Head of Engineering

Nuclearinst; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance

Pension with life assurance

Digital GP and health checks

Employee share scheme

Discounts through shopping portal

Professional fees paid

Special leave for Reservists

Job summary

Cavendish Nuclear is recruiting a Head of Engineering to lead high‑impact engineering programmes across UK hubs. This role shapes future capability, drives technical excellence, and builds trusted relationships with customers and partners.

A flexible, hybrid, permanent position offers travel across Cavendish Nuclear hubs and to customer sites. The successful candidate will oversee engineering activities, influence senior leaders, and promote innovation within a highly regulated sector, with

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading engineering teams in complex environments.
• Strong ability to engage customers, stakeholders and senior leaders.
• Credible technical/engineering leadership within your field.
• Experience driving innovation, continuous improvement and organisational change.
• Passion for nuclear/clean energy and regulated engineering sectors.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with customers, partners and industry stakeholders.
• Provide technical leadership and assurance to meet programme and customer requirements.
• Develop future engineering capability to support growth and opportunities.
• Represent Cavendish Nuclear at external presentations, conferences and industry forums.
• Support business development by promoting technical capability and identifying growth opportunities.

Skills

Leadership

Relationship-building

Technical leadership

Innovation

Change management

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Job Title: Head of Engineering

Location: Flexible + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation: Attractive Salary + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF75843

Shape the Future of Clean Energy and Nuclear Engineering

At Cavendish Nuclear, we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together. If you join us, you can play your part as a Head of Engineering at any of our Cavendish Nuclear hubs, near Warrington, Cheshire; Bristol; Leicester, Leicestershire; Newbury, Berkshire; or Moor Row, Cumbria.

The role

As a Head of Engineering, you'll play a pivotal leadership role in helping shape the future of clean energy in the United Kingdom. This is an exciting opportunity to influence major engineering programmes, strengthen technical capability across the business, and build trusted relationships with customers and key stakeholders.

This is a permanent, 37-hour-per-week role based at any of our main UK locations. Flexible working arrangements are available, and travel across Cavendish Nuclear hubs and customer sites will be expected.

Day-to-day, you’ll be required to:

• Building and maintaining strategic relationships with customers, partners, and industry stakeholders.
• Providing technical leadership and assurance to ensure engineering activities meet programme and customer requirements.
• Developing future engineering capability to support business growth, innovation, and emerging nuclear opportunities.
• Representing Cavendish Nuclear through external presentations, conferences, networking events, and industry forums.
• Supporting business development activities by promoting technical capability and identifying opportunities for growth

Essential experience of the Head of Engineering:

• Demonstrable experience leading engineering teams and functions within a complex engineering environment.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to engage and influence customers, stakeholders, and senior leaders.
• Recognised credibility as a technical or engineering leader within your field.
• Experience driving innovation, continuous improvement, and organisational change.
• Passion for the nuclear, clean energy, or highly regulated engineering sector, with a commitment to shaping its future.

Qualifications for the Head of Engineering:

• Degree or equivalent qualification in an engineering discipline.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) / Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What we offer

• Generous holiday allowance
• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
• Employee share scheme
• Employee shopping savings portal
• Payment of Professional Fees
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Cavendish employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually.
• 'Be Kind Day' enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Cavendish

We’re Cavendish Nuclear — a team of c5,000 specialists and a core part of Babcock International Group.

Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. Across clean energy, defence, and civil decommissioning, your work will contribute to projects that are critical to energy security and national protection. Together, we’re shaping a future that lasts — not only through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance.

Join us and discover how far we can go, together.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email [e-mail] with the subject header 'Reasonable adjustments requirement'. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing date: 21/09/2026

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