Army – Deputy Head Efficiency

Job summary

The Ministry of Defence, Civil Service workforce is diverse, with many different functions and professions ranging from police officers, security guards, trainers, human resources, teachers, and psychologists to storekeepers, financiers, project and programme managers, and policy secretariat staff to support the British Army.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The Army Efficiency Portfolio Office (EPO) coheres transformation initiatives and projects and ensures that delivery aligns with Army strategy and wider Defence Productivity direction. Leading a military and civil service team and managing the Army Efficiency Delivery Partner contract, you will drive forward key priorities to increase Army outputs.

The Army is going through a period of unprecedent change following the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Reform. In this key role within the Army Headquarters Strategic Centre, you will develop opportunities and collaborate across Army Directorates to provide strategic choice and financial headroom for changes to structures, equipment, infrastructure, and training.

You will manage a network of stakeholders within the Army, and across Defence. Working closely with the MOD Productivity Team, you will collaborate with the other Front-Line Commands to ensure alignment with MOD strategy and policy and to share and exploit best practice.

Main Role Responsibilities:

• A member of the Army Strategic Centre; a key programme management and business transformation role responsible for executing strategy and championing change across all deliverables.
• Accountable for overseeing and growing all initiatives and transformation projects within the EPO, aligning with Army strategy and collaborating across all Army Directorates.
• Driving productivity and efficiency and reporting performance against Key Performance Indicators to maximise the Army’s return on investment.
• Leading on the continuing integration of the Army Efficiency Delivery Partner to identify, accelerate, challenge, and provide capacity to deliver the transformation that protects and enhances the Army’s purpose.
• Developing and driving effective working partnerships with stakeholders from across Government departments, other Front-Line Commands, the MOD Productivity Team, and wider MOD transformation projects and programmes.
• Creating and maintaining a work environment conducive to teamwork, creativity, quality, operational efficiency, productivity, and value acceleration aligned with building an organisational culture that is focused on maximising outputs with the resources available.
• 'Contract Owner’ for the Army Efficiency Delivery Partnership reporting progress against Key Performance Indicators to the Assistant Chief of the General Staff and Director Resources.
• Lead for corporate travel, driving cost conscious behaviours and transforming financial processes.
• The direct line management of 5 civil service and military team members.

Person specification

Essential Skills Required:

• A track record of strong leadership in transformation in a public sector or a large-scale private organisation. Proven ability in delivering operational outcomes and driving improvements in operational efficiency and productivity.
• An experienced leader and programme manager with a track record of building, developing and continuously improving high performing, diverse and inclusive teams.
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to establish and maintain influential relationships with senior stakeholders across a wide range of complex organisations.
• A high level of commercial awareness, in particular overseeing benefits management, with a proven ability to understand, negotiate and influence across a complex, multi-dimensional supply chain.
• A strong understanding and expertise in Project and Portfolio management at Board level.
• Experience in overseeing governance structures, especially in an External Assistance contract management context, ensuring adherence to regulatory frameworks and organisational guidelines.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £72,840, Ministry of Defence contributes £21,101 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance.

Other benefits for Army civil servants include:

• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Highly competitive pension scheme
• Personal and professional development of skills
• Alternative working patterns for many roles
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities
• Learning and Development
• Access to gym on site for a nominal fee
• Access to Diner on site
• Parking available on site

We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career. This includes working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking a modern apprenticeship as part of your role.

A modern apprenticeship is a combined package of work and training. Through the schemes available you will gain a professional qualification, practical experience, and the broader skills required to develop in your current role and pave the way for your future career.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability and Experience.

When applying you will need to complete the Civil Service, Numerical, Verbal Reasoning and Work Strengths Test.

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Your CV - Career History
• Personal Statement - of no more than 1250 words detailing how you meet the essential skills criteria
• Behaviour - Changing & Improving

Where a large number of applications are received, an initial sift will be conducted based on the evidence you provide in support of Changing & Improving.

Your Personal Statement and CV will only be reviewed if you are successful at this initial sift.

At interview stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Experience - Question based on your CV & Personal Statement
• Behaviour - Leadership
• Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service

Application sifting will be scheduled to take place within 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed and will be held in person. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs.

The Civil Service Judgement Test is not bankable and therefore must be taken on every vacancy where it is applied.

Should you be invited to complete the online tests, please allow sufficient time to complete the tests and the remainder of the full application form; only candidates who are successful at the test stage will be invited to complete the remainder of the application by clicking ‘Submit Application’. Your application must be completed by 23:55 on the closing date of the vacancy. Late submissions cannot be accepted. The tests are not timed, as they work by giving you harder questions if you answer the previous question correctly, and easier if you get it wrong. You should allow up to an hour for each test, and each test must be completed before you will be invited to complete the second part of your application. Internet access will be required for the duration of the test. Please refer to the attached Candidate Guidance for further information.

Candidates that reach the minimum required pass mark will have their results saved as a banked score against the following tests:

• New Civil Service Verbal Test
• New Civil Service Numerical Test

When a candidate has a banked score they’re not asked to re-take the same test providing it is set at the same level. Scores will be banked for a 6 month period from the date of test completion. If a candidate is invited to take the same test against multiple vacancies, the banked score will be recognised against all vacancies and all active applications will progress.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Tim Symonds
• Email : Tim.Symonds716@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.

Attachments

20240307-ArmyTLBEVP (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 3932kB)EXTERNAL PACK (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Candidate Information updated (1) Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)