Description
This role sits in SONAC's Challenge & Wargaming Team and reports to the Assistant Head Challenge & Wargaming (B2 / Grade 7).
SONAC (Secretary of State's Office of Net Assessment and Challenge) is a small and inclusive team at the heart of the MOD that provides independent advice to the Defence Secretary and senior MOD Officials.
SONAC uses structured methods such as net assessment, wargaming, red teaming, and strategic analysis to test and improve developing plans and strategies within the department, and to explore and develop areas MoD may be missing.
As Senior Policy Advisor, Wargaming, you will lead the delivery of SONAC wargames which address high-level strategic issues of relevance to our analytical teams, as well as other teams in MoD and x-HMG.
Responsibilities:
- Be responsible for the design, organisation, and delivery of SONAC wargames;
- Work as required with x-Defence, x-HMG, or with Private Contractor providers to deliver and facilitate SONAC wargames;
- Work with stakeholders and SONAC colleagues to ensure SONAC wargames rigorously fulfil their analytical requirements;
- Analyse and evaluate the findings of SONAC wargames and produce written reports for MoD, x-HMG, and international audiences;
- Brief sometimes very senior audiences on the findings of SONAC's wargames;
- Support SONAC's Challenge and especially Red Teaming function;
- Support colleagues in SONAC's other analytical teams through applying your subject matter expertise;
- Collaborate with, and build effective relationships with, relevant teams x-HMG (in the wargaming, policy, strategy, intelligence, and analysis communities);
- Liaise with key stakeholders outside HMG, including selected international engagement;
- Develop credibility x-HMG and externally as a wargamer;
- Have opportunities to support or represent the team in meetings in MoD and x-HMG.
Person specification: Essential Criteria:
- Be a wargaming practitioner with experience of designing, delivering, or supporting wargames or equivalent strategic exercises;
- Be interested in international security, strategy, or defence issues;
- Be an excellent communicator with an emphasis on facilitation skills;
- Have excellent drafting skills, and an ability to analyse wargame findings and translate deep/technical detail into concise strategic-level implications;
- Be a strong collaborator, with experience of stakeholder management and building effective networks across and/or outside government;
- Have excellent information management skills with an emphasis on wargame data capture, and analysis;
- Be able to prioritise and manage a broad portfolio of work to deliver high-quality products, often at pace;
- Be willing to embrace a 'challenge mindset' through application of Subject Matter Expertise and structured analytical techniques.
Desirable Criteria:
- A postgraduate degree or professional qualification on a topic related to Wargaming or at least two years professional experience working on wargaming and exercising;
- Experience delivering wargame and equivalent exercises involving x-HMG or international stakeholders or for senior decision makers;
- Experience of employing AI tools in wargaming;
- Experience of using Structured Analytical Techniques;
- Extant Developed Vetting.
Benefits:
- Salary of £46,040 per year
- Ministry of Defence contributes £13,337 towards 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%