Portfolio Definition Lead in Edinburgh

425364

£40,415 - £44,480

This role may attract a Programme and Project Delivery pay enhancement of £1,570 subject to proof of relevant qualifications.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Senior Executive Officer

Permanent

Project Delivery

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

1

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Cardiff, Wales, CF10 1EP : Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 8FT : Leicester, East Midlands (England), LE4 5SP : Didcot, South East England, OX11 0DF

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and provides technical advice on the government\'s space strategy, supporting the UK space sector to deliver the government\'s vision.

Space is a part of everyday life. Satellites underpin our national economy, from agriculture and banking to aviation and shipping, and support our national security. Space science provides critical data to understand and address global challenges such as climate change, while missions to explore our solar system unite nations and advance humanity\'s horizons.

We support a thriving space sector in the UK, which generates an annual income of £18.9 billion and employs 52,028 people across the country.

Through our portfolio of programmes and projects, we encourage the development of national space capabilities and are an early-stage investor in space research and development. We also promote the UK space sector\'s interests and achievements; make connections to join up industry and academia; and represent the UK in international space programmes.

We have a powerful global voice, partnering with institutions across the world, including the European Space Agency.

More information about the Agency is available here:

To discover more please watch this film

Our Inclusive Environment

We have an inclusive culture to make UK Space Agency a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.

We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive.

We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion.

The UK Space Agency and Department of Science, Innovation and Technology Space Directorate will merge into a new single unit within DSIT from 1 April 2026. We expect the UK Space Agency brand and name to continue and to be used as we move forward as a combined organisation

The role will be managing planning, prioritisation and change control of the portfolio and closely aligns to the Portfolio Analyst 2 role at SEO level in the Project Delivery Capability Framework. However, responsibilities may overlap with other appropriate roles.

Portfolio Planning

• Maintaining, and continuously improving, the format and content of the Agency\'s multiple-year portfolio roadmaps that include: achievement of outcomes aligned to the corporate plan; collective benefit realisation; forward view of funding and affordability; the business case pipeline.
• Identification and coordination of dependencies across the portfolio.
• Planning and facilitating senior management engagement in a multi-year portfolio definition schedule for the continuous development of the portfolio.
• Supporting the Delivery Board with regards to portfolio roadmaps, providing insightful reports regarding prioritisation, benefit realisation and outcome achievement.
• Managing the processes to control entry of new initiatives to the portfolio.
• Conducting analysis of portfolio alignment to strategic outcomes and balancing criteria to facilitate decisions on future portfolio composition.
• Ensuring that Verto (and other Agency tools) are up to date and correct with regards the data held about the definition of portfolio Initiatives, including their objectives.

Portfolio Prioritisation

• Maintaining, and continuously improving, the format and content of the Agency\'s Prioritised Portfolio Workbook
• Maintaining data, records and decisions regarding the scenarios used for planning portfolio composition to meet strategic goals.
• Maintaining, and continuously improving, prioritisation and balancing criteria for the portfolio, ensuring their alignment to strategic intent and good practice.

Portfolio Change Control

• Managing the processes to facilitate priority-based decisions to ensure that the Agency optimises the allocation of resources to gain greatest value from spending its budget in delivering strategic outcomes and benefits.
• Owning the Agency\'s change control processes and facilitating the resolution of all portfolio and Corporate Plan-level change requests or spending requests.
• Guiding and supporting delivery teams, Strategy, Finance and senior managers in using change control processes, carrying out impact analysis of changes (or unavoidable material variations) and reaching decisions.
• Communicating with all interested stakeholders after change decisions are reached.

Delivery Centre of Excellence

• Sharing of good practice and providing guidance to delivery teams and senior managers with regards to prioritisation, planning and change control.
• Aiding the selection, adaptation, implementation and continuous improvement of UK Space Agency approaches to portfolio prioritisation and balancing, in line with DSIT\'s direction, Functional Standards and Management of Portfolios.
• Networking with external organisations to learn and share best practice on portfolio definition and change control.

Deputising for the Portfolio Definition Manager as required.

You will need to have

• Portfolio Office or Portfolio Management Experience.
• Some understanding of strategy development and translating that into a delivery plan.
• Good analytical skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience working with senior leadership.

Essential Criteria

• Good working knowledge of Management of Portfolios.
• Project delivery experience.
• Planning experience.

Desirable criteria

• Good working knowledge of HM Treasury Green Book business case development and approval.
• Management of Portfolios Practitioner.
• P3O Practitioner.
• Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner.
• APM or PMI Registered Project Professional

We\'ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

We\'ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Asset Allocation
• Change Control
• Frameworks and Methodologies

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• Asset Allocation

Alongside your salary of £40,415, UK Space Agency contributes £11,708 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

UK Space Agency offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, flexible working and compressed hours.

Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%

A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.

An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.

Access to a range of retail, travel, and lifestyle employee discounts.

A generous maternity/paternity and adoption leave package.

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is an informal, non-contractual and voluntary arrangement, blending a balance of attendance in the workplace (your permanent duty station which is based on business assessment of where the work is best done) and working from home, or elsewhere, as a personal choice (if the role is suitable for this). If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience. The CV is for information and will not be scored

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the person specification, detailed in the job description.

The Sift will be assessed on:

Personal statement

Behaviours - Seeing the Big picture, Communicating and Influencing and Making Effective Decision

Technical skill - Asset Allocation.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour Seeing the Big Picture. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift.

The Interview will be assessed on:

Behaviours - Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills - Asset Allocation, Change Control and Frameworks and Methodologies

The interview will be conducted on MS Teams

The Sift will be held the week commencing the 16th September

Interviews will be held the week commencing the 6th October

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Further information

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the \"Assistance required\" section in the \"Additional requirements\" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you\'re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the \'Contact point for applicants\' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.

Any move to UK Space Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms directly. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who

resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant\'s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

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

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission\'s recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

• Name : Tom Parrin
• Email :

• Email :

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission\'s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance

If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints