Director Nuclear and Defence

BakerHicks; England; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in the UK is seeking a Director for their Nuclear & Defence sector in London/Warwick. This senior leadership role entails overseeing commercial success, strategic direction, and operational performance. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in the nuclear or defence sectors, strong business development skills, and the ability to manage multidisciplinary teams. Key responsibilities include achieving revenue growth, ensuring P&L management, and fostering client relationships. Competitive compensation and growth opportunities are offered.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in senior leadership roles within nuclear or defence sectors.
• Proven track record in business development and strategic account management.
• Significant experience managing large, multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute long-term strategy for Nuclear & Defence South portfolio.
• Lead business development efforts and secure new business opportunities.
• Drive operational excellence and ensure compliance with governance and quality standards.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Business development

Client relationship management

P&L management

Team development

Operational excellence

Education

Degree in a technical, engineering, or project management discipline

Job description

Director – Nuclear & Defence (South)

Location : London / Warwick

Summary

The Director – Nuclear & Defence (South) is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic direction, operational performance, commercial success, and sustainable growth of the BakerHicks Nuclear and Defence (South) portfolio.

This position oversees major framework agreements and complex programmes, ensuring the successful delivery of high-value projects, strengthening key client relationships, driving revenue and margin growth, and leading a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team.

The role carries full accountability for business development, P&L performance, budgeting, strategic planning, operational governance, and people development across the regional Nuclear & Defence division.

Key Objectives

• Drive sustainable year-on-year revenue and margin growth across the Nuclear & Defence (South) portfolio.
• Deliver strong P&L performance, ensuring accurate forecasting, cost control, budget management, and financial discipline.
• Strengthen and expand strategic client and stakeholder relationships, positioning BakerHicks as a partner of choice.
• Lead the development and execution of a clear business development strategy, securing new and repeat business opportunities.
• Ensure effective operational delivery across programmes, meeting all KPIs, regulatory requirements, and quality standards.
• Embed a strong people development culture, focusing on leadership capability, succession planning, and organisational resilience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the long-term business strategy for the Nuclear & Defence South portfolio in alignment with corporate objectives.
• Provide strong strategic and operational leadership to framework, project, and discipline managers.
• Build and maintain trusted senior-level relationships with clients, partners, regulators, and supply-chain stakeholders.
• Act as the senior escalation point for all framework and programme-related matters.
• Own full P&L performance, including revenue growth, margin optimisation, budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.
• Lead commercial negotiations and ensure all contracts are delivered to maximise value and profitability.
• Oversee successful delivery of all programmes and projects, ensuring compliance with KPIs, quality standards, and contractual requirements.
• Drive operational excellence through effective resource planning, risk management, and performance monitoring.
• Ensure full compliance with company governance, policies, procedures, and all relevant safety, security, environmental, and quality regulations.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for business growth within existing frameworks and across the wider nuclear and defence markets.
• Support and lead the development of new business opportunities, bids, proposals, and strategic partnerships.
• Lead, mentor, and develop multidisciplinary teams, ensuring clear objectives, strong performance, and succession planning.
• Foster a high-performance, collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement and organisational capability.

Knowledge, Experience and Qualifications

• Degree-level education or equivalent, ideally in a technical, engineering, or project management discipline.
• Extensive experience in senior leadership roles within the nuclear, defence, engineering, or major infrastructure sectors.
• Proven track record in business development, strategic account management, and leading major frameworks or programmes.
• Strong commercial acumen with demonstrated ability to manage P&L, budgets, contractual negotiations, forecasting, and financial governance.
• Significant experience leading large, multidisciplinary teams, with a strong focus on coaching, development, and organisational capability.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and influencing skills, with a track record of building senior-level client relationships.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to balance long‑term vision with operational delivery.
• Highly motivated, collaborative leader with a commitment to excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Please be advised that while BakerHicks endeavours to process applications promptly, the upcoming festive season, our annual shutdown, and the planned leave of our hiring teams will delay the review of new applications until January 2026.

Feedback and interviews are expected to commence the week of January 13th, 2026.