Navy Command - Strategic Engagement Lead

Job summary

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. Together, we uphold centuries of naval tradition while driving innovation that ensures the Royal Navy’s readiness to protect our nation and secure our future.

As the authority for the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine capability, the Submarine Directorate oversees one of the most complex and critical elements of UK defence. Covering everything from in ‑ service management to long ‑ term fleet modernisation, the directorate ensures the Submarine Flotilla remains safe, reliable, and ready to meet national security requirements.

This position is a Reserved Post 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.

Job description

Are you ready to influence senior decision-making at the heart of one of Defence’s most strategically important portfolios? This is a rare opportunity to lead high-profile engagement across the Submarine Directorate, shaping clear and compelling narratives, supporting senior leaders, and driving activity that directly contributes to national security. As Strategic Engagement Team Leader, you will work across Navy Command, the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, MOD and wider government to turn complex issues into credible, coordinated and actionable messages.

What you will do:

• Co-ordinating conversion of strategic intent into delivery, and building on policy work. You will coordinate a central team and engage extensively with stakeholders across the Defence Nuclear Enterprise to ensure DSM’s strategic intent is understood xMOD and Submarine Directorate is well positioned to anticipate and respond to developing central strategic intent.
• Coordinate clearance and sign-off of external reviews across relevant stakeholders to meet the needs of senior stakeholders and timelines.
• Sponsor strategic analysis and commissions, ensuring work is scoped well, driven forward and translated into decisions and action.
• Lead strategic engagement across government building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Own and maintain the senior briefing suite, ensuring products are accurate, timely and aligned to strategic priorities.
• Drive the creation of a comprehensive and actionable final improvement plan once recommendations are confirmed.
• Maintain momentum if timelines shift, ensuring there is a credible plan to continue development and delivery.
• Keep stakeholders informed, aligned and committed through sign-off, planning and implementation.
• Shape clear, coherent narratives on priorities, risks, opportunities and progress, anticipating issues rather than reacting to them.
• Coordinate input to major policy developments and parliamentary engagement, ensuring Navy and Defence perspectives are evidence-based and delivery-focused.
• Maintain strong horizon scanning and early engagement with emerging initiatives, so the submarine portfolio is ready to influence and respond to future change.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear, credible and persuasive briefings, narratives and senior-level advice.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with experience of building trusted relationships and influencing across organisational boundaries, including with senior leaders and external partners.
• Sound judgement and political awareness, with the ability to work confidently on sensitive, high-profile or high-consequence issues.
• Proven ability to coordinate work across teams, manage competing priorities and maintain momentum against demanding timelines.
• Experience of turning strategy, policy or review recommendations into practical plans, actions, governance and reporting arrangements.
• Ability to anticipate risks, identify emerging issues and provide clear options or recommendations to support effective decision-making.
• Confident leadership style, with the ability to motivate others, provide direction and support delivery in a complex stakeholder environment.
• Policy making experience a plus.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,630, Ministry of Defence contributes

£17,854 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).

• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Market-leading employer pension contribution of 28.97%
• Personal & professional development
• Alternative working patterns for many roles
• Access to a confidential, professional support service
• Discount schemes
• Bicycle / season-ticket loans
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave
• Special paid leave to volunteer (up to 6 days a year)

In Navy Command we believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you’ll be supported through your learning journey and your career. This can include working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking an apprenticeship as part of your role.

You’ll have access to a variety of qualifications pathways ranging from GCSE/A-Level equivalent all the way up to master’s degree, depending on your role, your previous skills and your experience. Some qualifications even include “on-the-job” training which means minimal disruption to your working day but maximum impact

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 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.

Things you need to know

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.

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.

At Sift, you will be assessed against the following;

• Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history and qualification details.
• Candidates will be required to provide a personal statement. This should be a maximum of 500 words that sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements for the role.

At Interview, you will be assessed against the following success profiles:

Behaviour

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions

Further information:

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.

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