Job Description Head of Dreadnought Programme - Submarines Full time Raynesway, Derby Our Submarines business is world leading in propulsion system design and development for the Royal Navy's Nuclear Submarine Fleet. It is the sole provider and technical authority, managing all aspects of plant design, safety, manufacture, performance, and through-life support. The New Build & Components (NB&C) business unit is responsible for Component Delivery, Engineering and New Build Programmes, and is also responsible for the Barrow site integration teams. The focus for NB&C is on delivering Dreadnought, the UK’s top defence priority and most important programme in a generation. This needs to be achieved while also maintaining our remaining Astute commitments and overcoming our challenges in the regeneration of our facilities and preparations for new product introduction programmes (SSN-AUKUS). The Dreadnought class is the future replacement for the Vanguard class of ballistic missile submarines to enable the Royal Navy to maintain a continuous at-sea deterrent, the principle of operation behind the Trident system. The programme is part way through building the lead boat at the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow in Furness and construction has commenced on the second boat, HMS Valiant. The platform will use a number of components in the propulsion system that Rolls-Royce deliver directly to BAE Systems, such as Turbo-Generators, Propulsor, and Flexible Couplings, which are managed by our Secondary Propulsion team in Derby. Why Rolls-Royce? Rolls-Royce is one of the most enduring and iconic brands in the world and has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century. We design, build and service systems that provide critical power to customers where safety and reliability are paramount. We are proud to be a force for progress, powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere. We want to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that has shaped our history continues into our future and we need people like you to come and join us on this journey. We’ll provide an environment of caring and belonging where you can be yourself. An inclusive, innovative culture that invests in you, gives you access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities where you can grow your career and make a difference. What we offer We offer excellent development opportunities, a competitive salary, and exceptional benefits. These include bonus, employee support assistance and employee discounts. Your needs are as unique as you are. Hybrid working is a way in which our people can balance their time between the office, home, or another remote location. It’s a locally managed and flexed informal discretionary arrangement. As a minimum we’re all expected to attend the workplace for collaboration and other specific reasons, on average three days per week. What you will be doing The Head of Secondary Propulsion Programme within NB&C will provide leadership across the full breadth of the Rolls-Royce Secondary Propulsion programmes from securing contract placement for remaining scope and closing out the design to manufacture of components in the supply chain, managing the contract and financial performance, and the integration with the build programme at Barrow. There are also key deliveries to complete in support of the final stages of the Astute build programme. The Head of Programme reports to the Programme & Site Integration Executive and has line management responsibility for the programme management teams assigned to Secondary Propulsion within NB&C. The key accountability is to lead the teams to deliver the full range of commitments made to BAE Systems and the contract performance to the Submarines business. You’ll lead, engage, and motivate the Secondary Propulsion Programme Management Team to operate at the highest standards and deliver exceptional service Engaging the team in our mission and developing them to be the best they can be Identifying, developing, and implementing new processes and tools, where required to support the team to deliver their projects You’ll be responsible for delivering the full range of commitments made by Rolls-Royce Submarines to BAE Systems. Delivering components to meet the cost, time, and quality Providing credible forecasts of delivery performance to all stakeholders Ensuring that the executive systems cascade the correct programme demand to the required areas Leading programme reviews to provide quality information to the shipyard customer reports You’ll be responsible for the contract performance for the Secondary Propulsion contracts Delivering the financial outcomes committed to the business and BAE Systems Ensuring the programme and contract data is maintained at the standard required to feed all company and customer expectations Deliver all bidding and contracting activity for Secondary Propulsion You’ll be responsible for the project data held by the CAMs Ensuring that data standards are in line with the programme’s contractual requirements Leading CAM reviews to provide quality information to programme reviews, contract packs and customer reports You’ll integrate across the Submarines Enterprise and within the Rolls-Royce Submarines business Engaging and collaborating with BAE Systems teams to achieve the best outcome for the programme Ensuring that the relationships across functional workstreams and organisational boundaries are in place to secure the required resources and dependencies Who we’re looking for: At Rolls-Royce we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. These principles form the behaviours that guide us and are an essential component of our assessment process. They are the fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles. Leadership of people in a high pressure, challenging environment, dealing with complex and ambiguous situations. Able to work through ambiguity to focus the team on the right priorities Able to build strong relationships across organisational boundaries and influence key stakeholders who often have conflicting priorities by clearly articulating the situation in a constructive way Highly collaborative, using the strengths of a diverse team to deliver the programme objectives. Exposure to non-core project management roles such as purchasing, commercial, production, engineering management, etc will be a real asset in getting work done Experience of managing complex contracts and projects in the supply chain a Production/Manufacturing environment with significant financial accountability Significant level of personal resilience and persistence We are an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive working environment. We believe that people from different backgrounds and cultures give us different perspectives which are crucial to innovation and problem solving. We believe the more diverse perspectives we have, the more successful we’ll be. By building a culture of caring and belonging, we give everyone who works here the opportunity to realise their full potential. You can learn more about our global Inclusion strategy at Our people | Rolls-Royce To work for the Rolls-Royce Submarines business an individual has to hold a Security Check clearance. Rolls-Royce will support the application for Security Clearance if you do not currently already have this in place. Due to the nature of work the business conducts and the protection of certain assets we can only progress applications from individuals who are a UK national or, in MoD approved cases, a dual national. As part of our selection process, candidates in certain locations may be asked to complete an online assessment, which can include cognitive and behavioural aptitude testing relevant to the role. If required, full instructions for the next steps will be provided. Job Category Project Management Posting Date 01 Dec 2025; 00:12 Posting End Date 06 Dec 2025