Senior Project Manager

AtkinsRéalis UK Limited; Whitehaven; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working culture

Flexible holiday allowances

Professional development

Job summary

AtkinsRéalis UK Limited is seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead end-to-end delivery of complex nuclear projects across decommissioning, waste management, defence and new build programmes in the UK. You will drive governance, control costs and schedules, and ensure safety and quality throughout the lifecycle.

You will lead multi-disciplinary teams, engage with clients and regulators, and mentor junior managers while pursuing bids and new opportunities in a highly regulated environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering complex projects in a nuclear or similarly highly regulated environment.
• Strong governance, assurance and controls for project delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to manage cost, schedule, risk and change at project or programme level.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of complex nuclear projects and work packages from initiation to close-out.
• Establish and maintain robust project governance aligned to client, regulatory and internal requirements.
• Manage project scope, schedule, cost, risk and change to ensure successful outcomes.
• Embed nuclear safety, security, quality and environmental considerations into all aspects of delivery.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with clients, regulators, and suppliers.
• Provide clear, confident communication on progress, risks, opportunities and issues.
• Lead, motivate and develop project teams, creating an inclusive and psychologically safe environment.
• Coach and mentor project managers and contribute to capability development across the business.
• Manage project finances, forecasts and commercial performance.
• Support business growth through client engagement, repeat work and new opportunities.

Skills

Project governance

Cost management

Schedule management

Risk management

Change control

Stakeholder management

Communication

Leadership

Nuclear safety culture

Education

Degree in a relevant discipline

Recognised project management qualification (e.g. APM PMQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner, MSP)

Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) or working towards chartership

Job description

Job Description Overview

We are looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the delivery of complex nuclear projects across decommissioning, waste management, defence and new build programmes. This is an opportunity to work at the forefront of the UK nuclear industry, delivering critical projects in a highly regulated environment while helping to shape a strong, inclusive and safety‑led culture. You will be a trusted partner to our clients, a leader of multi‑disciplinary teams, and a role model for nuclear safety, governance and professional project delivery. You will also be responsible for the bidding and delivery of our projects to time, cost, and quality throughout their project lifecycle, from tender to closeout.

AtkinsRéalis Decommissioning Team

AtkinsRéalis’ DWS business consists of over 400 professionals of all disciplines and backgrounds working together to deliver innovative solutions to some of the most challenging and complex problems and projects in the UK’s nuclear industry. We create a culture and environment to inspire our people, ensure collaboration with our clients and continue to shape the future of the UK’s nuclear decommissioning programme. AtkinsRéalis have recently won multiple places on the Decommissioning Nuclear Waste Partnership (DWNP) Framework, a major route to market issued by Sellafield Ltd, totaling £4.6B issued over the 15 year span of the framework. This provides a number of great and exciting opportunities to join the team.

Your role

• Leading the end‑to‑end delivery of complex nuclear projects and work packages, from initiation through to close‑out.
• Establishing and maintaining robust project governance aligned to client, regulatory and internal requirements.
• Managing project scope, schedule, cost, risk and change to ensure successful outcomes.
• Embedding nuclear safety, security, quality and environmental considerations into all aspects of delivery.
• Building strong, collaborative relationships with clients, partners, regulators and suppliers.
• Providing clear, confident communication on progress, risks, opportunities and issues.
• Leading, motivating and developing project teams, creating an inclusive and psychologically safe environment.
• Coaching and mentoring project managers and contributing to capability development across the business.
• Managing project finances, forecasts and commercial performance.
• Supporting business growth through client engagement, repeat work and new opportunities.

About you

• Essential experience: Proven experience delivering complex projects in a nuclear or similarly highly regulated environment. Strong knowledge of project management governance, assurance and controls. Demonstrated experience managing cost, schedule, risk and change at project or programme level. Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills. Experience leading multi‑disciplinary teams and working in integrated delivery environments. A strong understanding of nuclear safety culture and regulatory expectations.
• Desirable Experience: Experience across decommissioning, waste, new build or defence nuclear programmes. Experience supporting bids, proposals or business development activities.
• Qualifications: Degree or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline. Recognised project management qualification (e.g. APM PMQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner, MSP). Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) or working towards chartership (desirable).

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world‑class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Additional information

Security clearance: This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance. We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to all applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria. If you would like to be considered under this commitment, please let us know at the application stage.

Worker Type Employee Job Type Regular

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world‑class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences. Created by the integration of long‑standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world‑class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end‑to‑end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital. News and information are available at Atkinsrealis or follow us on LinkedIn.