Dreadnought Alliance Finance Director
Ministry of Defence
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 13th October 2024
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Finance
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
Our Agency is central to the UK Government’s £242 billion equipment plan for the British Armed Forces, and is responsible for the procurement, in-service support and decommissioning of all UK nuclear submarines.
The nuclear submarine portfolio is a national endeavour, one of the largest UK investment portfolios and of critical strategic importance. We work with our supply chain to design, build, support and dispose of a unique piece of military hardware which must take its crew to sea for months at a time, keeping them there in safety, whilst powered by a nuclear reactor. This is what makes a nuclear submarine the most complex machine that the United Kingdom makes and supports, and this means we need people with exceptional skills to successfully deliver in the most challenging environment.
The Dreadnought Alliance Finance Director will be central to decision making that must balance achieving performance within fixed time and cost parameters.
Whilst ideally located in Barrow, the role can be based in Bristol Abbey Wood, but with travel required to Barrow most weeks.
Strong leadership across the Dreadnought Alliance industrial parties will be required to development financial systems and capabilities, necessary to drive increased efficiencies, and create the right cost-conscious environment.
We are interested to hear from applicants with the ability to lead an effective financial and cost management team, commensurate with a programme on this size and scale, and with a business acumen based on commercial knowledge and experience that demonstrates the ability to lead changes and improvements across the industry partners.
We would like to hear from senior leaders with experience of financially leading a large capital portfolio with project delivery experience not necessarily developed in the Submarine sector.
You must be able to motivate and lead individuals and teams to create and maintain the highest standards, and drive specific outcomes to performance, time and cost. We want someone who can make tough decisions, accepting very significant personal responsibility. We will be interested to hear how your experience has prepared you for this role.
Key to your success will be your ability to think strategically, influence, drive performance and engage effectively with senior stakeholders across the Defence Nuclear Enterprise and industry partners at senior level.
This is an exciting time for the Dreadnought Alliance programme and the wider SDA.
Job description
Dreadnought is the UK’s most critical and complex major programme. Design commenced in 2007 following a Parliamentary vote, and construction commenced in 2016 following a further vote to replace Vanguard Class submarines. This programme will deliver four state of the art submarines within a £31Bn (plus £10Bn contingency) budget to host the UK’s strategic deterrent and maintain the ultimate guarantee of our security in an uncertain world.
In April 2018 the MOD entered into a Commercial Alliance with key industry parties BAE Systems (BAES) and Rolls Royce (RR) to deliver Dreadnought. This has strengthened its senior management team to ensure better management of risk and delivery to performance, cost and time. The Dreadnought Alliance Finance Director is a critical member of the Alliance Management Committee. Ultimately, MOD manages the financial risk and the lead for managing those risks within the Alliance is the Dreadnought Alliance Finance Director.
The Dreadnought Alliance Finance Director leads a multi-organisation team for effective financial and cost management, bringing the knowledge and experience commensurate with a programme of this scale and size. Leadership of the financial relationships with industry parties is key to develop the systems and capabilities necessary for effective financial and cost management bringing with it increased efficiency in a cost-conscious environment.
The Dreadnought Alliance Finance Director will directly manage a team consisting of Alliance finance and cost staff, drawn from across the 3 parties and located at Bristol Abbey Wood and BAES Barrow sites. Financial delegation will be held for the Dreadnought Programme together with responsibility for ensuring that all financial transactions are in accordance with legislation and MOD/SDA policy/instructions. The Dreadnought Alliance Finance Director will be making programme level decisions necessitating assessment of value for money on commitments, balancing performance, time and cost, on a best for programme basis. This will require working closely with customers, engineering, project managers and commercial leads within the programme.
These decisions – and their consequences – will be visible at the highest levels within Defence and wider Government and their ability to engage effectively with very senior stakeholders will be vital to their success.
Responsibilities:
- Lead a multi-site and multi-organisation (SDA and industry partners BAES & RR) team to improve financial control and the management of risk and opportunities.
- Provide strategic advice and robust financial information, vertically (from the customer through to industry partners) and horizontally (across functional and organisational boundaries), to Alliance Managing Director (MD) and Alliance Leadership Board (ALB) to enable timely and effective decision-making.
- Create a robust outturn position against cost baselines set in the joint cost model, clearly laying out risks against this baseline.
- Lead the key financial relationships with Industry and DNE to create a cost-conscious environment.
- Maintain a robust control environment to ensure Equipment Plan (EP) and operating costs (Opex) are accurate, driving delivery against budgets, targets and KPIs. Work collaboratively with Alliance Project Managers, Industry Partners and MoD colleagues to manage and report costs as required by key stakeholders.
- Establish an effective end to end financial governance system for management of the Dreadnought programme within the funding approval and control totals (total programme £31Bn). This will involve the development of business processes and system capabilities across the Alliance industry partners, driving improved efficiencies.
- Plan, deliver and assure in-year and Annual Budget Cycle (ABC) costings, including establishing more effective processes for improved estimates & final costings, interfacing with industry partners. Ensure rigorous due diligence is carried out to deliver a robust, accurate costing with clear narrative to explain the position, providing advice and recommendations as appropriate.
