Defence Digital – Service Transition Lead

Defence Digital ensures our Armed Forces remain among the most technologically advanced in the world. We do this by putting innovative and effective technology into the hands of over 200,000 users, from the boardroom to the front line.

We lead on cutting-edge data science, automation, and cybersecurity at scale. Our mission goes beyond the battlefield by leading humanitarian efforts and driving digital innovation that impacts lives across the globe.

Defence Digital forms part of Strategic Command which manages the MOD’s joint capabilities for the Army, RAF, and Royal Navy.

Watch our video to see what we do at Defence Digital!

Passionate about using your skills to make a critical difference? Your next career move could be here!

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to work on an advanced IT system currently being implemented across the Land and Maritime domains. The primary responsibility of this role is to transition products into live service, ensuring all products are base lined and documented before release.

Additionally, the role involves managing changes to live services to ensure that routine and complex changes do not negatively impact the user experience. You will develop the transition function and collaborate with stakeholders through the design, development, and delivery phases, ensuring all changes are managed appropriately.  The role involves introducing new or modified services and products, while establishing the necessary virtual and physical teams to support all programme deliverables throughout the Change Management Life cycle.

As the Transition Manager, you will be the primary contact for customers, responsible for producing and reviewing Service Designs and Transition plans for new or updated services.

Responsibilities: 

• Make recommendations on go-live, early life support and service acceptance.
• Ensure all products are properly base lined and documented.
• Analyse and assess the impact of change, document change requests and action changes.
• Establish the Transition Management Function and draft the Terms of Reference necessary to formalise Transition as a programme function.
• Day to day management of product acceptance, determining whether the product is fit for purpose, assessing the readiness against agreed service acceptance criteria.
• Developing and agreeing on the Operational Readiness Check for each change and conducting the Operational Readiness Review for each change.

Person specification

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Service Transition Manager to join our team. The ideal candidate will be proactive, possess strong interpersonal skills, and excel in collaborating with diverse stakeholders in a dynamic, high-stakes agile environment.

This role demands confidence and the ability to work under pressure, all while effectively prioritising daily tasks.  It also requires initiative and strong information retention skills.  The individual will need to quickly identify issues and develop solutions to ensure smooth transitions.

When submitting your CV, please highlight your career history and experience relevant to this role.  Additionally, refer to the "Things You Need to Know" section of the advert and provide a personal statement (max. 1250 words) demonstrating the essential criteria listed below:

• Describe your understanding of the transition elements within Service Management.
• Explain your strategy for managing multiple priorities.
• Proven experience in creating, influencing, and managing relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• User Focus
• Problem Management

Benefits

• Flexible working options- we understand the importance of adapting work to your life.
• Inclusion and diversity- our culture celebrates uniqueness and encourages collaboration of diverse thought.
• A pension scheme which secures your future.
• Generous annual leave- starting with 25 days and growing to 30 after just 5 years.
• Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period to volunteer for military or emergency service reserve commitments.
• Special Paid Leave for volunteering up to 6 days a year.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Most sites have good travel links with free car parking; many also have other facilities such as a Sports & Social Club and Gyms
• You can read more here- Civil Service Employee Benefits , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Equality and Diversity 

Our people are at the heart of everything we do at Defence Digital. It’s vital that our workforce reflects the diversity of both our audience and the wider society in the UK, so we’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and we actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds and communities. We also recognise the importance of a good work life balance, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including part-time and job shares for all our roles. Please let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process if this is something you want to explore.

Professional Framework Statement   
Defence Digital operates an organisation model in which every individual belongs to a Government Profession. The successful applicant will be posted into one of the defined Government Professions on Standard Terms of Reference for the grade. Defence Digital reserves the right to move individuals between roles, within their allocated profession, to meet the needs of the business and in support of agile resourcing.  Within Defence Digital each profession is led by a Professional Head of Community who will lead professional development and support the Continuous Professional Development path for their group.

Learning & Development 
In Defence Digital we have a strong learning and development ethos, supporting you to fulfil your potential by providing:

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• Professional and Personal Development of skills
• Access to thousands of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by MOD
• Ability to obtain industry recognised qualifications supported by MOD

Hybrid Working

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity.  Requirements to attend other locations for official business or work in another MOD office will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).  The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.  Please note that the current expectation is to be in office at least 3 days a week

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.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

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/.

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 however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. 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.

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 Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.