Director Strategy and Transformation, Defence Medical Services

DMS Whittington, Lichfield

Job Summary
The role is responsible for leading the implementation of the
SDR25 recommendations
, including the establishment of a 'One Defence Medical Enterprise' through the Lead Command model, with the medical function recognised as a key project within the Defence Reform programme.

As a key leader, the role will execute and operationalise the DMS strategy across Defence and the wider external medical services enterprise, driving transformational change across the organisation. This includes overseeing an enterprise-wide roadmap and comprehensive plan for change. The role also encompasses responsibility for leading the corporate functions that enable delivery, including Corporate Governance, Business Management, Parliamentary Secretariat, and Communications teams. The role will require close collaboration with internal and cross-government partners to mitigate risks posed by the medical function to Defence and to meet the demands of future conflict. In alignment with Defence Reform, the DMS is committed to delivering change at pace, and this role is central to achieving the
SDR25 ambitions
. The role will provide critical leadership and direction to support Defence Reform and deliver the ambitious timelines outlined by the Secretary of State.

Job Description
Accountability for the Defence Medical Enterprise Strategy & Plan

• Lead on an across Defence strategy and plans team to cohere the 10-year strategy for the medical enterprise, working across the end-to-end healthcare system, including all parts of Defence, Other Government Departments, NHS and NATO/ Allied partners.
• Develop and maintain a prioritised delivery plan for programmes of work spanning a 10-year horizon, with a particular focus on delivering a funded programme of work over the next 5 years.
• Lead the ongoing development of the Defence Medical Operating Model, ensuring the establishment of an effective Design Authority to align changes with broader Defence objectives. This includes the early implementation of the Medical Lead Command in line with Defence Reform ambitions.
• Drive the establishment of robust governance and stakeholder management frameworks to enable coherent and effective decision-making across the Defence Enterprise and with external partners.
• Ensure the effective cascade of strategy across the organisation, setting appropriate incentives to guide behaviours that align with the strategic direction and the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Shape organisational design and culture to optimise outcomes for Defence.

Drive delivery of a strategic portfolio of programmes and change initiatives, ensuring coherence with wider Defence programmes, including Defence Reform

• Lead the Portfolio Transformation Office to drive enterprise-wide transformational change, overseeing a comprehensive roadmap that coordinates all major programmes
• Effectively manage the scope of the Transformation Portfolio, providing appropriate controls to balance demand and capacity to deliver change, managing the overall schedule of delivery in, providing Balance of Investment options where required.
• Ensure robust governance across all programmes, enabling data-driven decision-making through the chaired Transformation Board. This includes managing business cases related to transformation and programme delivery, supporting senior decision-making on BOI options for delivery.
• Uphold high standards of project and programme delivery across the DMS, providing an assurance function aligned with wider government and Defence directives.
• Take a leadership role in central Defence Reform and Transformation programmes on behalf of the DMS, as required. Act as a strong advocate for DMS transformation both internally and externally, fostering increased confidence and transparency in delivery.
• Effectively guide peers and senior colleagues, including SROs through the transformation process to deliver their targeted outcomes – ensuring their actions support the future state of the organisation and they can act as advocates for the change.
• Engage extensively with stakeholders within and outside Defence to ensure transformation activity is coherent, and to learn and share lessons from elsewhere in the public and private sectors.
• Lead the Project Delivery (PD) Profession for the DMS, ensuring development of PD skills across the organisation to effectively deliver change and transformation.

Provide control and balance function across HQ DMS on behalf of DG DMS.

• Ensure clear cascade of direction and prioritise, focusing on the alignment of strategy and priorities across the Medical Enterprise.
• Lead the effective management of the performance system for the Medical enterprise, ensuring effective governance and assurance of activity through regular performance, risk and improvement regimes.
• Provide effective data and informed options to the wider SLT to inform the organisational business plan and strategic prioritisation process, including BOI choices
• Direct and lead the annual budget setting process in line with DG DMS' direction to ensure an affordable business plan, which includes appropriate workforce planning assumptions
• Provide effective leadership and connectivity into leadership structure, including Financial, People and Business Management functions.
• Advise the Functional Leadership team on prioritisation decisions related to workforce, resources and finances through an effective balance of investment approach.

Lead all DMS Corporate functions
, working collaboratively with functional leads across Defence including; Finance, People, Commercial, Infrastructure, Business Management, Communications, Corporate Governance and Parliamentary Secretariat.

• Lead efforts to drive modernisation and improve efficiencies within organisational processes, optimising capacity to deliver Defence outcomes.
• Provide strategic leadership for the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) across the Defence Medical Services (DMS).
• Line management responsibilities, including mentoring and countersigning duties, as required by the role. This position currently oversees 5 direct reports and 12 countersigning responsibilities, though this may evolve in line with organisational changes.

