Job Description

The Senior Construction Manager provides their assigned construction team members the leadership, management, and support required to ensure construction activities are executed to meet the goals and objectives of the business. In a wider context the senior construction manager is a mandated key role in the integrated project delivery model, the team who will collectively discharge the “Intelligent Customer” duties required to assure compliance with several Nuclear Site Licence Conditions.

Work is self-directed and input to company policies is expected.

Principal Accountabilities

• The Senior Construction Manager reports to the Head of Projects for their programme of work and is both professionally accountable to and SQEP’ed by the Construction Function Head of Profession.
• Implement the Construction Profession Make/Buy strategy for their programmes of work to ensure work is delivered with the right internal or external resources in a cost-effective way.
• Assisting the Project Controls and Estimating Group in development of project technical, cost and schedule baselines including the early development and documentation of conceptual working baselines and customer expectations.
• Manage the supply chain to deliver fit for purpose construction work scope to an agreed strategy and plan to meet, or better the project baseline cost and schedule requirements without compromising safety or quality, including corrective action where necessary.
• Implement and aid in the development of construction processes, supporting practices and further supporting materials, which enables Sellafield Limited to meet business and legislative requirements (Site Licence Condition 19).
• Manage SL employees within their team to ensure they are deployed effectively and, in line with wider HR policies, to ensure that staff are developed, graded, promoted, and have a performance review in a consistent and fair way.
• Participate in wider business activities such as audits, peer assists and delivery gate reviews both representing their own programmes and leading the construction aspects of the independent validation of others.
• Implement suitably qualified and experienced person assessment methodology (SQEP) for all construction personnel in their team to ensure that staff and contractors have the right skills and knowledge to deliver high quality work in a safe manner (Nuclear Site Licence Condition 12). This includes the assessing, authorising, and maintaining the competence of Sellafield Ltd and contractor key construction personnel.
• Provide advice and input to other programmes across the business to ensure construction solutions are aligned and follow best practice.
• Responsible for capturing, sharing, and applying construction Learning from Experience and sharing best practice. Contribute to knowledge management activities for the construction profession, ensure knowledge is retained and best practice approaches can be developed.
• Participate in site-wide improvement initiatives to support the medium- and long-term development of the profession and the organisation.
• Promote a safety culture and apply an appropriate level of priority for safety and quality to ensure that Nuclear Safety is not compromised by delivery.
• Assist the Head of Profession in bringing about culture change within Construction profession to improve performance.
• Ensuring that the design intent is met, and site Licence conditions satisfied; that work is controlled in accordance with Conduct of Engineering Manual and that all legal, regulatory, contractual and governance arrangements are met. Especially in aspects of radiological and nuclear safety in support of the “Intelligent Customer” aspects of construction.
• Ensuring a proactive & proportionate approach to radiological, conventional, and environmental safety and construction quality to ensure that they are optimised on the construction site in accordance with approved construction documents.

Knowledge & Experience

• Demonstrable evidence of involvement in the delivery of organisational change.
• Understands construction arrangements in compliance with Nuclear Site Licence Condition 19.
• Has a strong desire to drive for results within their teams/departments.
• Can influence others to improve.
• Can develop and maintain effective relationships and communications with key stakeholders.
• Senior stakeholder management and effective communicator.
• Effective at Leading a Team.
• Has knowledge or experience in delivering the construction work scope to an agreed strategy and plan in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Can ensure a proactive and balanced approach to safety (nuclear, radiological, conventional, and environmental) to ensure that safety is optimised during construction.
• Can ensure input to other project processes are incorporated, for example, design, HAZOP, risk, contract, estimating and knowledge management.
• Understands the Sellafield gated process.
• Extensive experience in managing a medium size engineering, technical or operations organisation with demonstrable evidence of successful delivery: typically experience (if not through Construction) would be delivery of a Senior OU Operations, Maintenance or Engineering Manager role.
• Experience of applying CDM at Sellafield.
• Knowledge of NEC 3 Contracts.
• Considerable experience over a range of demanding Engineering topics. The demands may be in form of project delivery pressures (time, cost & quality constraints), technical complexity of work being delivered or heavily regulated industry. The experience would be over the range of deploying craft skills in early career followed by a more senior position within the delivery organisation where influencing skills are demonstrated.
• Extensive relevant experience in a senior construction position working in a heavily regulated environment.
• Have the knowledge and experience to be able to provide guidance to project & design managers, construction team.

Essential Skills

• HNC or equivalent Level 4 qualification in relevant engineering subject, OR Incorporated Engineer Status OR equivalent qualification in a relevant engineering, manufacturing, process, or plant operations subject.
• Extensive expertise in the application of design, engineering, and project management fundamentals.
• Proven experience within the Legacy Ponds Area, demonstrating a strong understanding of the associated programme and project delivery.
• Extensive experience of managing multi-disciple contracts delivering complex solutions to significant engineering challenges within a highly regulated operating environment.
• Substantial experience in managing medium size / high complexity construction projects, critical to the business and involving a multiple range of bespoke processes through all phases with demonstrable evidence of successful delivery.
• Experience of leading teams in medium/complex project delivery organisations.
• Ability to achieve and maintain SQEP status against SR0614.

Desirable Skills

• B Eng degree or equivalent Level 6 qualification and Incorporated/Chartered Engineer Status.

Additional Information

• Open VN
• Number of Vacancies: 1
• Contact/s: Angela Johnston

The interviews for this vacancy are expected to be 5th June 2026.

ASW’s may have the right to apply for internal Sellafield Ltd vacancies. Please note if you are an Agency Supplied Worker you are required to attach evidence of all qualifications obtained to support your application. We require a minimum of A*-C (9-4) GCSE in English Language, Maths & Science/IT or equivalent / higher qualification.

If you choose to apply for this role and your application is shortlisted by the hiring manager, you will be invited to a competency based interview. In the interview, you will be assessed against the below competencies:

Behavioural:
3.2.2 – Effective Communication
3.2.2 – Resilience
3.3.1 – Drive for Results
3.3.3 – Adapting to and Leading Change
3.3.5 – Holding Self and Others to Account

Technical:
34.4 – Managing Projects
37.6 – Driving and facilitating change

Please see link to the competency framework for further information:
https://slportal.ssa-intra.net/pub/SC001/00027/Competency%20Framework/Forms/AllItems.aspx

If your technical competency is not in the above framework, please refer to the profession’s share point page for further information.

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 24th May 2026.