Location
City of Westminster, London. The role requires regular weekly attendance in the office and travel between sites in London, Bristol, and Reading, with occasional wider UK and international travel.

Hours
Full time. The role holder will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time at their contractual workplace, with flexibility considered for reasonable adjustments.

Salary
£84,637 per annum

About the Role
This is a pivotal opportunity to join the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO) within the Ministry of Defence (MOD), working at the heart of critical defence priorities. The Assistant Head of Supply Chain will lead commercial activities focused on supply chain resilience and supplier fragility across the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE). You will use evidence and insight to assess risks, mobilise mitigations, and coordinate timely interventions with delivery teams and partners, shifting the enterprise towards a proactive, intelligence-led approach.

You will manage the customer sponsor role for sponsored organisations, providing clearer demand signals, supporting cross-MOD business development, and ensuring robust governance and value-for-money oversight where the Department has sponsor or ownership interests.

The role involves working closely with key partners including the Royal Navy, UK Strategic Command, Atomic Weapons Establishment, Sheffield Forgemasters, and major industry suppliers such as BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, and Babcock. You will be an active member of DNO Commercial’s Senior Management Team, driving collaboration across the DNE, MOD, and wider Government.

This position requires commitment to professional development, including obtaining CIPS accreditation within two years of appointment, and holding or obtaining Developed Vetting (DV) clearance prior to appointment.

Experience
- Proven ability to lead identification and management of complex commercial and supply chain risks using data, judgement, and scenario analysis.
- Strong analytical skills to generate actionable insights from complex commercial and supply chain data.
- Experience applying commercial judgement in complex, sensitive environments balancing risk, value, and delivery.
- Demonstrable ability to operate effectively in high-pressure national security environments.
- Experience engaging senior stakeholders at Board, Permanent Secretary, and Ministerial levels.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver results at pace.
- Experience working with industry stakeholders within a national security context.

About you
- Mentally agile and resilient with strong communication skills to influence diverse audiences.
- Comfortable turning imperfect information into structured assessments and clear recommendations.
- Skilled at building strong working relationships across government and industry.
- Committed to professional development and continuous learning.
- Willingness to travel internationally, typically to the US and France, to engage with suppliers and visit manufacturing sites.
- Ability to operate with discretion and integrity in a classified environment.

Qualifications
- Must be a British national.
- Willingness and ability to obtain Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance prior to appointment.
- Commitment to achieving CIPS accreditation within two years of appointment.
- Knowledge of Intellectual Property Rights and the Procurement Act 2023.
- Desirable: Working knowledge of Single Source Contracting Regulations and awareness of corporate structure and governance.