Innovation Project Manager

You will be responsible for project delivery and governance and will need to be comfortable liaising with experts across a range of fields including operational, finance, commercial, cyber security, specific technology areas and more.

An Innovation Project Manager will typically lead 3 to 4 projects simultaneously and will actively manage budgets, stakeholders and resources for their projects.

The jHub project portfolio is widespread and includes medical innovation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, support to operations, force protection techniques and other areas in line with Cyber and Specialist Operations Command’s core objectives. The successful candidate will run projects in any of these areas and will be comfortable gaining an understanding of new technical subjects. You will often work with significant autonomy and be expected to identify problems and match these up with the best possible solutions industry or academia has to offer, at pace, whilst ensuring creative options are considered.

Whilst we do not mandate any specific prior technical or military knowledge, and would welcome applications from outside of Defence, a high degree of maturity, adaptability and resilience is critical for the role.

Significant UK, and occasional international, travel is required. There may be scope to line manage small teams depending on the scale of the project.

Person specification

You should be a strategic problem solver with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans. Have a high level of resilience and adaptability in a dynamic environment with the ability to inspire and motivate teams. You will have strong organisational and prioritisation skills and will have excellent communication skills, being able to actively listen and influence your audience.

Identify Innovation Opportunities:

• Lead on collection of problem statements from across Cyber and Specialist Operations Command and discover innovative solutions from industry.
• Your networking and research skills will be excellent and you will have a passion for working with UK Defence.

Effective Project Management:

• Create, design and lead innovation projects to deliver and measure the agreed outcomes within time, cost and quality constraints.
• Identify and track risks and dependencies.
• Be able to problem solve, selecting and adapting methodologies for delivery, excellent prioritisation and project management skills.
• The role requires an understanding of strategy and processes and you must be able to articulate how projects address key challenges for UK Defence.

Communication:

• Your written and verbal communication skills will be excellent and will be able to deliver clear and well-structured argument for change.
• You must be comfortable engaging a diverse range of stakeholders including senior leaders, and be able to write papers, presentations and briefings suitable for a variety of audiences.

Accurately manage project budgets and resource:

• Track delivery within budget and provide timely forecasts.
• Manage all project resources effectively to achieve goals.
• You will be responsible for your project budget and finances (usually around £200k-£1M)

Ensure benefits and lessons realisation:

• Ensure project benefits & lessons are identified, understood, measured and recorded accurately.

Commitment to personal development:

• The jHub values innovation excellence and all staff are encouraged to further their own personal development through training, inspiration or advice and sharing opportunities with your colleagues where possible.

Essential Experience

• Experience of successfully managing projects in a complex environment.
• You will have excellent communication skills and the ability to evidence where they have used these skills to cohere projects and influence stakeholders.
• You will have a passion for innovation and complex problem solving.
• You will be able to think strategically across technical and professional disciplines, understanding the legal, commercial and technical implications of different options and seeking new ways to accelerate innovation into UK Defence.
• You will be driven and committed to the advancement of your own (and your team’s) professional development
• You will have the organisational skills required to ensure that you can deliver projects and tasks on time and to budget.
• Association for Project Management (APM Registered Project Professional), Agile Project Management qualification or equivalent.

Qualifications

Please list your project management qualifications. E.g. Association for Project Management (APM Registered Project Professional), SCRUM, Agile Project Management qualification or equivalent.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Alongside your salary of £46,040, Ministry of Defence contributes £13,337 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).

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%

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

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