This role is primarily based at MOD Main Building London so regular travel to MOD Main Building will be required, but the successful candidate can be based at other large/main Defence sites within the UK (subject to line manager agreement and site availability/capacity).
This role offers a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance.
Job Summary
Earlier this year, the Government published the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) – our plan to make the UK safer: secure at home, strong abroad. The recently published Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) will ensure that we have an industry capable of successfully implementing the SDR. The commitments made in the SDR and the DIS are supported by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War. Together, they are crucial in not only meeting the UK’s national security requirements but also in reaching one of the Government’s core missions – “Kickstarting Economic Growth”.
The Growth and Place team is responsible for delivering a significant part of the DIS: five Defence Growth Deals across the UK (a £250 million programme) and the Defence Industry Skills programme (a £182 million programme). We also lead the MOD’s approach and policy on devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The team is at the forefront of policy development in an exciting, fast-paced environment.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and dynamic leader to shape and deliver a high-profile portfolio of work that drives innovation, creates jobs, and supports regional prosperity. As Head of Place and Industry Skills, you will provide strategic leadership to a diverse and high-performing team, ensuring that Defence delivers on its commitments to regional growth, industry skills, and devolution.
In this role, you will operate with significant autonomy, engaging directly with senior stakeholders across government, industry, academia and local communities to deliver tangible outcomes. This role requires exceptional judgement, strong leadership through complexity, the ability to manage diverse teams, and the resilience to make confident decisions under pressure.
Job Description
- Setting a clear and compelling vision for the Place and Industry Skills team, fostering a high-performing, agile, and inclusive culture. Inspire and empower your team to deliver positive outcomes and build capability for the future.
- Leading the delivery of the 5 Defence Growth Deal programme, ensuring that Defence contributes positively to local communities and economies across the UK.
- Overseeing the delivery of the 10 Defence Industry Skills programme, working with government, industry, and academic partners to address skills gaps and build a sustainable, highly skilled defence sector workforce.
- Shaping the MOD’s broader regional growth agenda, including the development of policies and strategies to support devolution in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
- Building and maintaining trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across the MOD, wider government, industry, academia, and local communities. Representing the MOD in cross-government forums and ensuring alignment with national and regional priorities.
- Providing clear, evidence-based advice to senior leaders and ministers on regional growth, industry skills, and devolution issues, ensuring that decisions are informed by sound analysis and stakeholder input.
- Managing budgets and resources effectively, ensuring value for money and the delivery of high-quality outcomes.
- Maintaining focus and momentum on priorities, establishing effective resilience measures, and ensuring the team delivers high-quality results under pressure.
- Setting a clear and compelling vision for the Place and Industry Skills team, fostering a high-performing, agile, and inclusive culture. Inspire and empower your team to deliver positive outcomes and build capability for the future.
- Leading the delivery of the 5 Defence Growth Deal programme, ensuring that Defence contributes positively to local communities and economies across the UK.
- Overseeing the delivery of the 10 Defence Industry Skills programme, working with government, industry, and academic partners to address skills gaps and build a sustainable, highly skilled defence sector workforce.
- Shaping the MOD’s broader regional growth agenda, including the development of policies and strategies to support devolution in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
- Building and maintaining trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across the MOD, wider government, industry, academia, and local communities. Representing the MOD in cross-government forums and ensuring alignment with national and regional priorities.
- Providing clear, evidence-based advice to senior leaders and ministers on regional growth, industry skills, and devolution issues, ensuring that decisions are informed by sound analysis and stakeholder input.
- Managing budgets and resources effectively, ensuring value for money and the delivery of high-quality outcomes.
- Maintaining focus and momentum on priorities, establishing effective resilience measures, and ensuring the team delivers high-quality results under pressure.
Person specification
- Inspirational Leadership: A proven ability to lead and inspire high-performing teams, with a commitment to promoting continuous learning for yourself and your team, taking accountability and ensuring psychological safety; creating an inclusive and collaborative culture that delivers results.
- Policy and Strategy Delivery: Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering innovative strategy and policy in fast-paced, complex environments, with the ability to align work with wider governmental/organisational priorities and wider industry context to strengthen future delivery.
- Effective Communication: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the proven ability to convey complex ideas clearly, influence decisions, and build credibility with senior leaders and stakeholders.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Extensive experience in building and maintaining trusted partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders, including government, industry, academia, and local communities; tactfully managing diverse and conflicting stakeholder perspectives.
- Delivery Focus: A track record of driving high-quality outcomes at pace, managing resources effectively, and maintaining focus on priorities during periods of ambiguity and change.
- Sound Decision-Making: A proven ability to make informed, transparent decisions using evidence, risk analysis, and stakeholder input, while remaining open to challenge and committed to continuous improvement.
Alongside your salary of £81,000, Ministry of Defence contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- 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%
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
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process no later than
23:55 on Sunday 12 April 2026 and will involve providing the two documents outlined below via the Civil Service Jobs portal:
- 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 Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) providing tangible examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role. Strong examples should focus on what you did, how you did it, and the impact of your actions.
Sherin Aminossehe will be hosting an online Q&A session on
Tuesday 31st March at 10:00am - 11:00am to provide an overview of the role and answer any questions you may have. You can join the session by clicking
here.
External candidates who join the MOD and are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
For further information about the role and full application process, please refer to the candidate pack attached below. If you wish to receive any material in a different format for accessibility, then please contact People-CivHR-SCSCandidateSupport@mod.gov.uk.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
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).
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
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).
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
- Name : SCS Resourcing Team
- Email : People-CivHR-SCSCandidateSupport@mod.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : People-CivHR-SCSCandidateSupport@mod.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact People-CivHR-SCSCandidateSupport@mod.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
