Job description for Chalfont Engineering System Owner

Are you ready to take on a pivotal role in maintaining and enhancing the UK’s submarine fleet? At the Submarine Delivery Agency, we empower our people to drive positive change and are seeking an experienced engineering system owner to lead the way. We are committed to delivering the future of defence, and we need talented and passionate individuals to help us achieve this mission. Ready to make a difference?

In this role, you’ll work closely with the project chief engineer to lead a team of multi-disciplinary engineers, delivering critical engineering control activities and providing expertise into high priority engineering projects as the system design authority for Chalfont systems. You’ll maintain and improve key engineering management processes, determining maintenance requirements, design modifications and providing system safety assurance. Additionally, you’ll hold internal and external stakeholders accountable, ensuring the integrity of the submarine design management arrangements. This exciting opportunity will allow you to challenge and innovate how we maintain submarines, aiming to maximise their availability for the customer.

This role is essential in supporting and enabling the safe, available, and capable provision of in-service submarines. You will play a crucial part in delivering continuous at-sea deterrence and ensuring submarines are at high readiness, paramount to the integrity of the UK’s existing and future defence capability.

At the SDA, we champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is required (this is expected to be a minimum of 40%) to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.

Nationality, visas and vetting: For security reasons this role is open to sole UK nationals only. A ‘sole UK national’ refers to an individual who holds citizenship solely in the UK, without dual citizenship or nationality from another country. We’re unable to offer visa sponsorship.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 10 years and obtain Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you have been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining DV security clearance can be a lengthy process. You’ll join us once Security Check (SC) clearance is obtained, and then the more enhanced DV checks will continue after you’ve started your employment. If SC clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months, we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made.

What you’ll be doing

• Development, maintenance and delivery of the engineering management plan interacting with other functions to ensure coherent planning
• Delivery of engineering products and services including managing the acquisition safety aspects
• Operational direction and delivery of engineering activity in area of responsibility
• Provide technical leadership related to own specialist area to solve complex problems with innovative solutions to support improved performance and enhance capability
• Interface with industry as the intelligent customer on projects and help SDA and industry understand technical risks
• Hold formal safety delegation flowed down from the technical director

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you’ll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Relevant Level 6 (or higher) qualification or equivalent experience
• Chartered or Incorporated engineer or be able to achieve within 6 months
• Experience of providing technical advice at a senior level and leading the delivery of successful engineering outcomes in multidisciplinary projects

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Technical Decision Making – Expert
• Technical Risk Management – Expert
• Leadership
• Communicating and influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,300, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,468 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 28.97%
• Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts
• Volunteering days
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of – and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.

Further Information

• Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/SDA-Candidate-Information-Pack
• Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-SDA-Terms-and-Conditions

Selection process details

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift – We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift – Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills. Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.
3. Interview – If you’re invited to interview, you’ll be assessed against the Sift categories listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. When two (or more) candidates are on equal interview scores, positions will be offered based on the scores assessed at interview, in this order – 1st) Technical competence, 2nd) CV Review, 3rd) Behaviour one, 4th) Behaviour two.

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