Maritime Fighting Web Scientific Adviser

Are you looking for a challenging and influential role that will help maximise the strategic impact of science and technology for the Royal Navy and wider Defence? The Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser (OCSA) is seeking a Maritime Fighting Web Scientific Adviser to provide impartial scientific advice, technical challenge and enterprise coherence across one of Navy Command’s highest-priority capability areas.

Maritime Fighting Web is the digital backbone that connects sensors, decision-makers and effectors across a distributed maritime force into a single coherent fighting system. It is a key enabler of the Royal Navy's Hybrid Navy concept.

Scientific Advisers work for the Department of State under the leadership of the MOD Chief Scientific Adviser. They are embedded across Defence, including within Military Strategic Headquarters, the Military Commands, the Defence Nuclear Enterprise and the National Armaments Director Group (NADG), acting as Defence’s scientific and technological champions and conscience. They provide independent advice and constructive challenge, connect the wider science, innovation and technology enterprise, identify opportunities, and help Defence secure strategic advantage through science and technology. This role specifically supports the Royal Navy in its design and development of an integrated communications and data network that allow large numbers of crewed and uncrewed platforms to operate effectively as a force.

The Maritime Fighting Web Scientific Adviser will be embedded within Navy Command Headquarters in Portsmouth, working day-to-day with Navy Develop, Navy Digital and wider maritime capability stakeholders. The role will focus on the technologies, evidence and integration challenges required to network Royal Navy platforms, sensors, decision-makers and effectors into a coherent Maritime Fighting Web, aligned with the MOD Digital Targeting Web and the broader Hybrid Navy ambition.

This is a highly networked role, requiring the post holder to operate across Navy Command, OCSA, Dstl, UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), NADG, industry, academia, Allies and other Military Commands. The successful candidate will help translate Navy’s operational and capability priorities into a coherent science and technology demand signal, ensure that investment is technically informed and exploitable, and provide independent advice on maturity, risk, opportunity and assurance across a critical area of maritime capability.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. Part time, flexible working and job share may be considered providing that full time hours are covered.

The post holder will provide high-quality scientific advice and constructive challenge to support the development, integration and exploitation of the Maritime Fighting Web. They will work with senior military and civilian stakeholders to ensure decisions are underpinned by robust scientific evidence, credible technical assessment and clear understanding of risks and opportunities.

• Provide impartial scientific advice, technical challenge and assurance to Navy Command stakeholders on Maritime Fighting Web technologies, integration risks and exploitation opportunities.
• Support Navy Develop and Navy Digital in translating operational and capability priorities into clear, evidence-based science and technology demand signals.
• Build coherence across activity relating to sensors, networks, command and control, decision support, targeting, effectors, data architectures, interoperability and systems integration.
• Act as a key link between Navy Command and the wider science, innovation and technology enterprise, including OCSA, Dstl, UKDI, NADG, industry, academia and allies.
• Provide advice on the technical maturity, evidence base, risks and opportunities associated with major Navy C5I and digital integration programmes.
• Support the exploitation of science and technology investment into fielded maritime capability, with particular focus on Hybrid Navy, distributed operations and Digital Targeting Web alignment.
• Contribute to senior decision-making, investment assurance, options development, experimentation, wargaming, operational analysis and capability prioritisation.
• Identify emerging technologies and novel approaches that could improve maritime connectivity, decision advantage, resilience and operational effect.
• Champion scientific thinking, evidence-based decision-making and constructive challenge across the maritime capability community.
• Maintain strong working relationships across Defence and with external partners, representing OCSA and Navy Scientific Advice in relevant boards, working groups and technical forums.
• Championing CSA strategic objectives within Navy.

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 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 two Behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

In the event of a high volume of applications, an initial sift may be conducted using their CV and the lead Behaviour, Making Effective Decisions. Where the required standard for these is met, candidates will continue to be sifted on the remaining Behaviour and Personal Statement, otherwise their application will be rejected.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview, where they will be assessed against the role requirements, relevant Civil Service behaviours and their ability to apply scientific judgement in a Defence context.

At interview, candidates will be assessed against their Experience relating to the essential and desirable criteria listed in the Person Specification. Candidates will also be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Leadership

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.