Programme Manager – Nuclear Island – Sizewell ‘C

City, London
Morson Talent

Role: Nuclear Island Programme Manager – EDF – Sizewell ‘C’ Nuclear Power Station Project

Location: Central London (Liverpool Street) up to 3 days/week + regular travel to SZC and HPC sites, Bristol, Gloucester and Paris

Salary: Highly competitive + excellent benefits including 15% bonus, £8.4k car allowance, 15% client pension contribution, private healthcare, £1500/year flex benefits fund + 28 days holiday. Travel / relocation assistance will also be provided dependant on personal circumstances.

Type: Permanent

Start: July 2025 onwards (long notice-period accepted)

Our client, Sizewell ‘C’, is looking for a senior nuclear-industry professional with a strong technical background and proven experience in the delivery of large programmes of work on major construction projects to take on a key leadership position as Nuclear Island Programme Manager within their new nuclear power station construction project. Though prior nuclear industry experience would be highly advantageous, with prior knowledge / understanding of an EPR reactor being ideal for this role, it is not essential to being considered.

The Programme Manager will be responsible for managing the successful end-to-end delivery (EPCC) of large/complex projects or programmes of work (a scope of Systems, Structures and Components), or workstream within a complex project / programme, with a total value of c£4.5bn. This will mainly involve the management of 3 large contracts with Framatome, as well as c50 other equipment packages, primarily associated with the MEH (mechanical, electrical, HVAC) scope.

The Programme Manager must deliver within the constraints of scope, safety, quality, time and cost, to achieve a set of business objectives. Management of the project/programme is within a controlled environment such that it maximises the associated business benefits.

The individual will be responsibility for leading/managing a group including 5 x Senior Project Managers + c30 x Project Managers to ensure delivery of a large scope of Systems, Structures and Components of the SZC Nuclear Island.

To achieve this, the Programme Manager must ensure that the management and support for each project is adequate. Project progress, risks, issues, changes, variances and exceptions must be monitored and managed through to acceptable business outcomes.

This will be a hybrid role based mainly out of the SZC office in Central London (Liverpool Street) with additional regular travel required to the SZC and HPC sites, Bristol, Gloucester and Paris. Exactly how someone’s schedule is managed will however be at the discretion of the individual themselves to determine.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Within a medium to large scale programme, co-ordinates the programme s portfolio of projects, on a day to day basis on behalf of senior management, to ensure maximum efficiency in the allocation of common resources and skills.
• Leads a Programme of work and ensures that project deliveries within this are completed to time, cost and quality standards
• Manages third party contributions to the programme
• Facilitates the appointment of senior/project managers to the project delivery teams and manages their assignment
• Ensures that the appropriate environment is developed to support senior/project managers, including the processes and practices for managing projects and the training and coaching of or project managers and teams
• Ensures that there is efficient allocation of common resources and skills within the project portfolio
• Puts in place systems, processes and measures to ensure that exceptions, slippage and issues of priority are effectively managed, and that extra activities are initiated wherever gaps in the programme are identified
• Monitors overall progress and initiates corrective action, as appropriate, to ensure that deliverable are produced on time, within budget and to acceptable quality
• Manages both the dependencies and the interfaces between projects
• Manages the communications with all stakeholders
• Reporting progress of the programme at regular intervals to the Programme Director, relevant Committees or Senior Management
• Shapes, mobilises and resources new project activities as the Programme enters the next phase
• Ensures effective handover as project activities complete
• Provides strategic, unbiased and objective advisory services which assists Sizewell C in improving their productivity and overall performance
• Works closely with the internal stakeholders within the governance structure, and establish and maintain effective relationships with all key stakeholders.

KEY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Exhibits strategic management and leadership skills at the highest level
• A persuasive presenter and communicator with the ability to build relationships within EDF Energy
• Ability to understand, explain and present complex technical ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences up to the highest level in a persuasive and convincing manner.
• Excellent understanding of relevant industry and technology opportunities
• Is self-disciplined and has ability to work well under pressure
• A high level of financial acumen
• Demonstrable skills in influencing and negotiating with senior stakeholders across the company to achieve results and managing these relationships to maintain a high level of trust
• Ability to manage senior stakeholders with different business imperatives and expectations that may on occasion require delivery of difficult messages with tact and diplomacy
• Demonstrates sound judgement and business awareness
• Advanced knowledge of techniques for planning, monitoring and controlling projects/programmes
• Ability to influence policy formation relevant to own area of expertise
• Ability to advise project teams on their projects in relation to the programme
• Expert in project quality management
• Ability to mobilise a delivery team with strong involvement from senior business managers and a mix of internal and external resource
• Ability to find ways of solving or pre-empting problems
• Strong strategic awareness and acumen in business and technology
• Accustomed to operating successfully at a senior and influential level
• Detailed knowledge of the end to end process of the Define Phase of a project lifecycle and is able to explain/communicate effectively the process to senior stakeholders. Has the experience to demonstrate successful execution of these phases whilst managing high risk projects.
• Thorough knowledge of the Monitor Project process for high risk projects to include Information Management & Reporting and Budgeting & Cost Management.
• Detailed knowledge of the RAID management process, can explain the Project Quality Management discipline to senior stakeholders, knowledge of Configuration Management activities and Change Control processes for high risk projects.
• Detailed knowledge of the Development, Testing and Implementation phases when delivering a high risk project and able to communicate this process to the senior stakeholders.
• Detailed understanding and applied the EEPW Methodology, PD Processes and PRINCE2 to high risk projects.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Strong technical background with proven experience of directing and delivering complex multi-million pound business change / programmes or projects
• Experience in managing projects which are of strategic importance to the company and involve management of stakeholders with different business imperatives and expectations
• Experienced in project delivery including experience of leading and managing teams in this field to obtain significant business benefit
• Experience of negotiating contracts with and managing third parties
• Experience of delivery of in-house developments and third party products
• Experience of operating successfully at a senior and influential level in particular helping to shape programme and project delivery solutions to business challenges
• Demonstrable record of contributing effectively to business goals

Desirable

• APM Practitioner or similar professional qualification
• Specialism in a relevant engineering discipline
• Detailed working knowledge/experience of PMO disciplines
• Experience of complex pricing/cost management products and commercial markets

MORSON Talent, part of the Morson Group, are the leading TECHNICAL & ENGINEERING RECRUITMENT COMPANY in the UK specialising in Technical Support to the following industries: Nuclear, Power Generation, Aerospace, Rail, Marine, Petrochemical & Construction