Software Acquisition Engineer

Organisation: Defence Equipment & Support 
Salary: £46,400 per annum (plus generous benefits)
Grade: PII 
Working Pattern: Full time, Part time, Job Share, Flexible Working
Contract Type: Permanent

Job Summary

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes, and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe – for today, and tomorrow.

DE&S has recently been integrated into the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group. The NAD Group brings together key Ministry of Defence (MOD) organisations to unite expertise across science, technology, procurement, infrastructure, and support to provide integrated capabilities faster and more efficiently for our armed forces and our allies.  This is an exciting new opportunity to enable better ways of working and empower greater collaboration across Defence. For further information about the NAD Group, please visit: National Armaments Director Group - GOV.UK

We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of 28.97%, to help make work for you.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you’ve been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained, or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months.

Job description 

The Joint Asset Management and Engineering Solutions (JAMES) Lead Engineer is the senior technical authority responsible for assuring the safety, security, integrity, availability, and technical sustainability of the JAMES capability, a mission-critical Defence information system supporting over 40,000 users and millions of equipment records across Defence.

The role provides authoritative leadership across systems engineering, safety assurance, cyber security, technical governance, and service sustainment, ensuring JAMES remains legally operable, secure, compliant, and fit to support Defence operations. It also enables the transition to the replacement Defence Equipment Engineering Asset Management Systems (DEEAMS) capability and the controlled retirement of JAMES through 2029.

You will be required to possess strong technical expertise in software assurance, systems engineering, information systems engineering, safety and cyber security oversight, technical assurance, integrated risk management, obsolescence management, and transition/decommissioning planning. You must also be capable of leading the remediation of significant cyber vulnerabilities, maintaining Authority to Operate (ATO), assuring engineering compliance, managing technical risks, and providing strategic technical direction across a complex safety-critical Defence environment.

This role requires exceptional technical leadership, systems thinking, engineering judgement, analytical problem-solving, risk-based decision-making, stakeholder engagement, influencing skills, and the ability to provide clear technical advice to senior military, commercial, and Defence stakeholders. You must demonstrate calm and decisive leadership under pressure, maintain a strong assurance mindset, and balance safety, security, operational effectiveness, technical risk, and business priorities.

Due to the safety-critical nature of the position and the need for close collaboration with military users, Lockheed Martin, Business Modernisation for Support (BMfS), and other Defence stakeholders, you will be required to be based in Warminster and spend a minimum of 60% of your time on-site, providing visible leadership and direct oversight of engineering assurance, service delivery, cyber remediation, and DEEAMS transition activities.

It would be advantageous for you to have previous JAMES experience and understanding of Defence equipment management, engineering assurance, and the operational environment in which the capability is used but is not essential and can be taught whilst in post.

What you’ll be doing

• Technical Data – Develop and maintain policy and process to satisfy the corporate standard JSP 935 for Software Acquisition Management.
• Identify and analyse software acquisition risk reduction measures, ensuring that these are adequately documented and managed. 
• Legislation/Policy – Working in a highly regulated area, educate others with relevant legislation, regulation, policy, processes, and standards to deliver technical documentation for a sub-system. This includes the essential relation to quality, safety, security, and sustainability, of the system, and the interoperability with other sub-systems. 
• Design – Accountable for the Software Support Plan (SSP) and the software supportability self-assessment required to satisfy the Governing Policy (GP) 2.11, within the Support Solution Development Tool (SSDT). 
• Stakeholder Management – Collaborate and manage trade-offs with other sub-system teams and specialists, over technical requirements, and design compromises, to maximise successful system implementation and delivery.  
• Assurance – Lead technical software assurance activities within the limit of your technical discipline.  
• Technical Discipline – Provides informed software acquisition engineering advice to decision makers.

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

• Have a wide-ranging depth and breadth of experience of providing technical advice and delivery of successful software acquisition / engineering or computer science outcomes – Lead Criterion

• Be professionally registered or intend to be professionally registered with a relevant Professional body/institution related to the discipline, as either: 

• Advanced Registered IT Technician (Adv RITTech); or

• Incorporated Engineer (IEng).

• Safety management competence – knowledge of system safety principles, hazard management and ALARP decision-making across the lifecycle. 

• Information security awareness – understanding of security principles relevant to information systems and their integration into engineering solutions.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Core Behaviour 1: Making Effective Decisions – CSBC 3

• Core Behaviour 2: Changing and Improving – CSBC 3

• Technical Competence 1: ECF_01 Suitable Systems and Systems Thinking – Practitioner

• Technical Competence 2: PMPC - Stakeholder Management – Supervised Practitioner

Offered benefits

• 25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 28.97%
• Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts
• Volunteering days

• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of - and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.

#LI-Hybrid

Further Information

• Civil Service Recruitment Principles: Recruitment Principles - Civil Service Commission 

• Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/DES-candidate-information-pack

• Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-Terms-and-Conditions

• Civil Service Code: The Code - Civil Service Commission

Any personal data that you provide during the Recruitment process will be treated in accordance with the MOD Privacy Notice which can be accessed here.

Disability Confident:

Please note as a Disability Confident Leader we want to ensure you receive any reasonable adjustments that you need throughout the recruitment process. If you do require any reasonable adjustments, you can let us know on your online application under the section ‘Please indicate and give details of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the recruitment process.’

Conflicts of Interest:

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.

Selection Process Details

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift - We will check your application to ensure that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.

2. Sift - Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills. Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.

3. Interview - If you're invited to interview, you will be assessed against the following:

• CV Review

• Core Behaviour 1

• Core Behaviour 2

• Technical Competencies

Please Note: In the event of a tied score at interview, the Order of Merit will be distinguished based on the ranking of the assessed behaviours and competencies below: 

• 1st: Core Behaviour 1 
• 2nd: Core Behaviour 2 
• 3rd: Technical Competencies 
• 4th: CV Review 

In the event of a further tie using the method above, we reserve the right to utilise the Lead criteria, and/or an additional assessment. Please note for this specific assessment, the Lead Criteria will be:

Have a wide-ranging depth and breadth of experience of providing technical advice and delivery of successful software acquisition / engineering or computer science outcomes 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact department via email ([email protected].) If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Recruitment Complaints - Civil Service Commission

Offering at a lower level

If you’re not successful at interview, we may offer you a role at a lower level if this is a match for your skills and experience. If this applies to your application, you’ll be scored against criteria for the lower-level role and offers will be made in merit order. If you accept this position, you’ll be able to take advantage of opportunities to develop your career as part of our team.