AMS PSR

On behalf of the MOD, we are looking for an SCS1 Programme Director (Inside IR35) for a 12 month contract. This is a hybrid working role (London or Bristol plus occasional travel to other sites).

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is a central government department with a mission to protect our country and provide the ultimate guarantee of its security and independence, as well as helping to protect its values and interests abroad.

To do this we have an annual budget of almost £40 billion and a workforce comprising 193,000 people, almost 59,000 of whom are civilians. We currently manage more than £11 billion of spend every year.

Our work really matters; we offer engaging roles which have a direct impact on the quality of services we provide. We employ people in many different roles and in many locations across the UK and abroad. We have jobs in policy, finance, HR, IS/IT, commercial and project management and all the types of jobs you would expect to find in a government department, or indeed in the private sector. We also employ doctors, dentists, teachers, police, fire service, quantity surveyors, and engineers to name a few. There are many opportunities to develop and progress both within MOD and across the wider Civil Service, whether you’re a permanent appointee or an interim.

Job Purpose:

Government Shared Services Strategy (GSSS) affect over 450000 civil servants, providing business critical tools in human resources (HR), Finance, payroll and procurement. In response to government ambition for improved services Defence established the Corporate Services Modernisation (CSM) Portfolio. CSM is a complex, multi organisation digitally enabled transformation optimising ca £1bn of investment, providing a service of over 250,000 users. 

It is highly complex Portfolio (comprising a number of x cutting and vertical programmes) operating in a dynamic environment with multiple dependencies across enterprise-wide change and cross government strategic programmes. It will make a step change in the way we operate our key corporate services across the whole of defence, more specifically how we optimise our data, resources (both people and money), our digital capability, shared services and improve the services we provide to our front line.  

This is a high priority underpinning how we provide our critical defence capability, manage our resources in an agile way and inform core business decisions quickly. Through the benefits we deliver we will enable our front-line forces to be effective. As such it is supported as the top level as it is pivotal to Defence.

The SCS1 Programme Director will be responsible for ensuring joined up delivery across the multi-faceted Programme team. The postholder will offer the Programme Director both a clear line of sight into overall progress and pinch points at the strategic level, while being able to act as an empowered deputy helping to support the multitude of governance and stakeholder meetings in this critical phase of the programme.

The SCS1 Programme Director will report to the SCS2 Portfolio Director  and all other members of Leadership Team, to ensure new issues arising are captured and worked through into existing ways of working. The postholder will work particularly closely with the programme leads for HR, Finance and Commercial functional design, Transformation Business Change, commercial lead and Project Management Office, factoring in multiple drivers into the high-level programme plan and priorities.

SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be eligible and willing to undergo these checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position (short-term nature of this role and speed at which we require a postholder in situ) preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active security clearance.

As an SCS1 Programme Director your main responsibilities will be:

• Programme Performance & Controls – drive success criteria, set project controls and be accountable for performance. Monitor and control progress, leadership of the delivery across the programmes in the Portfolio – providing matrix management to the programme managers heading up each of the critical workstreams.
• Provide effective leadership and management controls. Set project controls and ‘stop / go’ decision points. Design programme schedule and at each stage and manage change within it. Set appropriate delivery methodologies. Manage effective transition between phases and working with local programme managers dependencies across programmes.
• Develop PPM capability and fostering innovation across the programme; with a laser like focus on outcome and benefits delivery. The role requires working across line management chains and with senior leaders to own and drive change in their areas
• Support the PD and senior management colleagues to jointly manage senior stakeholders buy in and appropriate intervention to delivery plans. Form collaborative relationships with colleagues both internally and externally- seeking opportunity for collaboration and consensus.
• Accountable for ensuring strategic and operational risks and issues are identified, prioritised, assessed and mitigated. Ensure senior stakeholders are briefed, updated and where appropriate, enrolled in the management and control of key risks. Identify and engage specialists as appropriate. Where needed provide intervention to turn round areas of the programme, providing early intervention where delivery is going off track. Identify and engage specialists as appropriate
• Guidance and support – Provide direction. support, guidance and coaching and guidance to team and more broadly across department and government. Provide across the Portfolio team. Promote effective individual and team performance.
• Manage integration with other inter-dependent projects and performance. Ensure appropriate standards, good practices and lessons learned are sought and applied. Ensure the product / transition deliverables are well defined and agreed with stakeholders. Manage project closure and sign off.
• Leadership vision & objectives – Create an environment in which projects can succeed – working effectively together and managing dependencies, ensuring risks are owned and acted on. Work with senior stakeholders to resolve issues and act as a link between the programme and business governance

You'll have:

• Project Delivery Professional – Suitable for an individual who has successfully managed progressively larger and more complex projects.
• Knowledge of Digitally enabled Transformation essential, ideally with an Enterprise Resource Planning implementation or corporate services environment.

Qualifications

• PRINCE2, MSP Practitioner, Agile Project Management Practitioner, APM Project Management Qualification
• APM Chartered Project Professional
• Project Leadership Programme (PLP) or Major Projects Leadership Academy (MPLA)

Desirable:

• A Defence or Government sector background

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, the MOD guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant / Commitment

MoD guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following “this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.