Head of Programme - CNUK

Job Description

Head of Programme -CN UK

Full Time

Derby or Warrington

There is an exciting opportunity for a permanent role in the Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear team. Reporting to the Head of Civil Nuclear, the successful candidate will provide project management leadership and direction for major programmes associated with legacy Hinkley Point C contracts ensuring delivery is in line with the company strategy, business case and business plans. They will be responsible for leading the planning, execution, delegation, monitoring and control of all aspects of Civil Nuclear programmes, and be the key interface between our customer, Project teams and suppliers.  

CNUK

Civil Nuclear is a small team which allows for unique development in all areas of the project, including customer and supplier management, contract modifications, planning, and risk management. The role allows for hybrid working (3 days a week in the office).  With a supply chain spread across the UK and Italy and a customer based in the south west of England there will be a need for regular UK and occasional overseas travel.  The team is distributed between Derby (JH) and Warrington so regular travel between both sites will also be needed.

What you will be doing:  

• Identify internal and / or external customer product and / or service needs, and develop a strategy to meet those needs.                                           
• Successful delivery to cost, quality, time and scope for defined programme of work.                                             
• Executes the developed strategy to meet identified and anticipated customer requirements.                                            
• Informing and leading the business to make the right priority decisions for the best programme outcomes.                                                        
• Provide credible forecasts of delivery performance to all stakeholders.                                             
• Lead Programme reviews to provide quality information to internal and external stakeholders.                                               
• Ensure that the relationships across functional workstreams and organisational boundaries are in place and support the programme teams to secure the required resource and dependencies.                                          
• Ensure that programme demands flowed into the business unit are coordinated through the CAM teams and have followed the correct commit/accept processes.                                                    
• Provide strategic leadership, direction and knowledge and able to work through ambiguity to focus the teams on the right priorities.                                                        
• Form part of the Senior Leadership team.                                                
• Ensure that best practices are developed or deployed across the programme and key interface business units.                                                 
• Set strategic direction for integration of major work packages to deliver collective programme outcomes.            

Position Qualifications:  

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone who is/has: 

• Qualified to degree level or equivalent industry experience.                                                         
• Ideally experience in the management of programmes / projects of increasing complexity.                                                 
• Ideally has experience in all stages of a programme lifecycle and has been responsible for the delivery of one or more of those stages.                                              
• Experience of or detailed exposure to other professional functions (i.e. Commercial, Operations, Engineering, Purchasing, Services).                                           
• Demonstrable experience of leading large, multi-faceted teams towards effective delivery of complex business requirements.                                           
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate complex information with individuals at all levels within the organisation.                                              
• Experience of identifying strategic direction.                                                                      

For more than 60 years Rolls-Royce Submarines has designed, supplied and supported the nuclear propulsion plant, providing power for all UK Royal Navy nuclear submarines. 

To work for Rolls-Royce Submarines an individual must hold a Security Check clearance. We will support the application for Security Clearance if you don’t already have it. Due to the nature of work we conduct, we can only progress applications from individuals who are a UK national or, in MoD approved cases, a dual national.

Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.

Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.

Please be aware that the priority will be given to employees identified as being at high risk. 

The professional level and the salary of the position will be dependent on the skills and experience of the successful candidate. 

It is advised that you inform your current manager of your application for this role.

Grade: Level B

Job Category

Project Management

Posting Date

07 Jan 2026; 00:01

Posting End Date

14 Jan 2026