DE&S Headquarters, Abbey Wood, Bristol, BS34 8JH
Job Summary
This is a critical senior appointment for DE&S, as the sole Chief of Staff for the organisation, providing strategic executive support to our Executive Leadership Team to enable delivery of the DE&S Strategy. This is an opportunity to join an organisation making a material difference to defence of the UK homeland, at a hugely pivotal moment in its development, looking both externally across wider MOD and UK defence, and internally to our change programme.
Defence Equipment and Support delivers and sustains capability for His Majesty’s Armed Forces. We also play a major role in the prosperity of the UK by spending £8 billion every year on UK contracts, supporting more than 88,000 jobs.
The Chief of Staff role has responsibility for bringing coherence to a complex change and delivery landscape in order to direct and focus the senior leadership’s priorities. It will provide the link between the organisation and its stakeholders and the Executive Leadership Team providing the ‘corporate glue’ to enable effective and efficient organisational leadership.
To be successful you will have experience of operating at a strategic level in a large and complex organisation and working effectively as part of a multidisciplinary leadership team, actively drawing links across different areas, identifying risks and opportunities and managing competing priorities across a range of internal and external stakeholders. You will be confident operating at the most senior levels both internally and externally, including at Board level.
As a leader in the business, you will embody servant leadership and play a pivotal role in creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can flourish. You will support transformation of the business, and specifically the corporate organisation. This is an exciting time for DE&S, and we look forward to discussing with you how you might become part of our journey during the recruitment process.
Job Description
The Chief of Staff has the following areas of responsibility:
- Sole Chief of Staff for the whole of DE&S supporting the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), including the CEO and the DE&S Board,
- Supporting the ELT and DE&S Board to strategically lead the organisation by understanding the key challenges across the breadth of DE&S and MOD.
- Cohering and advising on ELT priorities across the organisation to ensure the senior leadership is operating as a strong team, focussed on providing strategic direction, driving organisational change and recognising and responding to the wider global and political context.
- Supporting the ELT to deliver the DE&S strategy and ensuring they operate in line with the management construct through provision of strategic agendas and coordinating and driving the ELT initiatives
- Setting performance metrics and behavioural goals for the ELT and supporting delivery
- Providing a critical link between DE&S and our broad range of Stakeholders using your strong communication and relationship management skills
- Provide leadership on DE&S Operating Model changes within own areas to ensure maximum benefit is achieved for the organisation as a whole.
- Embody servant leadership and provide direction and support to a wider executive support team of c20 people and beyond own area, championing equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
The Chief of Staff has the following areas of responsibility:
- Sole Chief of Staff for the whole of DE&S supporting the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), including the CEO and the DE&S Board,
- Supporting the ELT and DE&S Board to strategically lead the organisation by understanding the key challenges across the breadth of DE&S and MOD.
- Cohering and advising on ELT priorities across the organisation to ensure the senior leadership is operating as a strong team, focussed on providing strategic direction, driving organisational change and recognising and responding to the wider global and political context.
- Supporting the ELT to deliver the DE&S strategy and ensuring they operate in line with the management construct through provision of strategic agendas and coordinating and driving the ELT initiatives
- Setting performance metrics and behavioural goals for the ELT and supporting delivery
- Providing a critical link between DE&S and our broad range of Stakeholders using your strong communication and relationship management skills
- Provide leadership on DE&S Operating Model changes within own areas to ensure maximum benefit is achieved for the organisation as a whole.
- Embody servant leadership and provide direction and support to a wider executive support team of c20 people and beyond own area, championing equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Person specification
To be successful with your application, you'll need to be able to demonstrate the
Following 6 Essential Criteria
- Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion. Demonstratable 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 experience of proactively championing and leading change by seeking innovative new approaches, policies and systems that add value to the organisation
- Being accountable. Evidence of accepting and responding to challenges from stakeholders and colleagues in a constructive manner.
- Demonstrable experience of exceptional delivery in a senior leadership role within a large and highly complex organisation
- Evidence of deploying high levels of influence, especially with senior leaders, to achieve positive outcomes for the organisation.
- The ability to managing competing priorities, influencing decisions and challenging behaviours at senior levels.
It Would Also Desirable If You Can Had
- Evidence of being agile trained and having lean six sigma knowledge
- Evidence of understanding organisational governance and strategy
Alongside your salary of £87,000, Ministry of Defence contributes £25,203 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Selection process details
This is an external competition and we welcome applications from candidates in both the public or private sector. To apply for this post, you will need to submit the following documents, via the following link (Apply here) by 23:55 on Wednesday 15th January 2025.
- 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 1750 words (font Arial, size 11), outlining how you consider your personal skills, leadership attributes, qualities and experience match the essential criteria on page 11. Applications that exceed the word limit or that are submitted without a supporting statement will not be considered. For assistance with Supporting Statements please do reach out to the recruitment team.
Shortlist
All submissions will receive an email acknowledgement from upon application. If you do not receive confirmation of receipt of your application 3 working days post-closing date, please contact us at DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk. The panel will consider the evidence you have provided against the essential criteria set out at page 10 of this candidate pack to determine their shortlist.
Staff Engagement Exercise
If you are found successful at shortlist you will be invited to attend a staff engagement exercise (SEE). This involves a 10 min presentation to a small group of DE&S employees followed by a Q&A session. Following the SEE the Employee Panel will provide feedback and scores to support the interviewing panel.
Interview
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend a panel interview for an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria. Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates. The Panel will consist of Michelle Pester and Katherine Carr Director Strategy and Corporate Affairs (interim) (Job share), Vikash Patel Director Commissioning and HRBP
Offer
We will notify all candidates of their outcome, as soon as possible after the final interview. DE&S reserves the right to make any offer of appointment conditional upon references and satisfactory conclusion of security enquiries. In the event that you meet the requirements for the role, but you are not offered the position, we will be pleased to retain your application for a 12-month period in case another suitable role arises
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
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) (opens in a new window)
- 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 (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).
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 Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
- Name : DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk
- Email : DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk
