Thank you for your interest in the Head of Equipment Plan Design role: 

We are delighted that you are interested in the Head of Equipment Plan Design role within DE&S.

You will be joining the team at an exciting time for DE&S, just as we stand up our new Operating Model to better support Defence in protecting our nation and helping it prosper.

This key senior role within the DE&S Gateway is wide-ranging and complex and covers the full span of DE&S’ c£130Bn Equipment Plan delivery portfolio.  You will play a critical role in establishing a sustainable DE&S EP delivery portfolio that is integrated by design and deliverable in an operationally excellent way today, tomorrow, and in the future.  You will interface our Mission Partners* establishing robust baseline control and delivery assurance in a more consistent and efficient way.  This will include bringing knowledge of DE&S capacity and Defence priorities together to ensure that our delivery colleagues across DE&S remain focussed on Departmental priorities and that any residual delivery risk is coherently managed.  Finally, you will create a single entry-point into DE&S, ensuring that all new or changed equipment acquisition and support demands are commissioned in a more coherent and considered way, offering the very best solutions to meet our Mission Partners’ needs.

We are looking for an inspiring senior leader to fill this role, someone who is adept at operating within large and highly complex organisations to drive meaningful change and deliver tangible benefits.  A person with a track record of delivery in the most demanding programme/portfolio roles, capable of translating strategic intent into efficient and sustainable plans of programme and/or operational delivery.  An excellent communicator, the successful candidate will be capable of influencing effectively within DE&S and externally up to Ministerial level.  As a DE&S senior leader, we are looking for someone who will reinforce the positive behaviours we are looking for and act as a role model for diversity and inclusion.  Someone willing to take responsibility and accountability, be focused on delivery and able to inspire an innovative, dynamic and diverse team to drive high performance.

This role offers the right candidate huge professional challenge in a dynamic organisation at the heart of national security.  This is an exciting time for DE&S and the Gateway, and we look forward to discussing with you how you might become part of our journey.

Job description

Head of Equipment Plan Design has the following areas of responsibility: 

• Control the DE&S Equipment Plan (EP) Baseline: Acting as the single authority for establishing and maintaining the agreed DE&S EP Orderbook performance management baseline with Mission Partners as detailed in the Command Acquisition & Support Plans (CASPs).
• Provide an effective EP Performance Management interface for our Mission Partners: representing DE&S in the various formal Holding to Account (H2A) engagements with our Customers in terms of pan-portfolio performance, including management of emergent risks and/or opportunities.
• Build effective mechanisms for communications and engagement with colleagues across Core, Systems Integration and Corporate to provide an effective pan-Mission Partner interface into DE&S on EP related issues.
• Ensure sustainable delivery of the DE&S EP related Portfolio: Sustaining demand v supply balance in terms of DE&S workforce capability and capacity, working with Mission Partners and DE&S Corporate to make EP delivery prioritisation decisions as required.
• Improve overall EP Design through more proactive provision of DE&S / pan- Enterprise insight and support to wider Defence / Government initiatives.
• Deliver more consistent, coherent and considered EP Change costing and planning service: Create and operate a single-entry point for all EP related change on behalf of DE&S, triaging, leading costing/planning and coordinating assurance of both changes to existing work and new work into the Portfolio.
• Work with wider Gateway and DE&S colleagues to commission work that is set up for success and clearly aligned with – and prioritised for – delivery of Defence outcomes.
• Deploy excellent servant leadership: Provide high challenge/high support to colleagues within Commissioning and across Gateway and wider DE&S to create the environment for success and excellent behaviours and culture.

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:​

• Successful track record of delivery in the most demanding programme/portfolio roles that will elicit the confidence of Partners and Senior Leadership across the Defence Enterprise and Government.
• Strategic thinking with sound financial and commercial acumen and an ability to translate into efficient and sustainable plans of programme and/or operational delivery.
• The ability to managing competing priorities, influencing decisions and challenging behaviours at senior levels.

Essential Qualifications registrations:

• Membership or Chartered Status in a relevant Professional Institute
• Recognised Project and Programme Management Qualification, e.g. MPLA, PLP, MSP.

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