About the job

Job summary

As SRO, provide strategic leadership of military personnel, civil servants and industry colleagues and take ultimate authority and personal accountability for the delivery of the Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems (LE TacCIS) Programme, which has a high level of Ministerial interest.

As the SRO for a critical modernisation programme for the Army you will be accountable for the delivery of its objectives, with policy intent and outcomes expected. This encompasses securing and protecting its vision, ensuring that it is governed responsibly, reported on honestly, escalated appropriately and for influencing the context, culture, and operating environment of the programme. You are also responsible for ensuring the ongoing viability of the programme and recommending its pause or termination if appropriate or aspects of it.

Job description

The current responsibilities of the role include:

• As an SRO, this role is responsible for briefing the Sponsor Group and for ensuring that programme outcomes remain aligned to the Departments strategic direction and key business drivers. This role is required to show visible leadership at key communications events and ensure the visible and demonstrable commitment of the sponsoring group.
• Establish appropriate, robust and efficient governance to ensure the programme is governed responsibly. Delegate responsibilities and agrees clear limits and performance criteria with the Programme Director(s).
• Is a visible, engaged, active leader who creates an open and honest culture.
• Accountable for the management of strategic risks and issues in the operating environment and is aware of all high-level risks and issues affecting successful delivery of the programme. Ensures appropriate mitigation plans are developed and followed through.
• Provide senior-level expertise and capacity to the Army’s wider PD function, mentoring and developing other leaders and providing hands-on support as required; champion project delivery within the Army and beyond; support the strategic development of the project delivery profession and building project delivery capability; influence decision making to ensure that projects are properly resourced and successfully delivered.
• Accountable for delivery of the programmes and the associated benefits and capabilities.
• Influence and manage the operating environment into which the programme outcomes will be delivered, including relationships with key stakeholders, business owners and other project sponsors.
• Influence and manage the operating environment into which the project outcomes will be delivered, including relationships with key stakeholders, business owners and other project sponsors.
• Responsible for engaging high-impacting stakeholders and for ensuring that emerging issues are identified and managed appropriately.
• Builds effective relationships with key strategic stakeholders obtaining their commitment to the project objectives and benefits. Effective management of all interdependencies.

Person specification

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their experience and skills against the following essential criteria: The first six essential criteria should be demonstrated within your personal statement

• A credible and persuasive project delivery professional who will command the confidence of a range of Senior stakeholders including Ministers and Senior Officials and to support Board-level investment decisions. Displays professional courage with the confidence and authority to articulate, challenge, explain and justify decisions to stakeholders whilst remaining resilient in the face of extraordinary pressure.
• Proven experience in leadership roles which have required them to develop a vision that drives forward the organisation’s work and its future; motivating, enabling and empowering teams to deliver, with experience of leading organisational change and creating a lasting legacy beyond that particular programme. The post holder will also need to demonstrate an ability to lead and energise outside their immediate line management responsibilities.
• Extensive breadth and depth of major project delivery experience, leadership of multiple complex projects/programmes across all project phases a number of times and performed a variety of leadership roles. Able to evidence successful delivery in terms of the complexity of what has been delivered and the scale of challenge.
• Experience of performing at high level over a sustained period, in a large organisation which has a complex operating environment, where there is uncertainty and continual change
• Ability to think strategically and respond quickly to complex changing circumstances and high-pressure situations, maintaining integrity and a clear view of overall project priorities. Comfortable making decisions and setting direction without having the full picture and can re-focus as detail emerge. Can and does apply project delivery knowledge and techniques to set projects up for success, reduce ambiguity and ensure successful delivery.
• Strong commercial awareness, and able to understand the value of and exploit commercial advice.
• Appropriate Project Management professional qualification such as Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), APM Project Professional Qualification, APM Practitioner Qualification (PQ) or APM Registered Project Professional or equivalent, with the experience and commitment to continued professional development and accreditation.
• Graduate of the Major Projects Leadership Academy (or willing to undertake the course)

This person specification has derived from the Project Delivery Capability Framework (PDCF). At sift and interview you will be asked to draw upon evidence, knowledge, skills and experience from the following behaviours listed on pages 97- 98: Visible Leadership; Influencing; Credible Action; Working with ambiguity; Resilience.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role by no later than 23:55 Sunday 4th August and will involve providing the two documents outlined below via the Civil Service Jobs portal:

• A CV (no more than 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role. 

Both documents are weighted equally in their scoring, so it's important to consider this when uploading your application. Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

For further information about the role and full application process, please refer to the candidate pack attached below. If you wish to receive any material in a different format for accessibility, then please contact People-CivHR-SCSCandidateSupport@mod.gov.uk.

Q&A session

We will be offering an online Q&A session on Wednesday 24th July between 14:00 – 14:45 to provide an overview of the role and welcome any questions you may have. Candidates can access the meeting by clicking here. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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.