Location
Elgin Ave., London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£86,000 per annum

About the Role
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Defence People & Standards reports to the Director General People and leads the operational management of the DG People portfolio. This role ensures effective delivery across governance, performance, risk, and resources, supporting Defence priorities. The COO provides operational grip during ongoing reform, driving organisational design, embedding new ways of working, and coordinating senior stakeholders. They oversee budget and workforce matters, enabling the Strategic Centre to deliver coherent, high-quality people services across Defence.

Key responsibilities include:
- Defining and maintaining Defence People & Standards (DPS) priorities, ensuring clear understanding of performance and supporting decision-making through insight and effective trade-offs.
- Ensuring DPS operates within financial, legal, and policy frameworks, overseeing the DPS budget and maintaining an integrated view of risk with effective mitigation and compliance.
- Providing strong operational leadership on day-to-day activities, resolving cross-cutting issues, and ensuring efficient functioning of DPS under pressure.
- Engaging senior Defence leaders and wider stakeholders on People matters, aligning activity across Defence’s four areas, influencing decision-making, and supporting internal governance.
- Leading organisational design initiatives and embedding new operating models to deliver sustainable change aligned with strategic objectives.
- Coordinating responses to ministerial commissions, crisis situations, and high-priority issues, ensuring timely and effective action.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years to enable delivery of key business outcomes and support career development. The assignment duration is an expectation and not a contractual obligation.

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £86,000, the Ministry of Defence contributes £24,914 towards membership of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- Flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Experience
- Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams through significant change, demonstrating personal contribution to building capability, improving performance, and delivering measurable results.
- Strong strategic thinking skills with experience in developing and implementing plans aligned to organisational goals.
- Proven track record of driving complex change in challenging and dynamic environments.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to use evidence and data to support informed decision-making.
- Experience managing governance frameworks to ensure organisational control, compliance, and assurance.
- Demonstrable experience in financial management, including budget oversight and resource allocation.

About you
- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound decisions under uncertainty.
- Effective communicator capable of engaging senior leaders and coordinating across multiple stakeholders.
- Resilient and adaptable, able to maintain operational grip under pressure.
- Committed to supporting diversity, inclusion, and a positive working culture.

Qualifications
Relevant senior leadership experience within complex organisations is essential. Specific formal qualifications are not stipulated but strategic leadership capability and operational expertise are critical.