Defence Digital Planning and Scheduling Officer

Would you like to be part of a team supporting the delivery of a range of cutting-edge intelligence applications and services to our armed forces?

A role in Defence is like no other, leading complex teams of military, civil servants and contractors, having a huge remit and influence on the whole of the UK, and opening many doors to further opportunities to develop a unique career.

Defence Digital, sit within MOD Strategic Command, fulfilling an important role in the age of information warfare within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). As an organisation Defence Digital provide digital and technology services to our Armed Forces, ensuring they can operate securely via various communication means including radio, satellite, and the internet. Operating at scale, with an annual budget in excess of £2Bn and a diverse team of 2,500 colleagues, we're aiming to make our Armed Forces some of the most technologically advanced in the world.

Working for Defence Digital in a Civil Service project delivery role will provide you with a rich and challenging career in government and in the Project Delivery profession. You will have the opportunity to work across a variety of projects that we deliver to end users in our Armed Forces and wider departments. Defence Digital is currently responsible for a portfolio of nearly 200 projects and programmes.

If you can see yourself contributing to the world of Defence digital and technology, the next chapter of your career may be with us!

Due to the nature of the role and the IT systems you will be required to use on a regular basis there will be a requirement for attendance in office approx. 4 days a week. The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time. This post is advertised at 37 hours per week.

As a Planning & Scheduling Officer in the Strategic Services team, you will be working in support of complex projects and programs, in a high performing team. As part of the Service Management Office (SMO) you will be responsible for the provision of timely and accurate schedules to support strategic decision making.

The work is varied, the scope for development high, and you will need to be passionate about driving delivery. We will give you the autonomy to work independently whilst supporting your career aspirations with first-class training.

The role of the Planning and Scheduling Officer is to work with Service Delivery Managers to ensure all aspects of the project are defined and controlled. The Planning and Scheduling Officer will support the identification of key milestones to define what, when and how activities will be organised to ensure the outcomes of a project can be achieved, with the resources available. They will provide SME support to all aspects of project planning, which will include the development, updating and monitoring of plans and schedules. They will work with Service Delivery Managers to identify tasks, activities, interdependencies and outputs for the project and work with the project team to track and monitor progress against the plan throughout the life of the project.

Responsibilities

• As a deployable resource, assist Service Delivery Managers across the teams in developing and maintaining project and programme schedules.
• Support planning activity and work with Service Delivery Managers to develop the evidence sets underpinning assured business cases.
• Support capability building and the use of best practice in planning and reporting.
• Assure the quality of project and programme plans and schedules to support key project decision points.
• Undertake timely reviews of schedules for compliance and maturity against the Defence Digital Standards and assist in any rectification actions.
• Own the schedules for cross portfolio lines of activity.
• Monitor and analyse information, reporting progress, slippage and highlighting areas of risk and opportunity.
• Manage professional relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, to ensure their responsibilities and needs are understood and addressed in reporting arrangements.

For further information on the role and responsibilities, please refer to the Project Delivery Capability Framework:Project Delivery Capability Framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We are looking for an individual that has strong team dynamics and collaboration skills, can maintain daily momentum, work comfortably in sometimes ambiguous circumstances, and adapts well to an ever changing environment.

Working knowledge of Microsoft Project is Essential.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Planning
• Scheduling
• Assurance
• Stakeholder Engagement

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• In year rewards and ‘thank you’ schemes
• Flexible working
• Generous leave allocations
• A wide range of discounts – Defence Discount Service, Civil Service societies for Sports and Leisure, Healthcare, Insurance, Motoring, company discounts with Virgin, Vodafone, and Microsoft Office
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Family Friendly – Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave
• Civilian Discover My Benefits (mod.gov.uk)

Learning & Development

• 5 days per year Learning & Development
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• Professional and Personal Development of skills
• Access to thousands of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by MOD
• Ability to obtain industry recognised qualifications supported by MOD

Equality and Diversity

Our people are at the heart of everything we do at Defence Digital. It’s vital that our workforce reflects the diversity of both our audience and the wider society in the UK, so we’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and we actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds and communities. We also recognise the importance of a good work life balance, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including part-time and job shares for all our roles. Please let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process if this is something you want to explore.

Professional Framework Statement

Defence Digital operates an organisation model in which every individual belongs to a Government Profession. The successful applicant will be posted into one of the defined Government Professions on Standard Terms of Reference for the grade. Defence Digital reserves the right to move individuals between roles, within their allocated profession, to meet the needs of the business and in support of agile resourcing. Within Defence Digital each profession is led by a Professional Head of Community who will lead professional development and support the Continuous Professional Development path for their group.

Transformation Statement

Defence Digital is currently going through a Transformation Programme which aims to ensure we have the right workforce, with the right skills, to deliver the MOD's Digital Strategy. As the programme progresses, Defence Digital staff may be required to undergo an assessment to understand and develop their upskilling needs to support the delivery of this strategy. This post may be impacted by Transformation.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

Please note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment by 31st December 2022. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Job contact :

Name :
Defence Digital Talent Acquisition Team
Email :
ISSEN-Recruitment-HRMSMgt@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam3@mod.gov.uk