Business Case Approvals Manager

The Corporate Services Modernisation (CSM) Programme requires a Business Case Approvals Manager to support the planning, development and progression of business cases through Ministry of Defence governance and investment approval routes.

The role will work across the programme to ensure business cases and approval documents are coherent, evidence-based and aligned to departmental approval requirements and HM Treasury Green Book principles.

This role is suited to someone who can bring structure, clarity and pace to business case approvals activity. You will coordinate inputs from multiple stakeholders, manage approval conditions and supporting evidence, advise colleagues on investment approvals and help ensure the programme is positioned for successful decisions at the right time.

CSM is a high priority for the Ministry of Defence and offers substantial exposure to senior level decision-making and therefore offers opportunities for further career development.

The CSM portfolio is recruiting to two-year FTAs, with the possibility of extension subject to business requirements and approvals.

If you are a permanent MOD civil servant and are successful in securing an advertised Fixed-Term Appointment (FTA), it may be possible to agree a Temporary Transfer, subject to the agreement of your current MOD business area. Where a Temporary Transfer is agreed and the post is at a higher grade, any promotion will be temporary, and you will return to your substantive grade at the end of the Temporary Transfer.

Existing Civil Servants from outside MOD and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on a loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant, including arrangements regarding grade on return.

The role is advertised as 37 hours per week. Part-time and Job share may be considered providing that full time hours are covered.

Business case development and approvals

• Coordinate the planning, development and production of CSM business cases, including drafting discrete sections and collating specialist input.
• Ensure business cases and supporting material are progressed in line with governance and approvals processes, HM Treasury Green Book principles and the Five Case Model.
• Support the completion of business case approval conditions, working across programme workstreams to secure evidence and close actions.
• Support the drafting, review and submission of business cases to set the programme up for successful approval outcomes.
• Prepare, maintain and coordinate approvals documentation and other supporting artefacts.

Governance and investment approval routes

• Map and manage business case governance routes, ensuring approval steps, decision points, actions and owners are clear.
• Prepare supporting papers and evidence packs for submission to approving authorities and formal governance boards.
• Support programme colleagues to present business cases through applicable approvals processes where required.
• Facilitate key programme approvals meetings, acting as secretariat or leading and owning meetings where appropriate.
• Maintain accurate records of decisions, conditions, actions and approvals evidence.

Stakeholder engagement and advisory support

• Act as an advisory point of contact for stakeholders on investment approvals and business case requirements.
• Work closely with commercial, finance, programme and workstream colleagues to align approval activity with the ask, programme commitments and critical path.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement to ensure business case information, requirements, benefits and evidence are gathered and tested.
• Support engagement across CSM to ensure needs are understood, managed, and met effectively.

Programme oversight, risk and integration

• Sustain oversight of programme functions, milestones and status to support integration and feed relevant approval insights into governance structures.
• Support the evaluation and planning of future approvals, including forward look activity and sequencing of approval requirements.
• Identify and manage approval-related risks, issues, dependencies and blockers, escalating where appropriate.
• Contribute to programme strategic decisions and development where approvals insight is required.

Information management and continuous improvement

• Administer, file and maintain business case documentation, supporting data and evidence on approved management systems.
• Share information, lessons learned and good practice across the team and wider programme.
• Work flexibly across programme workstreams where business case and approvals support is required.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.

Candidates will also be required to provide a Personal Statement of up to 750 words.

At sift, candidates will be assessed against their CV, Personal Statement and the following Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

In the event of a high number of applications, the sift will be based on the CV, Personal Statement, Delivering at Pace and Seeing the Big Picture only.

At interview, candidates will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Further information:

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.

There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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