Chief Operations Officer

Job Introduction

NNL is an incredible place to work. A place where people do things that have never been done before.  A place where people push boundaries to further themselves, the business, and society as a whole.

There’s never been a more exciting time to be part of the nuclear sector. New opportunities are being created all the time. At NNL, you’ll be in the ideal place to capitalise on this momentum, face new challenges and develop a long, successful and meaningful career.

We’re an organisation that’s here to experiment and push the limits of what’s possible. So, if you’re keen to excel in your chosen field, this is the place to do it. Because at NNL, anything is possible.

Job Description

The Chief Operations and Performance Officer is responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe operations across all NNL sites. Leading the operation to deliver to time, cost and quality across all customer and capex activity, through effective and efficient operational and programme execution in a safe, secure, sustainable, and cost-effective environment.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, this role is a key member of the Executive team, the Director of Operations and Performance will be expected to bring a pragmatic and commercially astute approach to driving performance excellence and efficiency across Operations. Working in close collaboration with the Director of Customer and Programmes to help to foster the right environment for healthy challenge and tension with the Customer and Capex organisation.

The location is flexible, can be based in Risley, Preston, Sellafield or Workington.

Role Responsibility

Main Responsibilities for Chief Operations and Performance Officer:

• Key accountabilities:
  • Ensuring that all operations and activities within the business area are carried out in accordance with all relevant regulatory and legal assurance requirements. Ensure the health, safety and welfare of all team members, customers and other stakeholders including adherence to regulatory requirements.
  • Full P&L responsibility for Delivery Operations Directorate.
  • Accountability and oversight of the Business Management Office – company and programme risk, workforce planning, S&Ops planning.
  • Implement strategic plans and optimize operational performance with an effective governance and management framework that delivers Enterprise wide, critical priorities, strategic outcomes across programme lifecycles, underpinned by an improved risk-based assurance process. 
  • Support Capability and Skills Planning to ensure that NNL has the right skills and capabilities to deliver its business plan and 10-year plan. 
  • Lead on Operations strategy for people, facilities, and infrastructure / assets.
  • Devise a resourcing strategy to deliver high levels of utilisation and efficiency, demonstrating a seamless operation to the customer, always providing highly skilled resources and experience through building integrated teams. 
  • Work in partnership with the customer and programmes director to ensure, develop a long-term strategic relationship in a trusted partner capacity.  
  • Develop NNLs make vs buy strategy working in collaboration with Chief Finance Officer, Commercial, Procurement.
  • Improve operational excellence, the efficiency and effectiveness of the business units, budgetary controls, risk, compliance and governance in a project and delivery orientated environment. 
  • Ensure people, systems, processes, and tools are aligned to support delivery. Instill a commercial ethos to project delivery and commitment to deliver to budget and timescales. Provide high level project challenge; monitor progress taking the necessary interventions to ensure pace is maintained and commitments are met. 
  • Work closely with the Chief Finance Officer and divisional leaders on the preparation and management of an annual operational and investment budget. Develop close working relationships with divisional managers and budget holders across the NNL, providing leadership, counsel, and guidance in respect of the annual planning process. 
  • Lead by example, motivate and inspire the people to achieve a customer centric organisation with a commercial ethos. Build a high performing team, provide clear goals, defined and measurable objectives, personal development plans and relevant coaching.

• Key accountabilities as a member of the Senior Leadership Team: 
  • Contribute to the future strategic options in NNL that underpin the vision.
  • Embed Safety and nuclear professionalism in all we do.
  • Contribute to the development of NNL goals and review progress.
  • Review and evaluate the present and future opportunities threats and risks to NNL.   
  • Ensure NNL’s structure and capabilities are appropriate to meet its strategy. 
  • Ensure robustness and the robustness of the risk management programmes. 
  • Delegate authority to Management and monitor and evaluate through effective performance management and business planning. 
  • Engage appropriately with all external and internal stakeholders. 
  • Contribute to the development of the senior leadership team.
  • Demonstrate NNL Values & Behaviours through inspiring and coalescing the Organisation.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Criteria for Chief Operations and Performance Officer:

• Strong academic qualifications preferably in a science or engineering discipline, ideally supplemented by a relevant business qualification.
• Currently operating in a leadership role at Executive level of a shareholder-owned or commercially run organisation. Successfully developed strong relationships with non-executive directors and advisors. Ideally, experience of interfacing with Government.
• Led teams in a complex technical environment with a preference for Nuclear operations experience. 
• Commercially focused, with a proven track record driving income and cost reduction in a complex project related environment. 
• End to end programme delivery experience gained in a progressive organisation. Familiar with the latest thinking in project and operational improvement and governance, with relevant sources and board level contacts to draw from. 
• Impressive levels of professional passion and energy and results oriented; pragmatic and a committed team player; articulate, engaging, highly professional and self-confident, leaves a positive lasting impression.
• A clear strategic thinker as well as having a strong operational focus with a hands-on management style, able to hold people to account. Has the ability to have the courage and difficult conversation and capable of playing the ‘bad cop’ when required. 
• Highly numerate with sound financial planning ability with strengths in planning, budgeting, and forecasting.  
• Highly credible with strong influencing and negotiating skills. Excellent communicator – a good listener with the ability to communicate complex and potentially challenging matters confidently to both internal and external parties. Able to “push back” when required yet able to maintain confidence and good working relationships. Ability to influence at senior and Board level.
• An outstanding people manager with strong motivational ‘can do’ leadership style. Leads from the front, with high emotional intelligence to win the hearts and minds of the people, to achieve a motivated workforce with a commercial ethos.  
• Experience of managing profit and cost centres, together with making business priority calls.
• Competency across NNL values and evidence of operating in line with the NNL behaviours (appendix 1) and level 5 leadership competency framework.
• Ability to obtain SC level security clearance (this includes but is not limited to identity, employment, financial and criminal record checks plus 5 years’ worth of UK residency). 

Note: Additional team behavioural traits as part of ELT team development - Passion / Humility / Collaboration / Delegation. 

About the Company

This is a place where personal and professional opportunities are limitless. If you want to change the world, if you want to tackle climate change, if you want to help advance medical science, if you want to help put things in space, if you want to answer the big questions, if you want to work with extraordinary materials, if you want to meet great people, learn new skills, challenge yourself, work flexibly, and build a long successful career with the power to make a real impact… you can do it all here.

NNL has a vision for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity (ED&I) where NNL aims to be an inclusive workplace that attracts diverse talent through transparent and equal policies and procedures. We want you and the diverse mix of people that we employ, customers that we service, and stakeholders that we influence to feel valued. We encourage a workplace culture where everyone can thrive with a sense of belonging.

Recruitment Agency Notice

The successful candidate for this role will be placed on individual contract.

Please note we use an executive search agency to assist us with the recruitment for this role and we will share all applications we receive with them.

If you have any queries regarding the position itself please email recruitment@uknnl.com

If you have any queries about the impact to your pay and/or pension benefits, by applying for this position, please contact the HR Support Team

National Nuclear Laboratory