Devonport Major Infrastructure Projects, Project Sponsor (1A)

Job summary

The Submarine Directorate in Navy Command is responsible for generating the UK’s submarines, so that they are available and capable for operations, including the Continuous At Sea Deterrent. Our portfolio is high profile, vast and complex – it ranges from in-service capability management, generating submarines ready for operations, day to day running of the Naval Bases, to decades long major infrastructure programmes.

The facilities at Devonport represent a UK strategic asset and are critical to enabling Defence outputs. His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport and the Babcock owned Devonport Dockyard site together have a key role as an operating base and centre of maintenance for surface ships, submarines and Royal Marines. In this capacity Devonport is unique in providing a direct contribution to the Royal Navy’s primary operational tasks;

CASD, Homeland Protection, Euro-Atlantic and Arctic warfight and global engagement.

Maintaining a primary focus on submarine deep maintenance, it is also the only site able to defuel decommissioned submarines. To meet these developing requirements and the needs of new classes of submarine, significant investment is required in new and refurbished facilities.

A multi billion-pound investment is required over the next 30 years to recapitalise facilities and services throughout Devonport to ensure the site is ready for Dreadnought, SSNR AUKUS (nuclear powered fleet submarine) and other future platforms. The Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) has the responsibility to lead this programme and this post is part of the leadership of their team.

Job description

As an SEO Project Sponsor, you will be part of a newly formed and growing team and at the centre of the Royal Navy’s Submarine Directorate, Devonport Major Infrastructure. You will work alongside the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and Industry Partners such as Babcock International to lead the delivery of major infrastructure projects. Under delegation from the Project Sponsor Team Lead you will be accountable for realising the outcome (project delivery) against the approved performance, cost and time (PCT) envelop. You will be responsible for identifying project purpose and objectives and setting the requirements ensuring alignment to Navy Commands objectives and direction, developing and owning the business case, delivering benefits, capability integration, transition of the new asset into Business as Usual (BAU) and stakeholder management.

This is a challenging and rewarding role that requires drive, energy, and initiative plus the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively across various military ranks and civilian grades. You will be an integral member of the Devonport Major Infrastructure team and the temporary integrated team delivering the project. You will need to develop and maintain effective working relationships with other team members and stakeholders across the Ministry of Defence and our Partners.

The SEO Project Sponsor is a leadership role which enables the MoD to be an intelligent client to industry and provide the optimum conditions for project success.

The post will be based in HMNB Devonport with potential occasional travel to other defence locations including NCHQ Portsmouth, London Main Building and other MOD or Suppler sites.

Responsibility

1. Project objective setting and Requirements Management: Ownership of requirements throughout the project life cycle, Developing Infrastructure Requirements, functional requirements, success criteria.

2. Stakeholder Management: identifying, analysing, communicating, and engaging with external and internal stakeholders. Ensuring stakeholder support and commitment to the project success. Ensuring functional managers and subject matter experts relevant to the project are identified, engaged with and their requirements are captured.

3. Project Leadership: Champions the project and protects the benefits. Critical Friend to the Project Manager/ Project through appropriate motivation, support and challenge through understanding of project performance. Ensures the project is set up for success and enables the MoD to be an intelligent client. Ensures the project team has the resources it needs to deliver and keep the project in control.

4. Owns the Business Case and the Approval and Assurance Plan: Develops the Integrated Approval and Assurance Plan (IAAP), develops the Business Case and manages the development of supporting artefacts, manages approvals process including the MOD Cat A processes and outnotes. Issues and controls delegations to the Project Manager.

5. Applies governance to the project: develops and applies effective governance to the project and provides timely decision making.

Person specification

Experience:

· Project delivery in a complex environment.

· Delivery experience in a complex or operational environment.

· Project delivery.

· Planning a project or change initiative, identifying resources required and adjusting for optimism bias.

· Business Case development and management involving multiple approval authorities.

· Working with and managing approvals authorities and other government departments e.g. Cabinet Office and HMT.

Essential requirements: ·

Must be willing to undergo training on MoDs IT systems.

Must hold or be willing to undergo SC clearance. ·

Must be willing to continue professional development including relevant training in project, programme, and portfolio management, PMO (P3O skills).

Desirable

Experience of infrastructure or equipment project delivery.

Experience operating working with a mixed workforce (civilian, military or operational, contractors) and in an integrated project team.

Proficient with M365 Office tools.

Association of Project Management (APM) qualification or equivalent e.g. APMQ.

Project Leadership Programme (PLP).

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• P3M07 Requirements Management - Awareness
• P3M27 Benefits Management - Awareness
• P3M24 Business Case - Awareness

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

• P3M07 Requirements Management - Awareness

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,040, Ministry of Defence contributes £13,337 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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 employer contribution of 28.97%

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Sift Stage

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history, full details of education and qualifications and previous experiences and skills

Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability. (500 Word count) providing details relevant to the essential and desirable experience in the job advert.

The requirements for the role have been benchmarked and these will be used to sift all candidates, with those meeting the minimum requirements invited to interview.

Feedback will only be provided if you selected for an interview.

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, Statement of suitability and the following:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• P3M07 Requirements Management - Awareness

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• P3M07 Requirements Management - Awareness
• P3M27 Benefits Management - Awareness
• P3M24 Business Case - Awareness
  

Candidates can apply online via the Civil Service Jobs website by completing the application form before the deadline shown. Apply using the Civil Service Jobs apply button, filling in all required details in all sections. Using the Success Profiles link for information on format and style, ensure you provide evidence for all Behaviours and Experience sections requested in the appropriate competency style.

Further Information

Candidates who are found to meet an acceptable standard at interview but are not successful in one of the advertised posts may be considered for similar roles within the Business Unit.

You will also be expected to achieve Security Check clearance for this role

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out

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

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.

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 : Karen.Mccarthy102@mod.gov.uk
• Email : Karen.Mccarthy102@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

Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Candidate Information Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)22_0656 Navy Applicant guide A4 - Digital Opens in new window (pdf, 2922kB)Portfolio_Programme_Project_Management Opens in new window (pdf, 1315kB)