Policy & Standards Lead - Defence / Secure Cloud Platform

This is a senior, highly autonomous role requiring someone who can navigate MOD and cross-government environments, influence senior stakeholders and turn complex governance requirements into practical policies, standards and controls. What you’ll be doing:

• Act as the Managing Authority lead for policy and standards activity across the programme.
• Set direction and provide oversight to a specialist policy and standards team.
• Lead stakeholder engagement across MOD, government departments, suppliers, delivery teams and future service owners.
• Run and coordinate the Policies & Standards Working Group.
• Build consensus around policies, standards, governance and implementation.
• Ensure policy development aligns with platform strategy, delivery priorities and emerging requirements.
• Navigate MOD governance, policy and assurance routes.
• Ensure new policies align with the wider MOD policy environment.
• Work with PMO and Target Operating Model teams to define the future platform governance model.
• Coordinate policy and governance activity across a complex multi-supplier programme.
• Support development of a new Data Statement of Work.
• Co-lead onboarding rehearsals and trials for projects entering the MOD tenancy.
• Contribute to programme governance and operational readiness.

• Strong experience in governance, assurance, policy, standards or regulatory environments.
• Excellent senior stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Proven ability to influence and build consensus across multiple organisations.
• Experience working within large, complex, multi-supplier programmes.
• Strong facilitation, negotiation and communication skills.
• Confidence operating autonomously in ambiguous and evolving environments.
• Understanding of cloud infrastructure and platform services.

Highly desirable:

• MOD / Defence governance and assurance experience.
• Secure platform governance, controls and guardrails.
• Secure by Design knowledge.
• Data and AI governance/policy exposure.
• Experience developing operating models or governance frameworks.
• Previous cross-government experience.