Future Capabilities Project Manager

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 (CASD), and delivering some of the most technically complex programmes in defence. At least one of four nuclear-armed submarines, supported by smaller attack submarines, is on patrol at all times: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

At the SDA, we strive to Support, Deliver and Aspire and put our values at the heart of our recruitment process. We believe that everyone should feel comfortable to be themselves and be supported to do their best work. As part of a diverse and inclusive workforce, our team will find a community to belong to. We believe that, by celebrating different backgrounds and different perspectives, together we’ll achieve the extraordinary.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

The primary delivery location for this position is Corsham.

Please note, due to the level of security, this role is reserved for UK nationals only.

This role is not suitable for Job share or part time hours owing to classified I.T. systems & access to sensitive information.

Job description

At SDA, we are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a skilled Project Manager to join our Project Delivery Function. This role is more than just a job – it’s a chance to be part of a team driving some of the UK’s most technically advanced and strategically critical defence programmes.

As a Project Manager, you will be central to delivering complex, high-impact projects that help shape the submarine capability. You’ll collaborate with defence experts, gaining valuable experience with technologies and unique challenges that will develop your skills and accelerate your career progression.

In this role, you will play a key part in supporting the UK’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent (CASD), ensuring the timely delivery of effective information to support Front Line Commands and their personnel. You will be accountable for keeping projects on schedule, within budget, and aligned with scope, contributing every day to one of the nation’s most strategically important defence missions.

• Supporting contract and procurement activities to ensure business needs are met efficiently.
• Coordinate and manage the facility’s project programme to ensure alignment with organisational goals and stakeholder requirements, maintaining coherence across all activities.
• Assisting in managing requirements, schedules, funding, documentation, and commercial approvals to enable successful project delivery.
• Verifying and progressing delivery of core project outputs, assessing quality and suitability of supplier deliverables.
• Managing risks and issues at the working level, coordinating inputs for higher-level risk reviews.
• Supporting business case submissions and ensuring compliance with governance and quality standards.
• Maintaining project schedules and liaising with project controls to ensure delivery within defined parameters.
• Promoting a positive, open, and no-blame culture that encourages learning from experience.
• Embedding governance and policy compliance throughout the team.

Reasonable Adjustments
We welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions. Due to the designated working area level for this role known as Information Protection Zone (IPZ) permission will need to be sought for any medical devices or assistive technology to be used in the IPZ. This is because the type of technology used is prohibited due to security. Permission is granted on a case by case basis and it is an essential function of the role to be able to work in the designated IPZ area.
We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.

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

Hybrid and flexible working can be considered for this post but will need regular workplace attendance due to security constraints. Candidates are encouraged to discuss options with the recruiting line manager before submitting an application.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by the SDA Recruitment Team. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com

Person specification

• Strong planning and coordination skills with excellent attention to detail and the ability to understand and manage complex information.
• Experience in applying governance techniques, including effective management of project plans, risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to engage effectively with colleagues at all levels.
• Proven ability to build and maintain productive working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, fostering collaboration and alignment.
• Exceptional organisational skills, capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• A proactive approach to personal development and continuous improvement

Essential Criteria:

• Previous experience of undertaking project management work. Ability to undertake and learn the necessary skills leading to APM PMQ.
• 2 A Levels Grades A*-D or equivalent
• 5 GCSE grades 9-4* to inc. Eng Lang & Maths (*or
  current/previous equivalent

Qualifications

2 A Levels Grades A*-D or equivalent
5 GCSE grades 9-4* to inc. Eng Lang & Maths (*or current/previous equivalent

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• Controlling a Project - Supervised Practitioner
• Stakeholder Management - Supervised Practitioner

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,400, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,834 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• 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%

Discover My Benefits: Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD: https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/

This post does not offer any assistance with Relocation Allowances.

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.

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.

At Sift, you will be assessed against the following;

Experience:

Personal Statement - This should be a maximum of 1000 words that sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential and desirable requirements for the role. Please include Job History and Full Qualification Details.

Behaviours:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Leadership

Technical Competencies:

• Controlling a Project
• Stakeholder Management

At Interview, you will be assessed against the following;

Experience:

Personal Statement/ Experience - The panel will ask questions about your personal statement. Exploring your Past Experiences, Key Achievements or Qualifications.

Behaviours:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Leadership

Technical Competencies:

• Controlling a Project
• Stakeholder Management

Please refer to the Technical Skills Framework and Behaviour document attached.

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Deveolped Vetting (DV).

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into 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 post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Making the Civil Service a Great Place to Work for Veterans - GOV.UK

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.

There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.

SDA Reward Offer - Working for SDA - Submarine Delivery Agency - GOV.UK

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.

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. 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.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contactDBSFPCP-SRMResourcingSDA@mod.gov.uk

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 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.

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 : Matthew Jarvis
• Email : Matthew.Jarvis111@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSFPCP-SRMResourcingSDA@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see Further Information document

Attachments

20240927-Project_Manager_STSl_SDA_Success_Profiles-FINAL-O Opens in new window (pdf, 89kB)20250611-PD Technical Competence Framework-O Opens in new window (pdf, 204kB)20241009 - Further Information - External Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)Terms and Conditions (TACOS 2014) Opens in new window (docx, 48kB)