UK Ministry of Defence
DIO Deputy Head Sales & Acquisitions
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London, Wyton, Whittington, Bristol, Andover. Other DIO locations may be considered.
Job Summary
Do you want to work for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and play a key role in keeping our country safe through caring for the Defence estate and those that depend on it?
DIO manages the Defence estate, one of the UK’s largest and most diverse property portfolios, enabling the armed forces and Defence civilians to live, work, train and deploy. From net carbon-zero accommodation to runways for the F35 fighter jets, our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe! DIO, What we deliver every day
DIO recognises that a diverse workforce is at the heart of different insights, ideas and innovation. A workforce diverse in background and life experience produces trusted public services and better decisions. We want our people to be curious and continuously strive for improvement, collaborative in an inclusive culture, ambitious and resilient and committed to Defence, empowered and able to challenge so you can play a key part in shaping the direction of our organisation.
About The Defence Housing Service
The Defence Housing Service (DHS) is being created through the Armed Forces Bill to deliver a step-change in housing for the UK’s Armed Forces and their families following the publication of the Defence Housing Strategy on 3 November 2025, which marked the most significant change to Armed Forces housing in over 50 years. DHS will bring a dedicated focus to improving the homes, communities and lived experience of Service personnel, placing families firmly at the heart of everything it does.
This is one of the most ambitious housing transformation programmes in the UK today. Backed by a £9 billion investment, DHS will modernise tens of thousands of homes, introduce a more proactive and customer-focused approach to maintenance, and unlock new opportunities to develop housing on Defence land.
DHS will have the focus and agility to deliver change at pace, combining public service values with greater flexibility to build the skills, systems and partnerships needed for the future.
This is a rare opportunity to be part of shaping its culture, influencing how it works, and helping deliver lasting improvements for Service families across the UK.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job Description
We are looking for an experienced property and housing professional with a strong track record in residential markets at portfolio level. You’ll bring expert knowledge of capital markets, private finance, and large-scale sales and acquisition strategies, alongside the ability to negotiate, influence, and secure the best commercial outcomes.
As a senior leader, you’ll build and lead a high-performing team, providing clear strategic direction and supporting delivery across the Defence Housing Strategy (DHS). You’ll work confidently with senior stakeholders across Defence, government, and industry, using excellent communication skills to drive collaboration and results across the business and in the residential property world.
Reporting to the Director Planning & Delivery, you’ll operate with a high degree of autonomy, contributing to the DHS Business Plan, shaping programme direction, and ensuring alignment with wider infrastructure priorities. This is a complex, fast-paced enterprise where you’ll be expected to drive delivery, lead at pace, manage risk and issues at scale and influence at senior levels.
If you’re a strategic leader ready to drive large-scale housing delivery, we want to hear from you.
Key Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:
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- Plan and deliver the housing sales and acquisitions portfolio, setting strategic direction and ensuring alignment with Defence policies, priorities, and long-term infrastructure plans.
- Liaise with, and support, key stakeholders involved in the design and architecture of next-generation sales and acquisition business models.
- Generate over £2Bn in receipts and manage associated spend, ensuring robust financial management, value for money and compliance with public expenditure rules.
- Build and lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver the enterprise business plan on time, within scope, and to the required standards. Estimated at around 10,000 sales and 2500 acquisitions
- Develop, own, and manage robust business cases, investment proposals, programme plans, and financial strategies for the sale, acquisition, and disposal of service family accommodation and other relevant assets, ensuring full compliance with His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT), Ministry of Defence (MOD) and DIO/DHS governance requirements.
- Oversee governance and assurance across the full delivery lifecycle, ensuring adherence to MOD policies and regulations and statutory residential requirements.
- Represent the business as a member of the senior leadership team in discussions with developers, delivery partners, other MOD representatives and cross-government bodies, shaping strategic relationships and resolving high-level delivery issues.
- Chair programme boards and key stakeholder forums on behalf of the Director Planning and Delivery, as required, providing authoritative advice, evidence-based decision-making, and clear strategic direction.
- Ensure that strategies, procurement activities, and contract management arrangements for the sales and acquisitions function align with DHS objectives and deliver value for money.
The future delivery model for this team is currently under review and may change as part of potential organisational developments. This could include the team or function transferring to a different employer or organisational structure in the future. Should activities transfer out of the Ministry of Defence existing employees transferring with those activities will maintain the same or substantially the same terms and conditions of employment.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
The post holder should have experience, knowledge and demonstratable skills in the following areas:
- Significant experience of working in a sales and acquisition residential property environment
- Experience of working within an infrastructure, estates, or construction programme/portfolio of works.
- Effective leadership of multi-disciplinary teams engaged in large-scale programmes, portfolios and projects
- Strong analytical skills with ability to present evidence-based argument and business cases to influence senior decision-making and resolve strategic issues
- Experience working at a strategic level with budgets and financial data
- The ability to deliver at pace taking responsibility for timeous delivery of outcomes with focus and drive
- Experience of managing complex networks of stakeholders
- Strong understanding of P3M planning including the use of planning tools for delivery
Desirable criteria
- GPP Core Accreditation at Chartered, Certified or Fellow grade (RICS, IWFM, CIOB, CEng, CEnv, RTPI, RIBA)
- Project Management Qualification: MSP, PRINCE, PRINCE 2, APM equivalent (i.e. APMP)
- Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) or Project Leadership Programme (PLP)
Licences
The role involves regular travel to various locations, some of which are not easily accessible by public transport; therefore, applicants must hold a full, valid UK driving licence.
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Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
Leadership
Alongside your salary of £72,840, Ministry of Defence contributes £21,101 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- 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%
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
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.
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/.
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 however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. 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 Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
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