Supplier Operations Development Lead

Rolls-Royce SMR Limited; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary £50,640–£66,500

Performance-related bonus 12.5%

Benefits allowance £2,200

Pension – 12% employer, 6% employee

28 days holidays + public holidays

Private Medical Insurance – BUPA

Life Assurance – 6× pensionable pay

Home office setup payment

Job summary

Rolls-Royce SMR Limited is seeking a Supplier Operations Development Lead to strengthen production management and operational excellence. Hybrid work with site assessments, supplier travel, and possible international travel are involved.

You will report to the Senior Supply Chain Development Manager and contribute to improvements in quality, delivery, and efficiency while promoting a strong safety culture across regulated environments.

Qualifications

• Experience in regulated or safety-critical environments (nuclear know-how of interest).
• Strong influencer with improvement mindset to win hearts and minds of the business.
• Production and Operations Management experience.
• Demonstrable supplier engagement experience.

Responsibilities

• Review supplier operational performance through site assessments and performance monitoring to drive improvements in quality, delivery, and efficiency.
• Promote a strong safety culture by supporting best practices, improving operational standards, and ensuring safe ways of working.
• Support production management improvements by identifying opportunities to enhance productivity, quality, and overall operational performance.
• Develop and maintain supplier performance reporting, providing clear insights to support continuous improvement and effective decision-making.

Skills

Production management

Operations management

Supplier engagement

Safety management

Job description

At Rolls‑Royce SMR, we’re tackling the energy challenge head on by building the next generation of clean energy. We're developing innovative small modular reactors, making clean energy more accessible while creating a UK success story with the potential to transform energy systems around the world. The appointment of a Supplier Operations Development Lead will be a pivotal role at Rolls Royce SMR to strengthen production management and operational excellence.

You will be reporting to our Senior Supply Chain Development Manager and your role will look like:

• Review supplier operational performance through site assessments and performance monitoring to drive improvements in quality, delivery, and efficiency.
• Promote a strong safety culture by supporting best practices, improving operational standards, and ensuring safe ways of working.
• Support production management improvements by identifying opportunities to enhance productivity, quality, and overall operational performance.
• Develop and maintain supplier performance reporting, providing clear insights to support continuous improvement and effective decision-making.

We seek an inspiring and tenacious individual who will have had exposure in regulated or safety‑critical environments (as you would expect nuclear "know-how" will be of great interest to us, whilst those from defence, aerospace and manufacturing sectors may all have transferable capability).

We will need your application to showcase your experience and knowledge in the following areas:

• Ability to be a strong influencer with an improvement mindset to win the hearts and minds of the business
• Production and Operations Management experience
• Demonstratable supplier engagement experience
• Extensive knowledge of safety management

Location & Ways of Working

This role can be based from our Derby, Manchester or Warrington office. Hybrid working is standard, with regular supplier travel required. Some international travel may also be required depending on supplier activity.

In return we offer:

• A salary between £50,640 and £66,500 depending on experience
• 12.5% performance related bonus
• A benefits allowance of £2,200 to build a personalised package
• Pension – 12% employer, 6% employee
• Holidays – 28 days + public holidays (option to buy/sell up to 4 days)
• Private Medical Insurance – BUPA
• Life Assurance – 6× pensionable pay £250 one-off home office setup payment

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Why Join Us?

• A flexible, inclusive, and supportive working environment.
• Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business.
• A culture that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning.

Pay Range: £50,600.00 - £66,465.00

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we’ll let you in on a secret: there's no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you.

Also, if you are considering a career move or a sector-jump, please get in touch – we welcome applications from people with transferable skills.

Our Application Process

• Obtaining Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance
• Satisfactory completion of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Satisfactory completion of a basic financial probity check

#LI-Hybrid #LI_AJ-1

We are Rolls‑Royce SMR A career with Rolls‑Royce SMR offers a unique opportunity to contribute to an exciting organisation delivering a transformational mission.

Rolls‑Royce SMR is a radically different approach to proven nuclear technology. Each Rolls‑Royce SMR power station will generate 470MW of low‑carbon energy - equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines and enough to power a million homes for over 60 years.

With its Rolls‑Royce SMRs will play a vital role in supporting renewable energy by helping to overcome intermittency and ensure a stable, sustainable energy future.

We’re proud to be one of the few employers that can genuinely say we’re a strengths‑based organisation. Our people are here because of what makes them exceptional - and our role is to help them make the most meaningful contribution of their careers, doing work they love.

We offer opportunities that go beyond traditional career paths. At Rolls‑Royce SMR you can develop your career by exploring roles and challenges that align with your unique talents.

Our culture. At Rolls‑Royce SMR, we are committed to ensuring that our teams reflect the communities we serve and that everyone can be themselves at work. We know that diverse teams are more innovative and get better results, and that our people can thrive and be more successful in truly inclusive cultures.

Join us and help shape our culture. Find out more about our inclusion pledge.

Rolls‑Royce SMR is a place where everyone can grow, so whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day and help shape our culture.

You’ll join a forward thinking, inclusive and innovative organisation offering: A flexible and supportive working environment Opportunities for career progression and professional development A culture that values diversity, innovation and continuous learning

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone can thrive.

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