Head of Support

1* Head of Support Ships

£87.3k – £104.7k Civil Servants applying on promotion into the SCS will receive the higher of up to a 10% increase on current salary or the SCS pay band minimum
Predominantly located at DE&S Main office in Abbey Wood but other MOD sites such as Portsmouth, Glasgow and Rosyth or Naval based sites working close to this project are considered for this role and there will be some travel to other MOD sites including Belfast.
Apply by Sunday 2nd March 2025 at 23:55

Job summary

Thank you for your interest in the Head of Support Ships role:

You will be working as part of a collaborative, inclusive and highly productive Maritime team who are at the vanguard of the Royal Navy’s Equipment Procurement Programme modernisation, implementing an ambitious National Shipbuilding Strategy. As a servant leader you will enable and set the conditions in which your team can most efficiently deliver their project outcomes and will be proactive in their formation of skills and professional development so they can flourish in a varied, interesting and rewarding career in DE&S.

This exciting Government Major Projects Portfolio delivery role leads the design and manufacture contract for the Fleet Solid Support Ships, including the Integrated Logistics Support deliverables to enable a smooth transition to service. As a subject matter expert, you will be required to consult ‘upstream’ through the DE&S Gateway to advise on Support Shipbuilding projects, including Offshore Support Vessels and Multi-Role Support Ships that are earlier in their procurement journey.

You will have important responsibilities to safety, environmental and security protections in this highly regulated activity and for managing the Crown Indemnity that is offered to the Ship Builder. You will be able to apply your knowledge and experience to Defence Maritime activity and support the Safety Accountable Persons to achieve safe and environmentally sound project outcomes.

As a key leader in the Ministry of Defence Shipbuilding Enterprise, you will also be required to actively collaborate with the Head of Combat Ships Delivery to provide mutual assistance through surges and peaks in workload demand and to build a sustainable cohort of colleagues with Naval Overseeing and Trials and Acceptance skills for a buoyant future shipbuilding pipeline.

Job description

Head of Support Ships has the following areas of responsibility:

Delivery of the DE&S Scope of the Royal Navy Support Shipbuilding Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP).
Navy Command Delivery Agent for the acquisition and introduction to operational service of x3 Fleet Solid Support Ships
within approvals.
Subject Matter Expert consultancy in the Gateway Area of DE&S for Support Ships programmes, including Offshore
Support Vessels (host platform for mine hunting and seabed warfare capabilities) and Multi Role Support Ships (Littoral
Strike Vessels).
Supporting the Combat Ships Delivery head through workload variation in Type 26 and Type 31 Frigate acceptance and transition
to service.
Supporting the delivery of the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh.
Through the management of industrial relationships and international relationships (as agreed with the DE&S Gateway), develop
the opportunity for exports to improve the prosperity of the UK and deliver International Collaboration with Partners and Allies on
support shipping technology and under way replenishment.
Promoting a culture of Operational Excellence by ensuring process improvement and embracing the principles of flexible
workforce.
Influence DE&S Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Be responsible for delivery against these and other key targets within,
corporate objectives of the OGSM framework (Objective, Goals, Strategies, Measures).
Improving the availability of systems/platforms/services so Defence may have greater capacity to actively protect our Nation.
Promote a culture that enables safe, secure, suitable, and sustainable delivery; working with the appropriate regulatory facing
Accountable Persons, ensure that a formally delegated appointee structure in accordance with Acquisition Safety and
Environmental Management System (ASEMS) is in place, safety delegations to flow from the Chief Executive Officer. Provide
support to Safety and Environmental Committees, highlighting any issues which may impact safety or environmental performance.
Utilising DE&S Portfolio Office analysis about project performance to provide operational direction on the performance objectives of
their portfolio.
Person specification

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 visible leader, with a proactive commitment to diversity and inclusion and demonstrable experience of creating and maintaining a psychologically safe and inclusive environment.
Being accountable – Evidence of accepting and responding to challenges from stakeholders up to Ministerial level and colleagues in a constructive manner
Fostering autonomy and choice – Demonstrable evidence of encouraging measured risk taking and innovation and encouraging staff autonomy to allow them to work in a way most suitable and productive for their work to deliver better approaches of services.
Technical:

Technical 1 – Significant experience of Major Projects delivery and understanding of Government approval processes
Technical 2 – Substantial evidence of acquisition, in-service support, logistics and supply chain management knowledge
Technical 3 – Demonstrable experience in risk management and experience in safety and environmental management in a highly Regulated Environment.
Qualifications and registrations:

Essential:

MAPM, APMP, MSP or equivalent Project Management qualification
Desirable:

Engineering/Science Degree qualified or equivalent experience
Chartered status or Fellow of a Professional Institution
Experience of safety accountability in the Regulated Environment
For full information on the role please see the candidate pack.

To Apply:

This is an external competition, and we welcome applications from candidates in both the public or private sector.

To apply for this post, you must submit the following documents here by 23:55 on 2nd March 2025 for your application to be received as complete.

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps.
A Supporting Statement of no more than 1500 words (font Arial, size 11), outlining how you consider your personal skills, leadership attributes, qualities and experience match all 6 essential criteria on page 10 of the attached candidate pack. Applications that exceed the word limit will not be considered. For assistance with Supporting Statements or if you experience any technical issues with submitting your application, please do reach out to the recruitment team prior to the closing deadline. Late submissions will not be considered.