About the job

Summary

You will be part of the Defence Digital Spectrum policy team who are responsible for Defence, National and International Spectrum Policy issues on behalf of the MOD. This includes engagement with the national Spectrum regulator Ofcom, government departments, NATO, US DoD DISA organisation and the Combined Communications-Electronics Board (CCEB) five-nation joint military organisation.

About Defence Digital- who are we? We provide digital and technology services to our Armed Forces, ensuring they can operate securely via radio, satellite, and the internet. Operating at scale, with an annual budget in excess of £2Bn and a diverse team of 2,500 colleagues, we're aiming to make our Armed Forces some of the most technologically advanced in the world. To do that we're growing our capabilities in disciplines like data science, automation and cyber security. If you can see yourself contributing to the world of Defence digital and technology, the next chapter of your career may be with us.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

This role comes with significant responsibilities for representing the UK within international fora and ensuring decisions taken do not adversely affect the UK military’s operational advantage. A major part of these roles is to influence Government Departments and Ofcom so that that Defence priorities for the next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) are considered. The postholder will also contribute towards meeting the public sector spectrum release programme objectives and addressing wider spectrum policy issues.

The WRC process is broken down into five project teams (PT) and the post holders will take responsibility for one PT and shadow at least one another, so that two members of the team are fully engaged in each of the PTs. A major part of this task is stakeholder engagement with subject matter experts internal and external to Defence, Ofcom, NATO, US and CCEB colleagues. The aim being to make sure MOD needs are always considered when opinions are expressed for each of the agenda items that impact military use of the spectrum. To do this, you must understand the spectrum, the types of systems that use it and a basic understanding of radio theory as some of the agenda items for the WRC are technical.

The spectrum policy team also has a role to play in making sure future capability requirements can be met using current international spectrum regulations. We do this in partnership with the Joint Spectrum Authority, who assist in bringing new defence capabilities into service. If new regulations are required, the team negotiates with Ofcom to ensure access is available, which may mean creating an agenda item for the next WRC. You will also interact with NATO, CCEB, European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications (European lead for the WRC) and US DOD colleagues on spectrum policy issues.

This is a demanding and rewarding opportunity to champion Defence spectrum requirements in the national and International arenas. This will involve extensive International engagement requiring the candidate to travel across Europe to attend regional WRC spectrum meetings where decisions are made, sometimes being away for up to 6 weeks at a time with only one day at home after each five-day meeting.

This is a unique role so it is essential that you have experience of spectrum regulatory issues and a basic understanding of RF theory.

Responsibilities

• Represent Defence attending national and international spectrum meetings where you will need to influence others

• Explain the reasoning and rationale behind complex MOD positions in such a way that information given is actionable but sensitive material remains secure

• Use your judgement in discussions with others and consider the tone to use while carrying out delicate negotiations that will affect Defence continued access to the radio spectrum

• Communicate the military positions both verbally and in writing reporting on meetings so the whole team and stakeholders are made aware of developing issues in the spectrum regulatory world. These reports should reflect not only the content but also the views you witness in a format all will understand.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role

• Flexible working patterns for a work/life balance

• A modern well-equipped workplace with on-site restaurant, coffee shops and sports facilities

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

• A Civil Service pension

• Generous leave allocation

• Please see Benefits Leaflet attached for additional benefits.