Deputy Director Capital Works, National Biosecurity Centre (NBC) Programme

Government Recruitment Service; Reading; On-site; GBP 77,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Disability Confident employer scheme

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service in Reading is seeking a Deputy Director, Capital Works to lead enabling and infrastructure works for Weybridge, preparing the site for main construction in 2027 and for future maintenance of NBC facilities.

The role requires close collaboration with the NBC Programme Director and project sponsors to govern investment decisions, payments, and change control, while maintaining strong relationships with APHA, Defra and government partners.

Responsibilities

• Act as overall client-side lead for capital project delivery, overseeing enabling works, infrastructure and site logistics to support Weybridge go-live.
• Ensure governance, investment decisions, payments and change control are exercised with the NBC Programme Director and project sponsors.
• Manage key relationships with Defra, APHA and intergovernmental stakeholders, ensuring safety and biosecurity compliance.

Job description

Deputy Director Capital Works, National Biosecurity Centre (NBC) Programme

As Deputy Director, Capital Works within the NBC programme, the key immediate challenge will be to act as overall client-side lead for enabling and infrastructure works to clear and prepare the site for the main construction to begin in 2027, of long-term infrastructure to support go live of the new facilities, and for the delivery of future maintenance and critical works to keep the Weybridge site operational until NBC delivers.

The urgency of the re-development at Weybridge means that these must be achieved to meet the Defra strategy for the site. This will be a critical role given the complex interdependencies on a site which must remain operational throughout the works.

The post-holder will work closely with the NBC Programme Director and project sponsors acting as the primary civil service conduit for formal governance, ensuring that investment decisions, financial payments, approvals and change control are exercised. They will manage key relationships with stakeholders within Defra and across Government.

They will lead on benefits management, monitoring and realisation across the portfolio, ensuring any associated business change is planned, tracked and embedded, and will maintain strong stakeholder engagement within the main end users - APHA and Defra Group Property.

They will maintain, evolve and implement the workforce strategy and associated recruitment needed to build the long-term capability required for Weybridge, and will ensure upward visibility of progress, risks and issues through the programme and into Defra and Government-wide reporting. The postholder will be the critical link between the Programme and the machinery of Government.

This is a specialist Deputy Director role that will operate within the Defra Group Project Delivery Profession. Reporting to the NBC Programme Director with specific responsibility for sponsorship of the delivery of defined capital works, they will be a key part of the NBC Senior Leadership team, working closely with the NBC Programme Executive, the main Internal Governance Board for the Programme.

• Acting as overall client-side lead for capital project delivery on behalf of the NBC Programme Intelligent Client Function (ICF). They will be responsible for a portfolio of projects including assurance of investment and procurement decisions and payment approvals. This primarily encompasses enabling projects, infrastructure and site logistics in the near term, as well as Weybridge site wide critical works and future maintenance, but other capital projects may form part of the role/portfolio in future.
• Working with the Programme Director and Project Sponsors to support the development of project delivery strategies, collaborating with supply chain partners to integrate all enabling, infrastructure, and early works including energy, power, services and logistics.
• Assure compliance with planning conditions for all projects within the portfolio.
• Ensuring projects remain aligned with programme constraints (e.g. clearing the footprint on time), focusing on value-for-money exercising financial approvals and change control across the portfolio, leading benefits realisation throughout the project throughout their lifecycle, and reporting progress, issues, risks and mitigations to the Programme Executive and Board.
• Building and maintaining respected and trusted relationships with APHA, Defra group Property, government stakeholders and key regulators to ensure safety, ethical, and biosecurity standards are met.
• Acting as a member of the Senior Leadership Team for NBC, leading the development of the workforce strategy and associated recruitment to build the long-term capability required by the Programme, and supporting the delivery of corporate objectives for

  the Programme and DEFRA.

• Supporting the SRO and Programme Director to manage relationships and retain credibility within Defra.
• Note: An employee may be required to carry out additional duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £86,000 to £86,000 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Reading

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 2 Nov 2026

Closing date: 22 Nov 2026

Summary

As Deputy Director, Capital Works within the NBC programme, the key immediate challenge will be to act as overall client-side lead for enabling and infrastructure works to clear and prepare the site for the main construction to begin in 2027, of long-term infrastructure to support go live of the new facilities, and for the delivery of future maintenance and critical works to keep the Weybridge site operational until NBC delivers.

The urgency of the re-development at Weybridge means that these must be achieved to meet the Defra strategy for the site. This will be a critical role given the complex interdependencies on a site which must remain operational throughout the works.

The post-holder will work closely with the NBC Programme Director and project sponsors acting as the primary civil service conduit for formal governance, ensuring that investment decisions, financial payments, approvals and change control are exercised. They will manage key relationships with stakeholders within Defra and across Government.

They will lead on benefits management, monitoring and realisation across the portfolio, ensuring any associated business change is planned, tracked and embedded, and will maintain strong stakeholder engagement within the main end users - APHA and Defra Group Property.

They will maintain, evolve and implement the workforce strategy and associated recruitment needed to build the long-term capability required for Weybridge, and will ensure upward visibility of progress, risks and issues through the programme and into Defra and Government-wide reporting. The postholder will be the critical link between the Programme and the machinery of Government.

This is a specialist Deputy Director role that will operate within the Defra Group Project Delivery Profession. Reporting to the NBC Programme Director with specific responsibility for sponsorship of the delivery of defined capital works, they will be a key part of the NBC Senior Leadership team, working closely with the NBC Programme Executive, the main Internal Governance Board for the Programme.

• Acting as overall client-side lead for capital project delivery on behalf of the NBC Programme Intelligent Client Function (ICF). They will be responsible for a portfolio of projects including assurance of investment and procurement decisions and payment approvals. This primarily encompasses enabling projects, infrastructure and site logistics in the near term, as well as Weybridge site wide critical works and future maintenance, but other capital projects may form part of the role/portfolio in future.
• Working with the Programme Director and Project Sponsors to support the development of project delivery strategies, collaborating with supply chain partners to integrate all enabling, infrastructure, and early works including energy, power, services and logistics.
• Assure compliance with planning conditions for all projects within the portfolio.
• Ensuring projects remain aligned with programme constraints (e.g. clearing the footprint on time), focusing on value-for-money exercising financial approvals and change control across the portfolio, leading benefits realisation throughout the project throughout their lifecycle, and reporting progress, issues, risks and mitigations to the Programme Executive and Board.
• Building and maintaining respected and trusted relationships with APHA, Defra group Property, government stakeholders and key regulators to ensure safety, ethical, and biosecurity standards are met.
• Acting as a member of the Senior Leadership Team for NBC, leading the development of the workforce strategy and associated recruitment to build the long-term capability required by the Programme, and supporting the delivery of corporate objectives for

  the Programme and DEFRA.

• Supporting the SRO and Programme Director to manage relationships and retain credibility within Defra.
• Note: An employee may be required to carry out additional duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.

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