Director Strategy, Governance & Communications

The Director Strategy, Governance & Communications plays a critical role as part of the MOD strategic capability, operating within and across the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group.

The NAD group brings together 27,000 people focusing on delivering major programmes, projects and services that directly support and enable the military front line.

In this role you will provide a critical interface with the rest of Defence, Whitehall and Industry to enable the NAD Group to be the UK’s strategic interlocutor for defence capability preparedness.

You will lead on providing strategic organisational direction, prioritisation and stakeholder engagement, setting organisational performance, long-term reputational improvement and internal communications.

The role oversees the NAD Group’s strategy, governance, communications and policy secretariat teams.

Their key interlocutors are the Directors of Strategy and Communications in Department of State, Military Strategic Head Quarters and Defence Nuclear Enterprise – as well as the Director leads for industrial, international and innovation strategies in the NAD Group.

The NAD Group has a significant undertaking to deliver the Strategic Defence Review, Defence Industrial Strategy, Defence Investment Plan and Defence Reform at pace.

You would play an influential role in the oversight and implementation of these departmental and ministerial priorities by creating the conditions for the rest of the NAD Group to succeed – both internally and externally.

The Director Strategy, Governance & Communications operates at the heart of the NAD Group, working alongside its executive leadership – both as it designs itself for the future and operates as a single integrated organisation, within a wider Defence context.

You would work closely with the NAD Chief of Staff who is responsible for the day-to-day coherence of strategic activity.

Responsibilities:

• Using wider context of global threats, the defence enterprise and departmental and Ministerial direction to set strategy, communications, and strategic engagements across Defence.
• Defining the NAD Group’s vision, high-level change agenda and strategic priorities, while aligning these to departmental strategy and the MOD’s Strategic Cycles, particularly the Strategic Planning Cycle.
• Provide leadership of the organisation’s governance framework, ensuring robust corporate oversight, effective assurance, and high-quality decision-making that enables the delivery of strategic objectives.
• Setting the strategic performance framework for the NAD Group, which measures progress against the outcomes, benefits and priorities set out in its strategy and plan.
• Oversee the NAD Group’s Strategic Centre, bringing together strategy, communications, governance, policy secretariat and performance reporting from across the entire 27,000-strong NAD Group to support decision-making and strategic engagements across Defence.
• Lead implementation and reporting of Strategic Defence Review recommendation.
• Enable the delivery of effective communications, in support of the NAD Group, their partnerships, and into wider cross-Defence campaigns, and ensure effective communications to meet business needs through the effective utilisation of communication and policy professionals.
• Support DG Corporate in the effective design, mobilisation and long-term implementation of the Strategy Directorate work in line with Defence Reform – and by optimising the interfaces with wider-Defence at Director level.
• Represent the NAD Group and DG executive team at external strategic events, to set out the NAD Group vision and future direction for partners in industry, international and innovation communities.

Person specification:

• Proven ability to translate strategic intent, policy development, and innovative thinking into tangible delivery outcomes, ensuring effective implementation at pace while adapting to shifting priorities, complex organisational change and leading teams to embrace new ways of working.
• Proven ability to quickly establish credibility and trusted relationships with senior stakeholders up to ministerial level (or equivalent), while ensuring ministerial and senior priorities are effectively implemented and providing robust evidence-based advice that leverages a strong understanding of the wider political landscape.
• Proven ability to translate insights and analysis from a complex operating environment, and the implications of government and departmental direction, into strategic priorities and tangible action.
• Demonstrable experience of managing a business area responsible for the strategic delivery of corporate services, including at least one of these policy areas: governance, communications and policy secretariat.
• Demonstrable experience of translating strategic policy and organisational vision into executable delivery plans, leading complex programmes from concept through implementation to achieve measurable outcomes in a dynamic and politically sensitive environment.​

Benefits:

• Salary of £135,000 - £150,000 per year
• Ministry of Defence contributes £39,109 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme
• 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%