Project HERA Team Leader

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Project Team Leader (Project Manager) to lead a high-profile, multi-million-pound Category A (CAT A) project, overseeing the re-contracting of a complex matrix of services across multiple Ministry of Defence (MOD) airbase locations in the UK. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in delivering a critical project that will deliver an enduring, value for money solution that provides an assured and resilient suite of services supporting Defence and RAF operational outputs.

As the Project Leader, you will be responsible for the end-to-end management of this complex and large-scale project, ensuring it is delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest standards. You will lead a multidisciplinary team, comprising members from a wide range of military and civilian backgrounds, working collaboratively with key stakeholders across the MOD, industry partners, and other government departments. Your strategic vision, leadership, and ability to navigate complex environments will be essential in driving the successful delivery of this critical project.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Head of HERA is the Team Leader for the Project (Project Manager), responsible to the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO). Leading and managing the mixed team of military and civilian staff, they will direct solution development, stakeholder engagement, interacting with other dependent Projects, communications and media, and governance and compliance. They will ensure the application of project management methodology including planning, scheduling, financial management, risk management and reporting. The Team Leader will be responsible for receiving and processing timely and accurate project progress updates using various reporting tools/dashboards.

This role will be based at RAF High Wycombe, with frequent travel expected to MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol and RAF Cranwell.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this 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.

Person specification

The HERA Team Leader will be specifically responsible for the following tasks:

• Manage the team to deliver the required outputs in line with DMPP governance processes.
• Responsible for the leadership, co-ordination, quality and timely delivery of scheduled Project activities.
• Engage with Commercial staff to develop and implement the procurement strategy for the project.
• Monitor, manage and report on project budget and inputs into the project spend forecast and annual budget planning cycle.
• Directing and guiding the Project’s stakeholder engagement and communications activity; leading these where appropriate.
• Managing the engagement with other dependent projects/programmes across Air, Army, Navy and Defence as captured in the Hera stakeholder analysis in order to maintain Project alignment and coherence.
• Managing the preparation, submission and staffing of Business Cases and associated evidence packs to achieve the required Government and Defence approvals.
• Ensuring Project messaging is up to date and coherent with Air and Defence level messaging, closely engaging with Air Media & Comms (AM&C) in support of this.
• Developing the Project solution strategy in terms of the scope and delivery models to be employed.
• Developing the solution architecture, which will include requirements capture and oversight, overall service delivery structure and unit service delivery models.
• Receiving project reports and returns and leading on presentation at Project governance boards and the change process.
• Managing and coordinating the preparation of procurement documentation and artefacts in close cooperation with Air Commercial to facilitate the Pj Hera procurement, including the associated evaluation and moderation activities.
• Overseeing the mobilisation and transition activities after Contract Award until all services have commenced and passed into Business as Usual.

The successful candidate will have:

• Intellectual ability to apply innovative thought to complex problems.
• Analytical and drafting skills, leadership of people and proven project management experience are all essential pre-requisites.
• Role specific knowledge and/or experience equivalent to one, or more, of the following qualifications:
  • APMG or MSP Practitioner

Note - The stated qualifications are an indicator of the capability required. Some individuals may lack the formal qualification but demonstrate their suitability by knowledge and experience. Similarly, duration of experience will be considered alongside the context (role and project) of where experience has been acquired.

Desirable:

Project Leadership Programme (PLP) or

Future Leaders Scheme (FLS)

The role is appropriate for a skilled manager of staff as well as an SME with suitable qualified experience in Business Change Management and /or Benefits Management.

The successful candidate will possess a minimum of 5 years of proven experience in high-level Project Management, demonstrating a strong track record of delivering complex projects effectively and efficiently.

Skilled in evaluating Project requirements including technical and governance drivers, benefits planning, cost estimating, risk management, acceptance criteria and Project schedule planning.

Full Driving Licence – many of the post holder duties will be undertaken on MOD locations with limited access to public transport.

The successful candidate will be highly skilled in oral, written communication and IT based material and highly skilled at presenting complex management, planning and scheduling information to team members, senior management and other Project stakeholders.

The role will have specific responsibility for Civil Service and Military personnel, their line management and supervision; this will include day-to-day leadership, providing technical and/or operational direction to assigned personnel and involvement in staff appraisals.

The role will have specific responsibility for managing the work and outputs of supporting External Assistance (contractors) and the associated contract management activities of a Designated Officer (where appropriate).

In addition, the role requires the ability to work in partnership with other Defence Projects and Programmes to build relationships with internal and external partners, senior managers and customers, as well as leadership of people where the role does not have direct authority over these individuals.

The role involves complex decision making or influencing stakeholder requirements. This will include day to day contact on stakeholder issues or dealing with situations where choices are wide-ranging; meaning that the ability to negotiate and persuade as well as give definitive advice is vital.

The role also makes decisions that require complex and conflicting information to be understood, assessed and judgement applied accordingly. These decisions may include the allocation and rearrangement of work and staff to meet priorities and internal deadlines.

The post-holder will be expected to act on their own authority or on authority vested in them and must, as necessary, be able to justify the decisions they take.

Interpretation of procedures, regulations or policy and the application of practice and precedent in the approach to new or unusual situations.

An important feature of work at this level is the need to be able to deal with novel or complex problems for which there is no precedent.

Decisions will usually be referred upwards only where they relate to significant issues of policy or resource allocation.

The role is required to develop and implement significant new ideas within their own work area which may impact on other service areas (policy / solution development etc). The role will typically plan up to 6 months ahead to manage their own workload and the workload of those for whom the role is immediately responsible.

The role is expected to control, cohere and provide direct input to change related activities across a fast-moving transformational landscape.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

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 include, but are not limited to:

• An environment with flexible working options
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• 25 days paid annual leave rising to 30 days on completion of 5 years’ service, plus leave for HM The King’s birthday
• 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities
• Highly competitive Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Subsidised membership to a fitness suite and lunchtime/evening Military led fitness classes

MOD offers support and development in your career, including apprenticeships, that you may be able to undertake as part of this role. An apprenticeship is a combined package of work and training allowing you to gain professional knowledge, practical experience and wider skills required for this job and your future career. Successful candidates can discuss their learning and development options with their manager when in post.

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 and Experience.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.

Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability. (500 Word count)

• Use this to explain why you're suitable for the role.
• Structure your statement around the essential criteria in the Person Specification.
• Make sure to provide clear examples to show how you meet each requirement.

Behaviours

Provide one 300-word example for each of the following Behaviour headings;

At application stage, you will be assessed against:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

At interview stage, you will be assessed against:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

In the event of a significant number of applications, an initial pre-sift may be conducted on the lead criterion: Leadership. Candidates who are successful at the pre-sift will then progress to a full sift

Application Guide 20230201 - Air Command's Applicant Guide

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 : Greg Burchill
• Email : Greg.Burchill387@mod.gov.uk
• Telephone : 07788 396749

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

MOD Candidate Pack 2024 Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)20201013-Air Command Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 316kB)Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)