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Head of Future Capability - Assembly

Closing date: 13 July 2025. We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.

Package: Competitive leadership salary depending on experience, plus various other benefits including a 9-day working fortnight, generous holiday allowance, performance related bonus & an additional flexible benefit scheme.

Ready to play your part?

At AWE, it's not just a job, it's far more than that. Our shared purpose is to help keep the nation safe. Could this role be the opportunity for you to play your part?

The Head of Future Capability holds strategic accountability for delivering and sustaining ensuring an enduring cutting-edge manufacturing capability aligned to the objectives of a specific Business Unit. This pivotal strategic leadership position is responsible for ensuring the long-term readiness to manufacturing capability in support of the Strategic Warhead Enterprise Plan (SWEP) and AWE's broader strategic goals.

This will involve:

Anticipate and evaluate future demands across programmes, translating them into actionable long-term capability plans.

Commission and integrate new or upgraded capabilities (including re-kits) into operational use, in close collaboration with the Head of Operations.

Lead transformation across the Business Unit, to become a modern, state-of-the-art facility with the highest safety and quality outputs and cultivating a high-performance culture.

You will be influencing across and collaborating closely with Head of Operations, Head of Integrated Planning, Estates and Liabilities, Infrastructure Projects Delivery (IPD) and the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO) and wider defence enterprise colleagues across the functions.

This is a forward-looking and influential role that requires both visionary thinking and the ability to drive delivery at scale-ensuring that AWE remains prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Key Responsibilities

Accountable for leading, managing, influencing, coaching and developing a cross-functional (multi-disciplinary) matrix team who will identify solutions and correspondingly bring into service, enduring capabilities

Drive a compliant, sustainable and modern capability through the delivery of critical transformation and improvement programmes for existing facilities/ build and implementation of new facilities for the Business Unit. This will involve:

Collaborating with Infrastructure Project Delivery (IPD) and/or external suppliers to support the design, development and commissioning of new / upgraded facilities - ensuring proposals show clear line of sight to the capability value stream from shorter time scales to longer 7-10-year project

Bringing clarity, control, and demonstration of value-for-money to the long-term Business Unit capability investments proposals, including concept design and business case approval

Working with the Head of Operations to stand up competent teams to receive facilities, in preparation for handover from IPD, ensuring full operational readiness and that appropriate transition plans are in place

Responsible for the requirements capture of future capability (including re-kits)

Direct support for the General Manager including:

Ensuring Business Unit future capabilities are cognisant of the requirements of relevant safety, health, environmental, quality and security legislation

Promoting a positive safety culture, where the workforce is empowered to constructively challenge potential areas of weakness/vulnerability

Ensuring appropriate and demonstrable governance arrangements are in place, including undertaking Deputy Local Management Safety Committee (LMSC) chair

Ensuring robust data is available to report, analyse and monitor performance, identifying trends and variances

Requirements

Degree educated or similar attainment level demonstrated through experience with strong engineering knowledge

Strategic operations management experience with proven track record in designing and implementing successful large-scale complex transformation programmes e.g. multi-site/ large numbers, managing impacts on process, technology, information, governance, and people/ organisation

Experience/ capability to drive modern capability through the delivery of critical improvement programmes for existing facilities/ build and implementation of new facilities

Extensive knowledge within health, safety and security

Experience in leading amongst senior leaders, including building and maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders internally and externally

Whilst not to be considered a tick list, we'd like you to have experience in some of the following:

Knowledge and experience of Civil and Defence nuclear operational environments

Broad understanding of a manufacturing and/or regulatory environment

Explosives management

Restructure building

Lead and deliver complex programmes, anticipating change barriers and ways to overcome them

Establishing and maintaining effective governance, risk management, and reporting mechanisms for a large-scale programme or work

Managing budgets and resources ensuring value for money and return on investment

Sound knowledge and understanding of the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in transformation and innovation and the ability to leverage them to create value and competitive advantage for the organisation

High levels of business, financial and commercial acumen, taking a global perspective when developing and proposing solutions

You see yourself as having a strategic and proactive approach to managing obstacles. We welcome a visionary leader with a 'growth mindset' to push the boundaries of what's possible. You'll be joining us at a pivotal time, with the chance to shape the future direction of AWE through exciting technical projects.

Additional requirements:

Willingness to undertake UK and overseas travel.

Ability to obtain and maintain necessary security clearance.

Important things you need to know:

You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. DV clearance is required for this position.

We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.

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