DIO - Deputy Head Project Delivery

Job summary

Are you ready to take on a pivotal role in national defence infrastructure? Join the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s (DIO) Major Programmes and Projects (MPP) team, where you will lead one of the front-line delivery teams for the United States Visiting Forces (USVF) portfolio.

About Us: MPP is at the forefront of delivering capital infrastructure projects and programmes both in the UK and overseas, with a current portfolio valued at over £10bn and an annual investment exceeding £1bn. We provide leadership, management, subject matter expertise, and crown assurance from initial assessment through to procurement, construction, and handover. Our projects are crucial components of national defence capability, operating through a geographically dispersed organisation.

The Role: As the Deputy Head Project Delivery at RAF Lakenheath, you will be a driving force within a challenging £4bn portfolio, overseeing the design and construction of capital infrastructure across US forces sites in the UK. You will lead a dedicated team of Civil Servant staff, plus contractor staff, to deliver circa £1bn worth of projects. Your work will support the European Deterrent and European Consolidation Initiatives, ensuring the successful delivery of sub-programmes driven by funding, geography, and interdependencies.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Main Responsibilities:

Monitor Progress: Proactively oversee programme progress, resolve issues, and initiate corrective actions.

Change Controls: Define, implement, and continuously improve change controls to boost delivery confidence.

Budget Management: Monitor, manage, and report on the programme budget, supporting financial planning cycles.

Reporting: Provide comprehensive reports to the Programme Director, DIO, SRO, and USVF chains of command.

Team Leadership: Lead the implementation of an integrated project team approach, interfacing with stakeholders.

Guidance and Coaching: Offer education, guidance, and advice on programme management best practices.

Strategic Support: Provide strategic advice and support to the Programme Director and stakeholders.

Deputise: Step in for the Director on programme matters when required.

Programme Management: Manage core programme products.

Risk Management: Take a strategic view on risks and issues, ensuring effective implementation across the area of responsibility.

Project Management: Direct project delivery activities in partnership with industry partners.

Best Practices: Share effective practices and conduct lessons learned exercises for continuous improvement.

Why Join Us?

Impactful Work: Play a key role in defence infrastructure, contributing to projects that are vital to US and UK national security.

Dynamic Environment: Work in a challenging and rewarding environment where no two days are the same.

Professional Growth: Opportunities for career development and progression within a high-profile directorate.

Ready to make a difference? Apply now and be part of a team that delivers excellence in infrastructure!

Person specification

What We’re Looking For:

Leadership: A self-starter with strong leadership skills, personal resilience, and excellent time management.

Expertise: Proven ability to deliver at pace, applying programme and project management skills, tools, and techniques effectively.

Impact: Ability to navigate the challenging environment of infrastructure delivery, maintaining military outputs while managing interdependencies between projects.

Essential requirements:

• Project leadership / management experience and the ability to apply project management processes and controls in an adaptive way
• Ability to effectively lead a team working in a fast-paced team environment, managing multiple priorities and tight deadlines
• Ability to build and maintain excellent partner relationships across government and with external partners
• Ability to set the direction, lead from the front and put in place proportionate processes to ensure work is progressing as needed; and remedial action taken where it is not.
• Technical skills - Scheduling & Budget and Cost Management.

Desirable skills:

• Experience of working in an International environment

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Scheduling Management - P3M09
• Budget & Cost Management - P3M11

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.

Benefits

We enable our people to work in the right place, with the right people, at the right time.

We believe that if we look after our people, they will be passionate about delivering great things for our customers.

We understand the importance of life outside of work and our industry leading flexible working practices, digital technology and modern workspaces will give you the opportunity to enjoy a healthy work-life balance.

Some of the many benefits you will receive include:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• Alternative working practices such as working from home.
• 25 days annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service.
• In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The Queen’s birthday
• Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period to for volunteer military or emergency service reserve commitments
• Special Paid Leave for volunteering up to 6 days per year.
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme to support your wellbeing.

Most sites have good travel links with free car parking; many also have other facilities such as a Sports & Social Club, Gym and / or site shops.

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.

Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.

Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. In this instance the remaining elements will be tested at interview.

Candidates will be required to provide a Personal Statement (500 words max)

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV and Personal Statement.

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and influencing

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical:

• Scheduling
• Budget and Cost Management

Application sifting is scheduled to take place on week commencing: 9th March

Interviews will be conducted week commencing: 23rd March

A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. Grade 6 & 7 posts will be given 7 days’ notice if psychometric tests are selected. We endeavour to adhere to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs.

To assist with your application please find attached below:

1. DIO Candidate Information Guide
2. Functional Framework - https://projectdelivery.gov.uk/government-projects-academy/project-delivery-capability-framework/

Discover rewarding careers in government - the Civil Service offers an inclusive and innovative workplace, flexible working, and opportunities for growth.

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

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 : Steve Rix
• Email : steve.rix805@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

Candidate Information updated Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)EXTERNAL PACK Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)DIO Candidate Information Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 1963kB)Technical Skills Framework_ Portfolio_Programme_Project_Management Opens in new window (pdf, 1315kB)