Assistant Head of Commercial, Scrutiny and Data Defence Nuclear Organisation

This is an important time to join the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO) within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). You will be at the heart of critical defence issues, delivering against one of the Departments top priorities.

Established in 2016, the DNO oversees all nuclear activity across the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE), working with partners including the Royal Navy, Submarine Delivery Agency, UK Strategic Command, Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), and key industry suppliers such as BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Babcock.

An opportunity to work in DNO Commercial has arisen to lead the Scrutiny and Data capability of the DNE Commercial Portfolio. This will include leading on procurements, robustly managing contracts, and developing business cases to support the development of the nuclear warhead and submarines as well as developing data governance tools and commercial scrutiny enablement to ensure commercial strategies deliver for the public good. The candidate will need to demonstrate strong internal and external stakeholder management skills, excellent negotiation skills, and be capable of motivating a small but agile team of commercial professionals focused on both procurement and commercial acquisition transactions. Successful candidates will access opportunities for commercial and professional development within the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.

The role will be based across our sites in London, Bristol and Reading with attendance in office up to 3 days/week. The post will require travel between the sites (London, Bristol, and Reading), and, with notice, some wider UK and internationally travel.

This position will require individuals to hold DV or be willing to undergo the process of obtaining it before an appointment is made.

• Providing commercial advice to DNO stakeholders including Director Generals and Directors across the whole commercial lifecycle, from make vs. buy decisions to dispute resolution
• Work across Government to foster and maintain positive working relationships with Other Government Departments, the rest of Ministry of Defence and its delivery partners
• Lead commercial assurance and scrutiny of Defence Nuclear Enterprise portfolio (primarily Atomic Weapons Establishment and Submarine Delivery Group), maintaining a live pipeline of Defence Nuclear Enterprise procurement / commercial activity to review investment approvals, sourcing strategies and contract award requests, providing strategic commercial advice and recommendations to senior stakeholders and Defence Nuclear Enterprise / MOD governance boards
• Grow and evolve the teams approach to commercial assurance, working with key internal and external stakeholders to suggest and implement improvements to processes and controls and maintaining strong working relationships
• Developing an expert Contract Management capability within DNO and across Defence Nuclear Enterprise to strengthen and improve delivery performance on key nuclear contracts across the portfolio
• Provide expert leadership on commercial risk management, developing and delivering mitigation strategies at corporate and programme level
• Drive continuous improvement across DNE Commercial, embedding and completing continuous improvement plans in support of Commercial Continuous Improvement Assessment Framework (CCIAF), developing effective tools, templates and processes and sharing best practice across the team to improve commercial capability
• Build commercial capability across the Commercial function, in partnership with the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
• Demonstrate working knowledge of Single Source Contracting Regulations and Intellectual Property Rights, and the Procurement Act 2023.
• Responsibility for ensuring DNE Commercial is aligned with and contributing to the priorities and policies of MoD Commercial and the Government Commercial Function
• Team leadership alongside senior leadership team for circa. 30 commercial professionals, at the heart of embedding change across the team. Responsible for leading a team of 6 people with a focus on coaching and professional development.
• Candidates must have minimum Level 4 CIPS and be willing to achieve MCIPS within 2 years of starting the role. After achieving MCIPS, they will be eligible for a commercial delegation of 50M - 75M.

Locations

The successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. When selecting your location listed in this job advert please be aware that this will be your contractual base location with a requirement to spend a minimum of 60% of your working time in this organisational workplace.

Your time spent on official duties at workplace locations other than your contractual office such as supplier, customer or partner locations required to perform your role is included in the 60% attendance.

This requirement will however take into consideration any reasonable adjustments agreed upon appointment for people with a disability, flexibilities agreed for those with specific caring responsibilities, or other similar temporary flexibilities.

The successful candidate will:

• Show resilience, operating effectively in a high-pressure national security environment and delivering against the UKs most critical defence priorities.
• Demonstrate sharp commercial judgment to review commercial situations, solve complex problems and proactively manage risks. You will work across government to drive improvements in high-profile projects, ensuring they deliver the best results for the public.
• Build senior-level credibility giving clear, timely advice to senior leaders, up to ministerial/C-suite level. Write complex briefings and can persuade others to ensure government priorities and projects are delivered successfully.
• Operate in technically complex sectors, working alongside experts on single-source contracting, security and safety regulation, and environmental compliance.
• Deliver Strategy and policy development - From a sound commercial base being able to recommend the appropriate commercial strategy, followed up with the execution of strategy through effective policy implementation and rollout
• Leading and deliver major, high-value commercial transactions, delivering to demanding timescales through the leadership of interdisciplinary teams. Proven experience overseeing commercial processes that offer great value and great customer outcomes
• Have the ability to develop market insights. You will have the ability to learn about the commercial dynamics of particular markets and to provide data driven commercial advice. Staying on top of key market information, such as new solutions and new suppliers
• Develop strong networks with senior officials and their offices across government. You will build excellent commercial relationships with senior stakeholders based in the UK and abroad, with the ability to be able to find common ground and develop mutually beneficial outcomes. To work collaboratively to share information, resolve live issues, and ensure different teams work toward the same goals.
• Show strong leadership capability, building and leading resilient, high-performing commercial teams through clear direction and an established culture.
• Build commercial capability in either the public or private sector. A proven and supportive leader who can manage and mentor staff. You also contribute to wider plans for the profession, such as spotting talent and ensuring the workforce has the right skills for the future