- Development of capability for all Finance staff in the Alliance, including leadership across the split site teams and personnel seconded into the Alliance from BAES & RR.
- Ensure compliance with accounting policy, Managing Public Money, HMT Control framework and Tax policy.
- Preparation and briefing of financial material to senior stakeholders (Including the SDA CEO, Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) and reps from HMT, Cabinet Office) on the status of the programme including financial options/choices.
Person specification
Whilst not exhaustive, the following capabilities and demonstrable competence will be required for successful execution of the role:
- Fully engaging with senior leaders from across the DNE and industry partners to inform and influence strategic decision making. Confront issues and challenge assumptions, in an assertive yet constructive way.
- Ensure teams understand their role within the DNE wider business. Shaping the team role and purpose in delivering DNE priorities which are in the national interest and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.
- Leading business and budgetary planning, controls, reporting, business case development and manage cost against budget and approvals.
- Performance Management to deliver an agile, responsive, empowered and capable business unit and to build a high performing team.
- Strong and effective stakeholder management and communications skills. Ability to operate in a complex environment and deal with uncertainty and ambiguity.
- Develop clear and focused strategies and priorities considering political, economic, social, environmental and technological impact.
- Demonstrate transparency around decisions and create a culture where others feel able to challenge decisions being made. Give unbiased evidence-led advice based on extensive robust analysis.
- Drive an inclusive and collaborative working culture which values diversity and encourages, openness, approachability and sensitivity. Ensure the wellbeing of all individuals is valued across the organisation.
- Build a strong innovative culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing. Promote the importance of developing everyone to their full potential. Take a strategic perspective to identifying the capability needs of the organisation now, and in the future.
Please provide evidence of the following Essential Criteria in your Supporting Statement
Essential Criteria:
- Experience of financial management and leadership in the context of a large and complex organisation with evidence of leading successful strategic change.
- The ability to make complex decisions at pace balancing performance, time and cost on a best for programme basis.
- Ability to uphold policy and process, deliver finance and accounting competence and demonstrate a commitment to excellence.
- An excellent communicator with proven strong stakeholder management at senior level. Ability to challenge and influence senior leadership.
- Able to collaborate and build consensus with a wide range of stakeholders across a national endeavour, utilising exceptional influencing and negotiating skills.
- An inclusive leadership style which role models. inspires, motivates, and promotes collaboration to develop/coach high performing teams, and champions wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion.
Desirable Criteria:
- Ability to think beyond the strict boundaries of a role to develop and implement long-term strategies.
- A business acumen based on commercial knowledge and leading a large capital portfolio with project delivery experience.
The successful candidate will hold the following Qualifications / Memberships:
CCAB (including CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS, Chartered Accountants Ireland) or international equivalent qualification, with full Associate or Fellowship membership of the relevant accounting body and up-to-date CPD records.
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application
To apply for this role, please submit your full application by email to: DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk. All applications will be acknowledged.
All applications must include the following:
- Please quote the role title ‘Dreadnought Alliance Finance Director’ in the subject heading of the email.
- A CV (no more than 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- A separate Supporting Statement of no more than 2 pages in a PDF document providing clear evidence of how you meet the Essential Criteria laid out in the Person Specification
- As part of the application process, you are asked to complete a Diversity Monitoring questionnaire provided. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the characteristics, you have the option to select 'prefer not to say' but completion of the form is a mandatory part of the process, and your application will not be considered complete without it.
- The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer. For more information, see the
Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy - All applications will be reviewed by the selection panel with the strongest candidates being invited to the interview process in Bristol. Full details of the selection and assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
- SDA reserves the right to make any offer of appointment conditional upon references and satisfactory conclusion of security enquiries.
- By applying for this role, SDA will also consider your application for other suitable roles within the organisation for a 12-month period from the closing date of the original campaign.
Applications must be submitted by 23:59 on 13th October 2024.
If you have any further questions about the role before applying, please contact Nicholas Hamilton, SLG Recruitment via DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk.
Any data collected in this section will be reported in an anonymous and aggregate format and will not be seen by anyone assessing your application.
Shortlisting
All applications will be reviewed by the selection panel who will consider the evidence provided by the candidates against the essential criteria to determine a shortlist.
Assessment
Candidates shortlisted will be invited to attend a panel interview for an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification. Candidates will also be required to deliver a presentation at the interview stage. Full details will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
Conflict of Interest
If you have any interest that might be relevant to the work of the Submarine Delivery Agency, and which could lead to a real or perceived conflict of interest if you were to be appointed, please provide details in the Diversity Information Form.
If you have queries about what constitutes a conflict, please contact the application address DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk
Offer
Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible after the final interview.
The SDA reserves the right to make any offer of appointment conditional upon references and satisfactory conclusion of security enquiries. Due to the volume of the applications we receive we cannot guarantee feedback in relation to the shortlist results.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Nicholas Hamilton
- Email : DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : DESHR-SCSRecruitment@mod.gov.uk
