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 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or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn.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. If SC clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months, we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made.

Job description

Are you looking to further your engineering career? Do you enjoy providing technical advice and delivering successful outcomes? We at the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) are looking for an enthusiastic and committed engineer to join the Trident Systems Project Team (TSPT) as an Engineer.

Working in the TSPT, you will be a key part of a multi-disciplined team supporting the security of the UK, which is part of the Chief Strategic Systems Executive within the SDA. TSPT has end-to-end responsibility for the provision and support of Strategic Weapons Systems operations and targeting capability in support of the UK Strategic Deterrent.

As a Trident Engineer, you will be responsible for managing the research programme input into capability development through several high-profile contracts. These include Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), Defence Science Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and other industry partners.

Your role will involve regularly liaising with multiple stakeholders in which you will demonstrate your talent for communicating, influencing, and working with others. You will build strong working relationships and advise on any potential risks associated with the research programmes. In driving future capability research and acquisition, you will engage with various UK, and possibly US, stakeholders to review available and potential capabilities for suitability for integration into the UK programme.  You will then coordinate the definition, communication and delivery review against capability and technical requirements for future research and development. You will have a broad view of current and future capabilities, interacting with all areas of the business to help define the direction of the programme.

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. We also 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. Due to the nature of this role, you will be required on site for a minimum of 4 days per week, allowing you to work closely with key stakeholders at our Corsham site. There is also the expectation that you will travel as part of your role to offsite locations within the UK such as Portsmouth, Glasgow, Bristol, and Reading. There may also be infrequent travel to the US.

Please note that this role is situated in an underground facility and therefore, for health and safety reasons, the successful applicant must be physically able to climb thirteen flights of stairs in the event of an emergency.

Due to the secure nature of the position, this post is reserved for sole UK nationals only.

This post is on the MOD Civilian Nuclear Post Control List (PCL) and may attract the Nuclear Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA). This is a discretionary allowance. The post being listed on the PCL does not mean that the post holder will have an automatic entitlement to receive the RRA. The NSQEP RRA is not a contractual allowance and can be amended or withdrawn without notice in line with MOD Main and Submarine Delivery Agency policy.

What you’ll be doing

• Manage engineering technical requirements (definition, architecture, integration, contract assessment and change management).
• Responsible for the development and maintenance of system requirements including in-service support.
• Participate in identification, selection, evaluation, performance verification and demonstrations within their technical area.
• Provide technical advice to stakeholders on specifications and assurance of systems.
• Support design reviews and assessments for systems to provide a view of technical maturity and risk.

Person specification

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

• Relevant Level 4 (or higher) qualification or equivalent experience, with the willingness to achieve whilst in post if not already held.
• Professionally Registered status or has demonstrated equivalent knowledge, skills and experience.
• Experience of providing technical advice and delivery of successful engineering outcomes.
• Technical experience in your discipline or specialist area in a variety of contexts.

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

• EFCF 1 Improve Engineering Capability (Supervised Practitioner)
• EFCF 3 Technical Requirements, Evaluation & Acceptance (Supervised Practitioner)
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing The Bigger Picture

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.

Offering at a lower level

If you’re not successful at interview, we may offer you a role at a lower level if this is a match for your skills and experience. If this applies to your application, you’ll be scored against criteria for the lower-level role and offers will be made in merit order. If you accept this position, you’ll be able to take advantage of opportunities to develop your career as part of our team.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (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.