Navy Command, Design Authority Assistant Head

At Navy Command, we lead, support and sustain the Royal Navy across every theatre of operations. We coordinate the people, platforms and missions that keep the Fleet ready for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.

Within HM Naval Base Clyde the Design Authority (DA) acts on behalf of the Clyde Authorise to ensure that nuclear activities remain safe, compliant and capable of supporting current and future Royal Navy operations.

We are recruiting four Assistant Head Approving Authority roles at Grade 7 within the Design Authority. Reporting directly to the Design Authority Lead, these senior leaders will maintain Design Authority capability and provide independent technical governance across some of the most complex and safety-critical infrastructure in UK Defence. They will act as the Design Authority Intelligent Customer, ensuring that safety justification, engineering substantiation, policy and standards remain fit for purpose and continue to support authorised activities across HMNB Clyde.

These positions are reserved posts within the Civil Service, for which only Sole UK nationals are eligible. Under the Civil Service Nationality Rules, UK nationals include British citizens, British subjects with the right of abode in the United Kingdom and British Overseas Territories citizens.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Assistant Heads within the Design Authority are accountable for maintaining the adequacy of the safety justification, engineering substantiation, policy, standards and governance arrangements supporting authorised activities across HMNB Clyde.

Acting on behalf of the Clyde Authorisee, postholders provide independent oversight and approval of safety and engineering outputs, ensuring that design intent, safety requirements and regulatory commitments continue to be met throughout the lifecycle of facilities, infrastructure and associated programmes.

The postholders set technical direction within their areas of responsibility, identify and address organisational and technical risks, maintain compliance with site and regulatory requirements, and ensure that Design Authority arrangements remain effective and proportionate. This includes overseeing modifications, maintenance, periodic reviews, technical assurance processes and the management of shortfalls affecting safety, compliance or operational capability.

Postholders lead specialist teams and work collaboratively with stakeholders across HMNB Clyde, the wider Defence Nuclear Enterprise, regulators and industry partners. They provide authoritative advice to senior decision-makers and represent the Design Authority at governance, authorisation and assurance forums.

Collectively, the Assistant Heads ensure that the Clyde Design Authority retains the capability, capacity and organisational knowledge required to fulfil its responsibilities as the Design Authority Intelligent Customer on behalf of the Authorisee.

The four roles have distinct functional responsibilities:

Assistant Head Approving Authority (Design) – Coulport: Responsible for the engineering substantiation, design intent and technical governance of facilities and infrastructure supporting operations at RNAD Coulport. The postholder leads Design Authority assurance across a broad portfolio of nuclear, conventional and weapons-supporting infrastructure, ensuring that engineering substantiation remains adequate throughout the asset lifecycle.

Assistant Head Approving Authority (Design) – Replacement Warhead: Responsible for engineering substantiation and design governance for the Replacement Warhead programme and its associated infrastructure. The postholder provides Design Authority leadership for future facilities, ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory requirements.

Assistant Head Approving Authority (Safety Case) – Replacement Warhead: Responsible for the development, maintenance, approval and strategic direction of safety justifications and safety cases supporting authorised Replacement Warhead activities. The postholder leads safety case strategy, independent review, regulatory engagement and long-term safety justification planning.

Assistant Head Approving Authority (Policy & Standards): Responsible for the governance framework underpinning the Design Authority. This includes developing and maintaining Design Authority policy, standards, safety management arrangements, compliance arrangements, periodic review programmes and organisational capability. The postholder also oversees business planning, compliance, interfaces and organisational governance across the wider Design Authority.

Open to UK nationals only.

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

As part of Defence Reform, Navy Command continues to review and evolve its Target Operating Model to support more agile ways of working. In this context, the role and responsibilities of this role may develop over time to reflect changing business priorities and opportunities.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history and qualification details.

Personal Statement:

Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability. ( 750 word count)

At sift, candidates will be assessed against their CV and Statement of suitability:

At interview, candidates will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical Skills:

• Nuclear Competence Framework 1.2: Nuclear Safety Management Systems
• Nuclear Competence Framework 1.3: Nuclear Safety Cases
• Nuclear Competence Framework 4.4: Nuclear Infrastructure Concept, Assessment, Design, Modifications and Life Extension

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.

CANDIDATE INFORMATION

Please read this document prior to completing your application.

Please note: internal candidates must include their staff number when prompted during the application process.

Should you have any queries relating to the vacancy information or sift and interview process, please contact the recruiting line manager using the contact details listed on the vacancy. Please do not direct vacancy related queries to the recruitment team as they will be unable to advise.

FURTHER INFORMATION

CV’s

Should the selection process require a CV, you will be prompted to complete the required criteria during the application process. CV’s sent directly to the recruiting line manager will be deleted immediately to maintain anonymity.

Civil Servants (all grades)

Applicants should monitor their Civil Service Jobs application centre regularly for updates.

Some of MoD’s Terms and Conditions of Service (TACOS) changed from 3 February 2014. Those TACOS changes applied to Broader Banded and Skill Zone staff who were new recruits to MoD or who were appointed to a post on substantive promotion, progression or advancement. On the same basis, the TACOS for Departmental Retained Grades changed with effect from 01 September 2014.

Applicants should be aware that any move across the Civil Service on or after 5 October 2018 may have implications on an employee’s ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers.

Please see link below to Civil Service Recruitment Principles http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/RECRUITMENT-PRINCIPLES-April-2018-FINAL-.pdf

Please see the MOD Privacy notice which informs how we will use your personal data, explains your rights and gives you information you are entitled to under Data Protection legislation.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-defence-privacy-notice/mod-privacy-notice

Non Civil Servants

All employees joining MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period effective from the employment start date.

COMPLAINTS

Please be aware that the selection and interviewing of applicants is the responsibility of the Recruiting Line Manager (RLM) and not the Defence Business Services (DBS) Resourcing team. DBS does not play any part in the selection and interview process itself.

Therefore, if you wish to discuss your feedback, or you are dissatisfied with your markings, you should in the first instance raise this with the Recruiting Line Manager of the vacancy.

If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint. by writing to DBS at the following address:

Defence Business Services

Scanning Hub

Room 6124

Tomlinson House

Norcross Lane

Blackpool

FY5 3WP

FOR EXTERNAL VACANCIES If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address:

Civil Service commission

Room G/8

1 Horse Guards Road

London

SW1A 2HQ

Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk

Cabinet Office Fraud Checks

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant whose details are found to be held on the IFD will be refused employment

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