Navy Command, Design Authority Assistant Head

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.

Within HM Naval Base Clyde the Design Authority (DA) acts on behalf of the Clyde Authorise to ensure that nuclear activities remain safe, compliant and capable of supporting current and future Royal Navy operations.

We are recruiting four Assistant Head Approving Authority roles at Grade 7 within the Design Authority. Reporting directly to the Design Authority Lead, these senior leaders will maintain Design Authority capability and provide independent technical governance across some of the most complex and safety-critical infrastructure in UK Defence. They will act as the Design Authority Intelligent Customer, ensuring that safety justification, engineering substantiation, policy and standards remain fit for purpose and continue to support authorised activities across HMNB Clyde.

These positions are reserved posts 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

Assistant Heads within the Design Authority are accountable for maintaining the adequacy of the safety justification, engineering substantiation, policy, standards and governance arrangements supporting authorised activities across HMNB Clyde.

Acting on behalf of the Clyde Authorisee, postholders provide independent oversight and approval of safety and engineering outputs, ensuring that design intent, safety requirements and regulatory commitments continue to be met throughout the lifecycle of facilities, infrastructure and associated programmes.

The postholders set technical direction within their areas of responsibility, identify and address organisational and technical risks, maintain compliance with site and regulatory requirements, and ensure that Design Authority arrangements remain effective and proportionate. This includes overseeing modifications, maintenance, periodic reviews, technical assurance processes and the management of shortfalls affecting safety, compliance or operational capability.

Postholders lead specialist teams and work collaboratively with stakeholders across HMNB Clyde, the wider Defence Nuclear Enterprise, regulators and industry partners. They provide authoritative advice to senior decision-makers and represent the Design Authority at governance, authorisation and assurance forums.

Collectively, the Assistant Heads ensure that the Clyde Design Authority retains the capability, capacity and organisational knowledge required to fulfil its responsibilities as the Design Authority Intelligent Customer on behalf of the Authorisee.

The four roles have distinct functional responsibilities:

Assistant Head Approving Authority (Design) – Coulport: Responsible for the engineering substantiation, design intent and technical governance of facilities and infrastructure supporting operations at RNAD Coulport. The postholder leads Design Authority assurance across a broad portfolio of nuclear, conventional and weapons-supporting infrastructure, ensuring that engineering substantiation remains adequate throughout the asset lifecycle.

Assistant Head Approving Authority (Design) – Replacement Warhead: Responsible for engineering substantiation and design governance for the Replacement Warhead programme and its associated infrastructure. The postholder provides Design Authority leadership for future facilities, ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory requirements.

Assistant Head Approving Authority (Safety Case) – Replacement Warhead: Responsible for the development, maintenance, approval and strategic direction of safety justifications and safety cases supporting authorised Replacement Warhead activities. The postholder leads safety case strategy, independent review, regulatory engagement and long-term safety justification planning.

Assistant Head Approving Authority (Policy & Standards): Responsible for the governance framework underpinning the Design Authority. This includes developing and maintaining Design Authority policy, standards, safety management arrangements, compliance arrangements, periodic review programmes and organisational capability. The postholder also oversees business planning, compliance, interfaces and organisational governance across the wider Design Authority.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you must show you meet the following essential criteria:

Essential criteria

• Significant experience operating in a technical leadership, governance or assurance role within a highly regulated industry.
• Experience developing, assessing, approving or maintaining engineering substantiation and/or safety cases, technical standards, governance arrangements or regulatory compliance frameworks.
• Experience making risk-informed decisions and providing technical advice on complex safety, operational or regulatory issues.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and influencing senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries.
• Ability to provide independent, evidence-based judgement and challenge where appropriate.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical information to senior audiences.
• Degree qualification in engineering, science or another relevant technical discipline.
• Chartered Engineer, Chartered Scientist or equivalent professional standing, or the ability to demonstrate equivalent experience.

Desirable criteria

• Nuclear, defence, explosives, maritime or other high-hazard industry experience.
• Experience acting as an Intelligent Customer, Design Authority, Technical Authority or Approving Authority.
• Experience supporting regulatory interactions with bodies such as ONR, DNSR or equivalent regulators.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

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

• Nuclear Competence Framework 1.2: Nuclear Safety Management Systems
• Nuclear Competence Framework 1.3 Nuclear Safety Cases
• Nuclear Competence Framework 4:4 Nuclear Infrastructure Concept, Assessment, Design, Modifications and Life Extensions

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