Job description for Senior Operations Manager

Come and join us at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) as a Senior Operations Manager in the Capital Ships Strategic Class Authority (SCA).

Our team are tasked with delivering the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) Programme of Support along with the Operations and Through Life Management for HMS Queen Elizabeth (QNLZ) and HMS Prince of Wales (PWLS) aircraft carriers. This includes the management of the team at the Waterfront in Portsmouth along with the delivery of QNLZ and PWLS Fleet Time Engineering Maintenance, repair, and new capability, within the agreed performance, time, and cost parameters. The ships are the largest and most powerful ships ever built for the Royal Navy and cost more than £6 billion to build, each weigh 65 thousand tonnes and have top speeds of 25 knots.

As a Senior Operations Manager you will work closely with industry and other internal teams and be accountable for managing delivery, planning, and providing the required support. You will have considerable opportunity and responsibility, whilst demonstrating that you are a proactive leader with a desire to deliver. You will possess a continuous improvement mindset, and you will interpret and utilise management information and data to provide valuable business insights. You will encourage a culture of learning from experience, imaginative thinking and expanding mindsets, all in the pursuit of improved quality.

We champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is required (this is expected to be approximately 60-80% of your working week at HMNB Portsmouth) to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance and business need. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.

Occasional travel will be required to MoD Abbey Wood, Bristol.

 What you’ll be doing

• Line management of a small team, leading by example to deliver business outputs and meeting staff needs.
• Supporting the translation of project aims into clear manageable delivery plans and determining resource requirements to support their implementation.
• Leading the team, setting direction, and providing guidance on the delivery of complex support arrangements or for multiple in-service capabilities.
• Leading performance reviews, governance reviews, audit, and assurance activity, providing advice on reporting requirements, tracking performance against budgets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Leading contract management activities including liaising with suppliers, monitoring, and controlling performance against contractual obligations and agreed KPIs, dependencies management and set direction for contract requirements and tenders.
• Leading finance resource management, ensuring actual spend is monitored and forecasting conducted accordingly to ensure the integrated support meets customer requirements within budget whilst managing and mitigating risk and leveraging opportunities.
• Regularly interpreting management information to provide valuable business insights and working alongside senior colleagues to help share strategy and policy within your role area.
• Leading the development of Projects to place and manage In Service contracts, and supplier performance to ensure agreed contractual obligations are met.
• Working collaboratively with a range of internal and external stakeholders.

Person specification

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

• Significant experience in senior management in a delivery environment in an Operations Management role or associated discipline (Project Management, Supply Chain, Engineering, Business Management, Through Life Support).
• Evidence of continuous improvement and leading a team through change.
• Experience of managing the relationship with stakeholders, internal and external, at all levels.
• Proven ability of managing contracts and suppliers.
• Experience in managing budgets, including managing approvals, monitoring actual spend and updating forecasts.

It would also be beneficial if you can demonstrate the following desirable criteria:

• Working knowledge and understanding of operational maritime support delivery

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

• Stakeholder Management – Expert
• Service Delivery Management – Expert
• Leadership (CSBC 4)
• Seeing the bigger picture (CSBC 4)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,200, Ministry of Defence contributes £18,019 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 employer pension contribution of around 28.97%
• Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded professional 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

• Civil Service Recruitment Principles: Recruitment Principles – Civil Service Commission
• Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/DES-Candidate-Information-Pack
• Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-Terms-and-Conditions
• Civil Service Code: The Code – Civil Service Commission

Any personal data that you provide during the Recruitment process will be treated in accordance with the MOD Privacy Notice which can be accessed here. 

Please note as a Disability Confident Leader we want to ensure you receive any reasonable adjustments that you need throughout the recruitment process. If you do require any reasonable adjustments, you can let us know on your online application under the section ‘Please indicate and give details of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the recruitment process.

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 (CV Review) listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. 

Please Note: In the event of a tied score at interview, the Order of Merit will be distinguished based on the relative importance of the assessed competencies as per the hierarchy below:

• 1st: Core Behaviour 1
• 2nd: Core Behaviour 2
• 3rd: Technical Competencies
• 4th: CV Review

In the event of a further tie using the method above, we reserve the right to utilise an additional assessment.

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact department via email: DESHR-WSC-PMOCOMPLAINTS@mod.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Recruitment Complaints – Civil Service Commission