Group Leader Operations Manager

Operations Group Leader

AWE plays a crucial role in nuclear defence, providing the warheads for the UK's nuclear deterrent. What we do is unique and so are the people who work here. We currently have an exciting leadership opportunity to join us as Operations Group Leader in our Trials and Test Technology Centre. This is a key role required to strengthen our leadership in the operational delivery of qualification and test capability during a period of sustained business growth.

Location - Reading/Basingstoke area

Closing Date - 21st March 2023

As part of our People Promise, AWE (one of the best 25 big companies to work for in the UK) has a range of benefits to suit you. These include:

• Time to recharge your batteries with 270 hours of annual leave (plus every other Friday off work)
• Consideration for flexible working arrangements so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know on your application if you wish to work part time
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development that include funding for the annual membership of a relevant professional body, access to mentors and training
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services
• A generous defined contribution Group Personal Pension (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your own contribution)
• Life Assurance
• Discounts - access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring for your family
• A host of voluntary & core benefits to suit your health and wellbeing - more information available on our careers site.

About the role,

An Integral and highly influential part of the leadership of the Trials and Test Technology Centre Management Team with specific accountability for the leadership of all operations that deliver the capability services in the order book in a compliant, safe, secure and cost-effective manner. As Operations Group Leader we will be looking for you to drive performance improvement and cultural change in shaping and transforming existing and new explosively driven physics trials and test capabilities across our UK and French capabilities.

We will be looking for individuals who lead with humility and professionalism, who put our AWE values at the heart of what they do and model the core leadership behaviours of setting direction, engaging people and delivering results. In addition to the above, we will also be looking for candidates to have the following experience and attributes.

• Deployment mobility to routinely have a presence at the French facility in Valduc, French speaking desirable though language training will be provided.
• Leadership of a diverse and multidisciplinary team of managers and technical operatives to deliver all task outputs included in the order book, to schedule, cost and quality. (Order book value ~£20M).
• Maintain demonstrably safe operational control of processes and capabilities within the regulatory framework .
• Leadership of operational strategy and drive senior stakeholder engagement with industry and academia (incl international partners).
• Ensure operational availability of plant and equipment in support of the capability.
• Lead innovation and change - Create a culture to deliver improvements in performance in all aspects of operations.
• Strong business and commercial acumen.
• Proven negotiating and influencing skills with the ability to convince through personal credibility
• An ability to provide inspirational leadership to a team with diverse skills and experience and build a high performing team.
• Have experience operating confidently at a strategic level and to assimilate and analyse information quickly to assess and debate complex issues at the highest level.
• Willing to obtain and maintain security clearance.

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