Chief Customer Officer - UK Hydrographic Office

Ministry Of Defence; Taunton; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK government agency is seeking an experienced customer leader to drive the commercial strategy. You will lead a team focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences and meeting sales targets amidst a digital transformation. The ideal candidate has a strong background in sales and digital service delivery, with excellent communication and leadership skills, alongside a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

Learning and development tailored to your role

Flexible working options

Inclusive and diverse culture

Civil Service pension with employer contribution of 28.97%

Qualifications

• Experienced customer leader at a senior level.
• Experience in driving digital transformation.
• Track record in delivering high-quality information products.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer-focused commercial strategy.
• Deliver sales revenue and gross margin targets.
• Build and motivate a high-performing team.

Skills

Commercial leadership

Digital service delivery

Team building and motivation

Communication and negotiation

Sales and business development

Job description

Overview

The post holder will be a full member of the UKHO's Executive Leadership Team, contributing to the UKHO's wider strategic direction and leadership, helping to shape the digital future of the organisation. The role leads the customer-focused commercial strategy, including business development, customer experience and product strategy, satisfying our defence customer needs, whilst fulfilling our public task. This role will sustain a healthy level of commercial returns from our established merchant shipping market, whilst developing adjacent markets that build out from core ADMIRALTY navigation business. We will exploit the potential of our data assets and expertise as we evolve into a fully digital service provider and data-centric organisation.

Responsibilities

• Bring commercial insight, experience and expertise to the UKHO Executive Leadership Team and contribute fully to the overall strategic management of the UKHO, especially in all areas of customer, market and ADMIRALTY business development.
• Provide empowering and inspiring leadership, creating a culture of trust as a platform for promoting innovation, creativity and diversity of thought; and building, developing and motivating a high-performing team.
• Deliver the UKHO's sales revenue and gross margin targets, enhancing the UKHO's ADMIRALTY digital products and services to ensure our trusted brand remains the choice of the world's mariners, remains competitive, and continues to adapt to reflect the developing needs of a maritime sector that is undergoing a rapid digital transformation.
• Be the lead 'Customer Champion' for the UKHO, ensuring that our customers are at the centre of everything we do, in a way that embeds a customer-focused culture throughout the organisation.

Additional information

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

External candidates who join the MOD and are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise. As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security and nationality

Security: Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check. See our vetting charter. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality requirements: This job is broadly open to: UK nationals; nationals of the Republic of Ireland; nationals of Commonwealth countries with right to work in the UK; nationals of certain EU/EEA countries and family members with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS); individuals with limited or indefinite leave to remain eligible to apply for EUSS; Turkish nationals and certain family members who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service. Further information on nationality requirements is available.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Civil Service embraces diversity and equal opportunities. We operate a Disability Confident Scheme, Redeployment Interview Scheme and other diversity and inclusion initiatives as part of the recruitment process.

Leadership and requirements

• Experienced customer leader, at a senior level, with a track-record of collaborative accomplishment in commercial functions, notably in sales, marketing, digital service delivery, and business development.
• Experience of operating in a digital-first organisation, recognising the importance of building a customer-centric culture, working in multi-disciplinary teams, promoting an entrepreneurial growth mindset, and championing diversity and inclusion.
• Experienced in delivering high-quality information products and services to meet and excite market needs, delivering new and existing revenue and profit streams through the application of digital products and services.
• Experienced in driving and delivering sales and meeting challenging sales targets, both in terms of establishing new business and maximising existing market potential.

Leadership behaviours

• A high-performing executive level team player, who works collaboratively and engenders co-operation, at all levels.
• Change management experience within organisations that have undergone substantial digital transformation.
• Outstanding communication, influencing and negotiating skills; able to build trust and credibility quickly across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience of building dynamic multi-disciplinary teams to create new business capability at the intersection of customer insight, technology and commercial operations.
• Building and leading teams, role modelling an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit, creative thinking with a questioning mindset.

Benefits and package

Alongside your salary of £110,000, the Ministry of Defence contributes £31,867 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%