Accountability for the Defence Medical Enterprise Strategy & Plan

• Lead on an across Defence strategy and plans team to cohere the 10-year strategy for the medical enterprise, working across the end-to-end healthcare system, including all parts of Defence, Other Government Departments, NHS and NATO/ Allied partners.
• Develop and maintain a prioritised delivery plan for programmes of work spanning a 10-year horizon, with a particular focus on delivering a funded programme of work over the next 5 years.
• Lead the ongoing development of the Defence Medical Operating Model, ensuring the establishment of an effective Design Authority to align changes with broader Defence objectives. This includes the early implementation of the Medical Lead Command in line with Defence Reform ambitions.
• Drive the establishment of robust governance and stakeholder management frameworks to enable coherent and effective decision-making across the Defence Enterprise and with external partners.
• Ensure the effective cascade of strategy across the organisation, setting appropriate incentives to guide behaviours that align with the strategic direction and the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Shape organisational design and culture to optimise outcomes for Defence.

Drive delivery of a strategic portfolio of programmes and change initiatives, ensuring coherence with wider Defence programmes, including Defence Reform

• Lead the Portfolio Transformation Office to drive enterprise-wide transformational change, overseeing a comprehensive roadmap that coordinates all major programmes
• Effectively manage the scope of the Transformation Portfolio, providing appropriate controls to balance demand and capacity to deliver change, managing the overall schedule of delivery in, providing Balance of Investment options where required.
• Ensure robust governance across all programmes, enabling data-driven decision-making through the chaired Transformation Board. This includes managing business cases related to transformation and programme delivery, supporting senior decision-making on BOI options for delivery.
• Uphold high standards of project and programme delivery across the DMS, providing an assurance function aligned with wider government and Defence directives.
• Take a leadership role in central Defence Reform and Transformation programmes on behalf of the DMS, as required. Act as a strong advocate for DMS transformation both internally and externally, fostering increased confidence and transparency in delivery.
• Effectively guide peers and senior colleagues, including SROs through the transformation process to deliver their targeted outcomes – ensuring their actions support the future state of the organisation and they can act as advocates for the change.
• Engage extensively with stakeholders within and outside Defence to ensure transformation activity is coherent, and to learn and share lessons from elsewhere in the public and private sectors.
• Lead the Project Delivery (PD) Profession for the DMS, ensuring development of PD skills across the organisation to effectively deliver change and transformation.

Provide control and balance function across HQ DMS on behalf of DG DMS.

• Ensure clear cascade of direction and prioritise, focusing on the alignment of strategy and priorities across the Medical Enterprise.
• Lead the effective management of the performance system for the Medical enterprise, ensuring effective governance and assurance of activity through regular performance, risk and improvement regimes.
• Provide effective data and informed options to the wider SLT to inform the organisational business plan and strategic prioritisation process, including BOI choices
• Direct and lead the annual budget setting process in line with DG DMS' direction to ensure an affordable business plan, which includes appropriate workforce planning assumptions
• Provide effective leadership and connectivity into leadership structure, including Financial, People and Business Management functions.
• Advise the Functional Leadership team on prioritisation decisions related to workforce, resources and finances through an effective balance of investment approach.

Lead all DMS Corporate functions
, working collaboratively with functional leads across Defence including; Finance, People, Commercial, Infrastructure, Business Management, Communications, Corporate Governance and Parliamentary Secretariat.

• Lead efforts to drive modernisation and improve efficiencies within organisational processes, optimising capacity to deliver Defence outcomes.
• Provide strategic leadership for the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) across the Defence Medical Services (DMS).
• Line management responsibilities, including mentoring and countersigning duties, as required by the role. This position currently oversees 5 direct reports and 12 countersigning responsibilities, though this may evolve in line with organisational changes.

Person specification

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their experience and skills against the following essential criteria:

• Experienced in project, programme and portfolio management.
• Proven success in leading large scale, complex transformation with an ability to foster a strong culture of delivery and accountability.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing and communications skills with the ability to collaborate, influence and inspire at all levels.
• Proven ability to lead in an environment of uncertainty and continual change. Comfortable making decisions and setting direction without having the full picture, applying knowledge and experience to reduce ambiguity.
• An experienced leader with a proven track record in managing corporate services teams, including the oversight of financial and workforce data. Skilled at inspiring confidence, driving collaboration, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and empowerment.
• Commercially aware, with an understanding of the Commercial function and ability to oversee contract management functions.

Desirable Criteria May Be Used In The Event Of a Strong Field Of Candidates When There Is a Need To Distinguish Between Candidates. This Will Be As a Second Sift, After The Essential Criteria Has Been Considered

• MPLA qualification would be an advantage or an equivalent
• A background in transformation or operational delivery in healthcare would be desirable.

Alongside your salary of £125,000, Ministry of Defence contributes £36,212 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Selection process details

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process no later than
23:55 Sunday 4 January 2026
and will involve providing the two documents outlined below via the Civil Service Jobs portal:

• A CV (no more than 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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

For further information about the role and full application process, please refer to the candidate pack attached below. If you wish to receive any material in a different format for accessibility, then please contact People-CivHR-

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact

• Name : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : People-CivHR-

Recruitment team

• Email : People-CivHR-