Job Description

The Delivery Portfolio Director role is accountable for the safety, security, and the environmental performance of their assigned Portfolio.

They lead the implementation of the Sellafield Strategy within a defined Portfolio of the business, delivering Portfolio outcomes and benefits through operations, programmes, projects and asset management, working within financial parameters and driving efficiencies, whilst ensuring regulatory compliance and long-term sustainability.

The role operates collaboratively across the enterprise to challenge the status quo and improve Portfolio effectiveness and efficiency. In addition, the role includes leading tactical decision making and prioritisation to optimise the outcomes and benefits on behalf of the whole business as a ‘Duty Director’ as required.

Authorities & Dimensions

The Delivery Portfolio Director has the authority to:

• Spend (cash) within appropriate delegated powers of financial authority and budget allocation parameters.
• Define the resources required within the Portfolio organisation to achieve the desired activities. Work to the staffing level parameters agreed with the Executive and business.
• To lead and direct all resources within their Portfolio to deliver in line with the expectations and standards.
• Ensure the effective translation of SL Enterprise strategic, technical, engineering and safety case authorities into Portfolio level authority arrangements, with clear accountabilities for setting and delivering to the required standards.
• They have the authority to challenge and question expectations and standards in line with delivering on a balanced proposition of risk, schedule and cost to establish consensus with key stakeholders.
• Define the services required from SL Enterprise functions, working collaboratively on priorities and the efficient allocation of resources (people, funding and assets).
• Implementing the standards and performance requirements as defined by the SL Enterprise Functions.

Portfolio Dimensions:
• £ 270 million

Principal Accountabilities

• Champion health, safety, security, environmental and sustainability excellence.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, regulatory frameworks, standards, policies and internal governance.
• Lead the portfolio delivery to ensure achievement of safety, environmental, quality, and performance targets.
• Develop and implement strategic plans and annual business objectives to align with corporate goals and regulatory requirements.
• Define programme and project requirements to provide new capabilities in line with the Enterprise Strategy, acting as Sponsor, Single Point Accountability (SPA) or potentially Single Responsible Owner (SRO) to meet business needs. Transition the new capabilities into delivery to realise the expected business case benefits and return on investment.
• Manage financial performance of the Portfolio to deliver within agreed budgets and drive cost efficiency.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, including embedding learning from experience and best practice.
• Provide visible leadership to foster a high-performance culture.
• As a ‘Duty Director’, lead tactical prioritisation and decision making on behalf of the Enterprise.
• Engage with stakeholders (internal and external) to ensure alignment and support.
• Collaborate across the business and with the supply chain, NDA Group and key stakeholders to optimise business performance outcomes and value for the UK taxpayer.
• Deliver asset management plans to optimise lifecycle business outcomes.
• Oversee the implementation of strategic, technical, engineering and risk management requirements and plans into pragmatic delivery.
• Report on performance metrics to Executive leadership and key stakeholders.
• Coach and Develop team members to create high performing teams, a sustainable talent pipeline and resilient succession plans.
• Lead the delivery of pragmatic, fit for purpose plant engineering and maintenance programmes for the Portfolio, to optimise facility performance.
• Ensure that all safety case requirements and technical baselines for Portfolio assets are clearly defined, understood and fulfilled, with effective configuration control.

Role Context and Challenges

The Delivery Portfolio Director reports to the Chief Operating Officer, providing the focus of translating the company strategy into implementation. They set the tone for driving safe and secure transformational change and value for the business through everything the business does.

The post holder must negotiate and establish performance expectations with every part of the enterprise to drive change and improve performance for their Portfolio. This requires collaboration with the leaders across other Portfolios and enterprise functions to achieve enterprise objectives. This will require exemplary business leadership, negotiation / collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills.

They are responsible for innovating and challenging all aspects of risk, schedule and cost to continually develop and deliver Value within the whole organisation. They have a responsibility to lead through collaboration and influence, including through matrixed support services and functions. Continuous improvement is an important part of this, the post holder must therefore establish a CI culture with a clear understanding of value and ability to drive improvements.

The post holder will also be required to undertake ‘Duty Director’ duties. This requires taking the lead on tactical priorities and decisions at site level forums such as ‘Fleetcall’ and ‘Plan of the week’ and acting on the behalf of the COO and Executive as required.

The post holder must also set out expectations and ensure compliance with a wide range of policies and standards within a highly complex, regulated operational environment. This requires maintaining a collaborative ‘tension’ with Functional Leaders, keeping a balance between compliance to standards and proportional arrangements. In addition, the post holder will set the service requirements and performance expectations for their Portfolio with the SL Enterprise Functions, working collaboratively on priorities, aggregated cross-cutting issues and the efficient allocation of resources (people, funding and assets) to maximise business benefits.

The Delivery Portfolio Director provides services external to Sellafield Ltd, for the broader UK Nuclear Industry. This requires representing Sellafield at Executive/Senior forums, including Government Departments and close collaboration across the NDA Group Companies, sharing learning and best practice.

Knowledge & Experience

• Degree-level qualification in engineering, science, or related discipline.
• Senior leadership experience in regulated, safety-critical environments.
• Proven delivery of large-scale Portfolios, including operations, programmes, projects and asset management.
• Strong understanding of nuclear industry standards and regulatory frameworks.
• Strategic thinking, financial acumen, and decision-making.
• Stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Change leadership and continuous improvement.
• Chartered status (e.g. CEng, CMI, IOSH) desirable.

Additional Information

• Open VN
• Number of Vacancies: 1
• Contact/s: Daniel Milward daniel.a.milward@sellafieldsites.com

As part of your application, please include a cover letter detailing how you meet the knowledge and experience required for the role.

The interviews for this vacancy are expected to be between 3rd and 4th March 2026.

If you choose to apply for this role and your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview. In the interview, you will be assessed against the NDA Leadership Standard.

Sellafield Ltd are recognised as a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3). Disability Confident employers offer an interview to disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. Sellafield Ltd define the minimum criteria as the ‘essential skills’ which are listed on the vacancy notice. Whilst completing your application form, you will be able to indicate if you wish to be considered under the disability confident scheme. If you would prefer to discuss this directly with us, please contact the GBS Recruitment team on recruitment@sellafieldcloud.co.uk

Please ensure that you save a copy of this advert for future reference if you make an application for this role.

The closing date for this vacancy is 10th February 2026.