Logistics Policy and Plans Officer - Army

Do you want to help shape how the Army delivers modern, supportable and sustainable capability? This role sits within Army Headquarters, Support Directorate, Logistics Policy and Plans, a team that helps ensure Army programmes deliver capability that can be operated, maintained, sustained and supported through life.

This role will help provide logistic policy advice, support assurance and constructive challenge to Army programmes and projects. You will work with programme teams, National Armaments - Materiel, support specialists and senior stakeholders to identify risks, test assumptions and shape practical support solutions that enable the Army to deliver Capability, not equipment alone.

This is a varied and influential role for someone who can work across organisational boundaries, communicate clearly and turn complex support issues into practical advice, decisions and actions. We welcome applications from people with relevant logistics, support, capability, programme or acquisition experience who are motivated to make a tangible contribution to Army modernisation.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

The Army is delivering a significant programme of modernisation across its equipment, people, processes and ways of operating. For these changes to succeed, new capabilities must be supportable from the outset, with clear plans for maintenance, supply, training, infrastructure, information, safety, commercial arrangements and through-life support.

In this role, you will support the assurance of all areas of the Defence Lines of Development that impact Support, across Army programmes and projects. You will help programme teams understand what good support looks like, identify support risks and dependencies, and provide advice that helps senior leaders make informed decisions. The work is varied and fast moving, with opportunities to influence programmes across the capability lifecycle.

You will be part of a small team with a wide reach across Army Headquarters, delivery organisations, capability teams and subject matter experts. The role requires sound judgement, good staff skills and the confidence to brief and influence senior stakeholders. It is suited to someone who can build relationships, apply constructive challenge and help convert complex issues into clear, actionable plans.

Key responsibilities:

• This role currently line manages one Executive Officer.
• Provide logistic policy and support assurance advice to Army programmes and projects, helping ensure new capabilities are supportable, sustainable and deliverable through life.
• Support the assurance of the Logistic Defence Line of Development, identifying risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies that may affect programme delivery or operational support.
• Engage with programme teams, Capability Sponsors, National Armaments-Materiel, support specialists and other stakeholders to shape support solutions and improve delivery outcomes.
• Contribute to Support Assurance Boards, programme working groups, logistics forums and senior briefings, providing clear advice and evidence-based recommendations.
• Translate complex support issues into concise written products, action plans and briefing material for senior decision-makers – e.g. draft Support Maturity Reports.
• Track actions, risks and decisions across a portfolio of activity, ensuring progress is visible and follow-up is timely.
• Use logistics, support and programme knowledge to apply proportionate challenge to plans, assumptions and delivery proposals.
• Help develop and improve support assurance processes, lessons learned and ways of working across the Army change portfolio.
• Build effective working relationships across military, civil service, contractor and industry teams to support successful capability delivery.
• Be willing to travel occasionally to support engagement with programme teams, delivery organisations and stakeholders.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

• CV
• Behaviours Making Effective Decisions

Where a large number of applications are received, an initial sift will be conducted based on the evidence you provide in support of Making Effective Decisions. The remaining evidence provided at application stage will only be reviewed if you are successful at this initial sift.

At interview stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Behaviours Communicating & Influencing
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Technical - Project Delivery Framework Portfolio, Programme and Project Management (P3M) Professional Competence FrameworkYou will be assessed on P3M23: INDEPENDENT ASSURANCE

Application sifting will be scheduled to take place within 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed and will be held in person. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs.

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.