Thank you for your interest in the Head Defence Equipment & Support Portfolio Office role: 

I am so pleased that you are interested in this exciting, challenging and important role.​​

We have a mission to meet the needs of our Armed Forces, both currently and into the future. As part of the team at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) we have the opportunity to play a critical role in ensuring the security of the UK.​​​​

There are many powerful reasons to join DE&S, and this position offers the opportunity to take on an impactful and challenging role that will contribute significantly to the delivery of equipment to the Armed Forces. ​​​

Our mission in the Corporate area of DE&S, is to help our people to deliver in an operationally excellent way for Defence. We will do this by working across the whole of Corporate and indeed the whole of DE&S, as one team, with a real service delivery mindset – a focus on continually improving and delivering efficient and effective services. We will understand DE&S needs and Defence priorities, now and in the future – horizon scanning to identify opportunities to make things better and to future proof the organisation, whilst bringing together the right talent, knowledge and behaviours into well-led multi-disciplinary teams to deliver the outcomes our country needs. ​

​​As the Head of DE&S Portfolio Office, you will play a crucial role in ensuring we continue to evolve the organisation towards our north star of Operational Excellence. The role demands strategic thinking, portfolio management, influencing key stakeholders and the ability to balance the many change initiatives alongside the needs of our mission partners. You will be part of a diverse working community, and this position will be part of the Senior Leadership Group to collaborate, share ideas and support each other.

To be successful, you will have experience of managing a project portfolio and providing data analysis to a wide range of stakeholders.

You’ll be able to demonstrate your ability to deliver continuous improvements, processes and capabilities, of our people – inspiring them to successfully deliver equipment and support to the UK’s Armed Forces for operations now and in the future.​​

​This is an exciting time for DE&S, I hope the prospect of being part of that excites you, and I look forward to your application.​

Simon Hughes, Director Professions, Policy & Portfolio Office, DE&S

Head of DE&S Portfolio Office has the following areas of responsibility: 

• Develop and deliver a five-year operating expenditure and workforce business plan in line with programme of work, budgetary requirements and the DE&S Plans Framework, moving our current planning to a more professional and industry standard footing.  A single business plan will cohere all work in DE&S, allowing us to deploy resource to a balanced and prioritised portfolio that ultimately ensures we are delivering what we said we would for our Armed Forces. ​
• Supply all the management information used through DE&S governance to enable maintained alignment of the entire £13Bn DE&S portfolio to the UK Defence Strategic Priorities whilst balancing affordability, capacity and feasibility against firm and forecast demand.​
• Ensure DE&S Portfolio Office plans are aligned to supporting the delivery of the wider DE&S strategy, and ensure plans are aligned to supporting the delivery of our Equipment Plan.​
• Develop and deliver the full scope and performance of the DE&S Portfolio. Translating Management Information into business intelligence to support effective and efficient performance management and decision making, informing prioritisation decisions at DE&S level where conflicts arise. ​
• Responsible for Management Information roadmap including how data is collected, processed and displayed. Own the tasking to deliver the provision and ownership of business requirements for data, including arbitrate what data should be collected and what is not collected, how it is collected, at what cadence and how it is presented. ​
• Ensure appropriate allocation of resources across DE&S in line with MOD priorities and multiple competing demands.
  
• Provision of quality and timely population of data by providing a data quality assurance process, including compliance. Drive the progression of data quality checks, to ensure compliance with standardised toolset, data accuracy and data alignment.  The role will provide recommendations, impacts and scenarios based on analysis so that it can be trusted to inform decision making.

To be successful with your application, you will need to be able to demonstrate the following 6 essential criteria:

Behavioural:​

• Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion – Demonstrable visible leadership, with a proactive commitment to diversity and inclusion and demonstrable experience of creating and maintaining a psychologically safe and inclusive environment.​
• Leading through Change – Demonstrable evidence of confidently leading people, challenging cultures and leading change.​
• Being Accountable – Evidence of accepting and responding to challenges from stakeholders and colleagues in a constructive manner ​

Technical:​

• Significant experience of dealing with data and conducting analysis at the portfolio level.​
• Operating in a senior leadership role within a large and highly complex organisation.​
• A track record and sound grasp of modern programme and portfolio planning, delivery, digital management systems, and financial and commercial acumen.

Essential Qualifications registrations:

• Chartered level membership of the Association for Project Management or equivalent. ​

and/or​

• A recognised, relevant Degree-level qualification in Project Management or Business Administration.
  

For full information on the role please see the candidate pack.