Project Director - Generic Product Development

Role Title: Project Director - Generic Product Development

We anticipate paying a salary from £115,000 to £145,000

Location: Derby, Manchester, Warrington

We are Rolls-Royce SMR and we’re doing something that’s never been done before. We’re revolutionising an industry. That’s a once-in-a-career opportunity for those excited by such a challenge. This is more than just a job; this is a legacy.

We are now recruiting for the exciting role of Project Director - Generic Product Development. 

RR SMR is designing a standardised, modular nuclear power station, with the aim of >90% of the design being common across each deployment, regardless of customer or site.

The Project Director is accountable for the cost, schedule and risks elements of the programme and, working closely with the Chief Engineer who has accountability for technical and safety aspects, ensure delivery to budget and schedule. Accountability includes setting and tracking product requirements (such as cost and build schedule) at overall power station level and overseeing their decomposition across the various elements of the design. The role includes leadership of a team of circa 50 project professionals across a range of disciplines.

In addition to leading the Generic Product Development programme, the GPD Project Director will work closely with our customer deployment projects to define interfaces between generic and site-specific design programmes. This is to ensure that design activities are completed in time to support release to manufacture/purchase/construction, and that the scope of activities covered by all projects will deliver a complete power station design. They will also work closely with the industrialisation team to ensure that design activities are delivered to support supplier development, capital investments and partnering arrangements, as part of creating our delivery capability

Key Responsibilities

• Define project scope, objectives, and success criteria, including high level product attributes.
• Develop and maintain integrated master schedules, resource plans, and risk registers.
• Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues. Implement robust and effective governance and change control processes.
• Define and implement the project governance structure and major gateway milestones
• Manage project budgets, forecasts, and financial reporting. Ensure cost control and value delivery throughout the project lifecycle.
• Drive programme performance through a pro-active programme leadership and management of risk
• Monitor programme progress and performance through leading and lagging metrics, implementing corrective actions as needed.
• Work with the Project Directors for our customer deployments to define and manage inter-dependencies between projects to successfully achieve all of our customer milestones
• Deliver product design maturity to industrialisation team, deliver the requisite design maturity to
• Lead an extensive matrix-managed technical development project across multi-functional teams to achieve desired product and project outcomes
• Build and mentor a high-performing project team. Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Put safety first in everything we do, exhibiting a strong leadership commitment to safety.
• Mentor and develop a diverse team of project professionals and engineers, both within and beyond the immediate team
• Act as part of the business Senior Leadership Team to provide Enterprise and Industry leadership beyond the defined role

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we'll let you in on a secret: there's no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you.

Key Selection Criteria

People Leadership

• The ability to create a compelling vision and communicate it effectively, to achieve team cohesion across multiple disciplines and functions including suppliers and partners, to motivate and inspire team members to go above and beyond, to influence without direct authority

Communication and Influencing Skills

• The ability to communicate effectively with individuals across multiple organisations and at all levels of seniority The ability to build strong working relationships across a range of roles both inside and outside the Rolls-Royce SMR organisation. The ability to take complex topics and communicate them simply and quickly.

Drive for Results

• The ability to work across a complex programme to achieve a number of technical, programme and financial outcomes for both the Rolls-Royce business and its customers. The ability to overcome challenges and difficulties to maintain programme objectives, the ability to identify and focus on what matters. The desire to make a difference through achievements and not just being busy. The ability to achieve objectives whilst also managing within a budget

Dealing with Ambiguity

• The ability to work across a programme of inter-related projects of varying maturity, to define connections and propagation of risks between projects. To handle evolving customer requirements and changes environment to ensure risks remain relevant, current and managed. To consider risk in a probabilistic sense, and use QRA as appropriate for each bid or project.

Business Acumen

• The ability manage risks to minimise the impacts to Rolls-Royce SMR, its projects and their outcomes. To understand the broader impacts of risks in terms of their effect on operational efficiency, business continuity and financial performance

We are Rolls-Royce SMR

Rolls-Royce SMR is a rare employer because it blends the world-class brand of Rolls Royce with an exciting start-up that has a hugely challenging mission. We’re doing work that contributes to the survival of the planet. Because of our mission, there’s a pace and energy that is palpable, and our leaders draw you in with their passion, energy, and determination.

We’re one of a handful of employers who can genuinely say we’re a strengths-based organisation – our people are here because of what makes them great, and our job is to help them make the best contribution of their careers doing work they love.

The start-up mentality coupled with our strengths-approach to people means there are opportunities to grow in ways and jobs you probably would be barred from doing in more traditional companies.

Each Rolls-Royce SMR power station will have the capacity to generate 470MW of low carbon energy, equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines and enough to power a million homes. It will provide consistent baseload generation for at least 60 years, helping to support the roll out of renewable generation and overcome intermittency issues

Our Culture

At Rolls-Royce SMR, we are committed to ensuring that our teams reflect the communities we serve and that everyone can be themselves at work. We know that diverse teams are more innovative and get better results, and that our people can thrive and be more successful in truly inclusive cultures. Join us and help shape our culture. Find out more about our inclusion pledge.

Rolls-Royce SMR is a place where everyone can grow, so whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day and help shape our culture.