Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire or Dstl Portsdown West, Fareham, Hampshire

Do you want to be at the heart of the thrilling world of science, technology, and innovation at one of the UK’s most fascinating organisations?

Do you want to play a crucial role in ensuring that the country benefits from the best scientific advice and technological advances to keep our communities safe?

Do you want to develop your skills, challenge yourself and work collaboratively with some of the country's best scientists to deliver big solutions?

If the answer to all three of those questions is yes - then this is the job for you.

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the science inside UK defence and security, has an exciting opportunity for someone looking to play an important and influential role in shaping the future of our science and technology capabilities.

The Principal Scientist for Science & Technology (S&T) Planning works closely with leading technical experts and a diverse range of stakeholders to inform Dstl's executive leadership and help them make the right decisions on the future direction of Dstl to deliver the best S&T to the UK Government.

This role is part of a dynamic team that sits in the Strategy, Portfolio and Capability Division, at the heart of executive level decision making.

It is an incredibly exciting time for Dstl which is embarking on its most ambitious programme in its 20-year history, backed up by the biggest investment in UK defence for a generation.

In this role you have the chance to shape the future, develop your skills, and be at the centre of one of the most fascinating organisations in the country.

Dstl recognises the importance of diversity and inclusion as people from diverse backgrounds bring fresh ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive working environment in which each employee fulfils their potential and maximises their contribution.

We particularly welcome female and ethnic minority applicants and those from the LGBTQI community, as they are under-represented within Dstl at these levels.

In this role you will:

• Drive the development and implementation of approaches towards enterprise level and integrated longer term S&T planning, to support the Dstl Executive in positioning Dstl for the future

Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be British Citizens who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to understand the work you will undertake to protect us from any security threats. For this reason, we regret that only UK Nationals will be able to apply for this role. If you are an international or dual-national candidate, and you think you have the skills we need, please consider applying to any of our government, security or defence partners. This role will require full UK security clearance and you should have resided in the UK for the past 5 years. For some roles Developed Vetting will also be required, in this case you should have resided in the UK for the past 10 years. If you are a current Dstl employee, you are encouraged to inform your line manager of your application as they can support you through the process and should you be successful it will help in negotiating a release date. Dstl is strongly encouraging blended and flexible working either at one of our sites or from home or both. We want to empower you to undertake your duties at the most appropriate location for the task, however you will be allocated a Dstl site as a base. You may be required to travel to other Dstl and MoD sites as required.