Senior Policy Advisor, Wargaming, Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge, Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge

This role sits in SONAC's Challenge & Wargaming Team and reports to the Assistant Head Challenge & Wargaming (B2 / Grade 7). Established in 2020, SONAC (Secretary of State's Office of Net Assessment and Challenge) is a small and inclusive team of at the heart of the MOD that provides independent advice to the Defence Secretary and senior MOD Officials.

SONAC uses structured methods such as net assessment, wargaming, red teaming, and strategic analysis to test and improve developing plans and strategies within the department, and to explore and develop areas MoD may be missing. SONAC also acts as a lightning rod for external thought into the department - commissioning research and hosting roundtables and conferences to bring new and fresh perspectives into MOD. The SONAC team has a deliberately diverse mix of backgrounds in academia, intelligence, policy, strategy, and analysis.

SONAC is structured into several analytical teams, of which the Challenge & Wargaming Team is one. The team uses Red Teaming and Wargaming to provide reasonable challenge to, and constructive criticism of, MoD's strategic decision-making and to open the discussion space for creative and alternative options.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

SONAC's Challenge and Wargaming Team is a high-performing and highly motivated team whose work supports some of the most important decisions taken in MoD and x-HMG. As Senior Policy Advisor, Wargaming you will lead the delivery of SONAC wargames which address high level strategic issues of relevance to our analytical teams, as well other teams in MoD and x-HMG. SONAC wargames range in scale up to complex exercises held over multiple days with 100 plus participants involving xHMG colleagues, allies and partners. The principal purpose of SONAC wargames is to test MoD strategies and planning, support SONAC Net Assessment analysis and develop MoD and x-HMG personnel and thinking through exposure to different scenarios. SONAC is committed to inclusivity by following the Derby House Principles of Wargaming and is looking to develop its use of AI tools and improve our approach to data capture.

You will:

• Be responsible for the design, organisation and delivery of SONAC wargames;
• Work as required with x-Defence, x-HMG or with Private Contractor providers to deliver and facilitate SONAC wargames;
• Work with stakeholders and SONAC colleagues to ensure SONAC wargames rigorously fulfil their analytical requirements;
• Analyse and evaluate the findings of SONAC wargames and produce written reports for MoD, x-HMG and international audiences;
• Brief sometimes very senior audiences on the findings of SONAC's wargames;
• Support SONAC's Challenge and especially Red Teaming function;
• Support colleagues in SONAC's other analytical teams through applying your subject matter expertise;
• Collaborate with, and build effective relationships with, relevant teams x-HMG (in the wargaming, policy, strategy, intelligence, and analysis communities);
• Liaise with key stakeholders outside HMG, including selected international engagement;
• Develop credibility x-HMG and externally as a wargamer;
• Have opportunities to support or represent the team in meetings in MoD and x-HMG.

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

• Be a wargaming practitioner with experience of designing, delivering, or supporting wargames or equivalent strategic exercises such as table-top exercises, simulations, red team exercises or structured challenge activities. This experience could have been gained within government or outside (e.g., in academia, think tanks, voluntary work or through recreational gaming as a hobbyist);
• Be interested in international security, strategy, or defence issues;
• Be an excellent communicator with an emphasis on facilitation skills;
• Have excellent drafting skills, and an ability to analyse wargame findings and translate deep/technical detail into concise strategic-level implications;
• Be a strong collaborator, with experience of stakeholder management and building effective networks across and/or outside government;
• Have excellent information management skills with an emphasis on wargame data capture, and analysis;
• Be able to prioritise and manage a broad portfolio of work to deliver high-quality products, often at pace;
• Be willing to embrace a 'challenge mindset' through application of Subject Matter Expertise and structured analytical techniques.

Desirable Criteria

In the event of a strong field of candidates where there is a need to further distinguish between candidates, the following Desirable Criteria will be considered after the Essential Criteria:

• A postgraduate degree or professional qualification on a topic related to Wargaming or at least two years professional experience working on wargaming and exercising;
• Experience delivering wargame and equivalent exercises involving x-HMG or international stakeholders or for senior decision makers;
• Experience of employing AI tools in wargaming;
• Experience of using Structured Analytical Techniques;
• Extant Developed Vetting.

We invest in upskilling our team members to enable them to thrive once they start working with us. As such, please do not be put off if you do not match all these requirements. Skills gained in a wide range of contexts are valuable and transferable to our work.

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

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

• 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%

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

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.

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Job contact :

• Name : SONAC-Recruitment-Inbox
• Email : SONAC-Recruitment-Inbox@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

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