Thank you for your interest in the Head of Business Change 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 Change for DE&S, 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 complex portfolio of projects in either delivery or change programmes. You’ll be able to demonstrate your ability to deliver continuous improvements, improving the tool, 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.

Job description

The Head of Business Change has the following areas of responsibility:

• Integrate all (non-Equipment Programme) business change across DE&S to ensure coherence and alignment to the strategy and operating model in an operationally excellent way. From multi-million pound infrastructure investment, large scale digital solution development and implementation and integrating with large scale Defence wide change programmes (e.g around Shared Services and Asset management systems).
• Establish and lead business change programmes that sit within the Business Services directorate’s accountability.
• Develop our cohort of Business Change Managers, ensuring they are appointed to priority business change programmes and have the tools and capability to deliver effectively.
• Be alive to changes across the Defence Enterprise, that will have implications for DE&S embedding that in our E2E approaches. Whilst also identifying where change is needed across the Enterprise for the benefit of DE&S and influencing accordingly.
• Enable Project Professionals to lead multi-functional teams to deliver successful change across DE&S business areas; providing tools, techniques and developing the capability for change across the organisation.
• Apply appropriate project management disciplines, tools and techniques to plan, monitor and report delivery in a timely, objective and transparent manner, for individual change projects and for the change portfolio as a whole.
• Manage internal and external stakeholders and dependencies effectively to ensure and maintain alignment.
• Maintain a firm focus on benefit realisation and demonstration and ensure that effort is not wasted on initiatives that will not achieve the intended benefits; instilling a backlog mentality across the organisation.

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

Behavioural:​

• Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion – A proven track record of values-based leadership, including a proactive commitment to diversity & inclusion with demonstrable experience of maintaining a psychologically safe, positive and inclusive environment.
• Fostering Autonomy and Choice – Demonstrable passion and enthusiasm for work and helping to inspire colleagues and stakeholders to fully engage with the aims and long term vision
• Being accountable – Significant experience of senior stakeholder engagement, including with non-finance decision makers, and understanding the importance of partnering, constructive challenge and accountability.

Technical:​

• Technical 1 – Relevant experience of successfully managing complex portfolios in a large and regulated organisation
• Technical 2 – Demonstration of applicable knowledge of Agile and other project management techniques
• Technical 3 – Demonstrable evidence of confidently leading people, challenging cultures and influencing positive change.

Essential Qualification

• Project Management Qualification such as APM, APMP or equivalent

Desirable Qualifications / Criteria:

• Accredited Change Professional
• Chartered Membership of a suitable Project
  Management or Change Management Institute

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