Deputy Head Programme SOLARIUM

UK Ministry of Defence; London; Hybrid; GBP 71,000; Full time

Job summary

The UK Ministry of Defence seeks a Chief Product Owner for Programme SOLARIUM, leading the transformation initiatives within UK Strategic Command. The successful applicant will oversee multiple Scrum teams, ensuring alignment with departmental priorities and effective delivery of strategic objectives in a dynamic environment. This role supports significant national security reform and offers a competitive salary package alongside robust training and development opportunities.

Benefits

Civil Service pension with employer contribution of 28.97%

Learning and development tailored to your role

Flexible working options

Inclusive workplace culture

Qualifications

• Significant experience of working within UKStratCom.
• Commercial and procurement skills are essential.
• Training in the role will include mandatory certifications.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the Programme and align plans to priorities.
• Lead multiple Scrum teams as Chief Product Owner.
• Resolve impediments affecting team delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Commercial and procurement skills

Risk and Issue Management

Education

Certified Product Owner

Certified Scrum Master

Job description

London, Northwood

Job Summary

Programme SOLARIUM is the flagship transformation programme within UK Strategic Command that will be used to respond to the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Reform through until 2027. The programme is initiating Phase 3 of UKStratCom’s transformation as Defence Reform reshapes Defence. This Programme represents a significant commitment from our senior leadership to address the strategic challenges and opportunities facing our organisation. It is how we will deliver the necessary change to address the threats facing the UK by making the Command simpler, more adaptable, and better for the people who work in it.

We will achieve our aim of improving Strategic Command, through:

• reshaping organisational structure, to provide greater clarity and efficiency around roles and responsibilities.
• simplifying business processes, by improving access to services that lead to greater efficiency to allow colleagues to focus on delivery.
• changing our culture, to enable greater individual and organisational focus on learning and continuous improvement to deliver on our Command outputs; and
• adopting agile methodology by giving colleagues the tools, time and training to improve prioritisation, transparency and speed of delivery.
  
  

There will be a requirement to work from Scale Space, White City location at least twice a week.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job Description

The successful applicant will exercise day-to-day leadership of the programme on behalf of the Senior Responsible Owner. The successful applicant will lead multiple Scrum teams as the Chief Product Owner.

The Successful Applicant Will Be Responsible For:

• Providing leadership to the Programme and ensuring its plan is aligned to Departmental and Command priorities.
• Informing and influencing Defence Reform to ensure Programme alignment;
• Keeping teams organised, on track and focussed to deliver agreed outcomes;
• Actively communicating the Programme’s intent, plan and delivery across the Command;
• Working with teams to resolve impediments affecting their delivery;
• Exercising contract management functions and delivering governance activities.
  
  

The successful applicant will exercise day-to-day leadership of the programme on behalf of the Senior Responsible Owner. The successful applicant will lead multiple Scrum teams as the Chief Product Owner.

The Successful Applicant Will Be Responsible For:

• Providing leadership to the Programme and ensuring its plan is aligned to Departmental and Command priorities.
• Informing and influencing Defence Reform to ensure Programme alignment;
• Keeping teams organised, on track and focussed to deliver agreed outcomes;
• Actively communicating the Programme’s intent, plan and delivery across the Command;
• Working with teams to resolve impediments affecting their delivery;
• Exercising contract management functions and delivering governance activities.
  
  

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Significant experience of working within UKStratCom
• Commercial and procurement skills
• Risk and Issue Management
  
  

The following training is mandatory for this role. Training and certification will be provided in role if not already held:

• Certified Product Owner
• Certified Scrum Master
  
  

Behaviours

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

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

Alongside your salary of £70,540, Ministry of Defence contributes £20,435 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%
  
  

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.

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.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

This vacancy is using success profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

At application stage, you will be assessed against the following:

• CV
• Personal Statement - In no more than 750 words, please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the job description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.
  
  

Behaviours Assessed:

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

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following behaviours:

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

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 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: [e-mail] .

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.

Strategic Command is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to improve the way the Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, all posts within Strategic Command Headquarters and in time the wider organisation, are/will be subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Security

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.

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.

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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

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 : James Browne
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

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: [e-mail].