Leadership and Engagement Consultant

Do you want to be part of something big in Defence? Do you enjoy working collaboratively and believe in the difference that great leadership can make? Then this role may be for you!

The Leadership and Engagement Consultant will put in place high impact strategies that upskill our leaders and shape productive behaviours that empower, enable and engage teams to deliver our purpose: to protect the nation and help it to proposer.

Reporting to the Head of Leadership, Culture and Engagement within the HR Directorate, this important role manages the centre of expertise for civilian leadership. In this large organisation you will be required to partner and collaborate across the Defence enterprise and wider government, working with senior colleagues and stakeholders.

The Leadership, Culture and Engagement team form part of a wider Civilian HR group (LEAD) that also have responsibilities for talent, SCS management, learning and capability building.

The core purpose of this role is to:

• Deliver on our evolving leadership and engagement strategy, with ample opportunity to shape it, so that we strengthen our leadership.
• Bring together key delivery partnerships (for example, Armed Forces colleagues, the Defence Leadership Centre, and Government Skills and Curriculum Unit) to improve leadership capability.
• Ensure Defence uses the most contemporary leadership theory and practise systemically, nurturing a community of practice.

There will be ample chance to define your role. You will work with many stakeholders at every layer and have a particular responsibility for bringing the Executive Committee’s ambition for whole force leadership to life. Strong mentoring and facilitation skills will add additional value.

We offer a safe, supportive environment with plenty of room for our people to develop as HR professionals.

Great teams come together to provide each other with support and growth so the team is based together at our London office in Whitehall, where many of our key stakeholders are also based. However, we embrace hybrid and other flexible working approaches and empower our people to shape a work-life balance that’s right for them and the department.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

• Line management of one Leadership and Engagement Associate.
• Leading evolution of a Leadership Strategy and associated annual delivery plan, outlining key priority areas and success measures for leadership capability building.
• Assessing the impact of interventions and continuously improving what the team and its partners deliver.
• Embedding the Civil Service Leadership in Action framework as a standard for leadership behaviours.
• Using relevant data sources to determine leadership capability gaps. Facilitate the development of group and local level initiatives - helping best practice spread across Defence.
• Developing mechanisms to support leaders’ growth related to self-awareness. This includes developing and launching a new 360 leadership feedback tool and enabling self-directed and peer-to-peer learning.
• Launching and embedding leadership forums and networks that enable leaders to utilise the collective intelligence of the organisation to solve challenges at the local and strategic level.
• Leading the planning and delivery of leadership events for Defence senior leaders including bi-annual conferences for the senior leadership community across Defence (civilian and military).
• Working in partnership with strategic workforce planning and learning providers (Defence Academy, Government Campus) to develop a leadership learning pathway that supports the development of current and future leaders.
• Working collaboratively with the rest of the team in developing and maturing a Leadership, Culture and Engagement strategic plan. Acting as a team player to transform the approach to Leadership and Engagement in Defence through ad-hoc projects the directorate’s management decides to take forward.
• Actively contributing to making the HR Directorate a great place to work for everyone.

This role profile is not exhaustive. It is intended as an outline indication of the areas of responsibility and may be amended in light of the changing needs of the organisation.

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application:

• Experience of successfully delivering leadership interventions on time and to budget in a complex environment, using a range of facilitation methods (which may include facilitation through others). This includes strong events planning and management.
• Demonstrable high-quality communication skills (written and verbal) including the ability to use a range of virtual collaboration tools competently to facilitate high quality group interventions.
• Ability to use quantitative and qualitative data and evidence to make effective decisions and influence stakeholders.
• Ability to manage a varied and uneven workload effectively, involving ongoing business-as-usual activity and project work, often at pace, using agile and traditional project methodologies and strong organisational strengths.
• A track record of building good relationships with tough stakeholders and collaborating effectively across large, complex organisational landscapes.
• A full or part-qualified member (Level 5) of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) or willing to work towards this.

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

• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

Being part of our Civil Service community means you will have access to a range of benefits including:

• Learning and development tailored to your role and broader skill development, enabling you to build a long-term career in your chosen area – including options to complete apprenticeships
• The civil service champions a variety of flexible working options to suit your needs
• 25 days annual leave, raising to 30 days following 5 years’ service (+ 8 days bank and public holidays), with family friendly benefits including enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• A market leading civil service pension
• A culture which encourages inclusion and diversity within its teams
• Some of our sites have onsite gyms, restaurants, cafes, nurseries and more
• An employee discount scheme for all you’re in-store and on-line shopping needs

Further information on the benefits available can be found on our benefits portal.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six month probation period.

Posts based in London will attract the relevant London weighting.

Interview travel expenses will not be reimbursed.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment by 31st December 2022. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

Job contact :

Name :
Laura Wilson
Email :
laura.wilson195@mod.gov.uk
Telephone :
07500973046

Recruitment team :

Email :
DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam3@mod.gov.uk