approvals through the appropriate channels to support senior colleagues and customer requirements during Base Maintenance Periods.
• Supporting the development of supply solutions, assessing risk; able to communicate updates and changes to stakeholders.
• Applying governance arrangements for the delivery of the service, aligned with SDA, Contract and Customer requirements.
• Developing Inventory Demand and Supply Plans proposals.

Please note: Positions will be offered in Interview Merit order (Further details can be found in the Selection Process Details).

Person specification

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

• Experience of customer service and stakeholder engagement
• Evidence of successfully working collaboratively with others
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel) 
• Skilled in the handling, interpreting, and processing of data

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

• Stakeholder Management – Awareness
• Continuous Improvement to Optimise Support – Awareness
• Delivering at Pace - CSBC 2
• Leadership - CSBC 2

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,800, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,506 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. When two (or more) candidates are on equal interview scores, positions will be offered based on the scores assessed at interview, in this order – 1st) Technical competence, 2nd) CV Review, 3rd) Behaviour one, 4th) Behaviour two.

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.