Rolls-Royce SMR
Senior Engineer - Engineering Capability & Governance and Assurance
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Role: Engineering Capability – Governance and Assurance Senior Engineer
Location: Hybrid working with one of the following closest locations as primary: Derby, Warrington or Manchester
Our mission is to deliver clean, affordable energy for all. Rolls-Royce SMR is developing a British solution to one of the world's most pressing challenges: providing reliable, low-carbon energy at scale. Through the deployment of innovative Small Modular Reactor technology, we are combining the heritage of Rolls-Royce engineering excellence with cutting-edge nuclear innovation to help accelerate the global transition to net zero. As one of the UK's most exciting clean energy programmes, we're creating a business that will shape the future of energy generation while creating skilled jobs, advancing technology, and supporting long-term energy security.
The Team
The Engineering Capability team is responsible for ensuring our engineering function has the processes, governance, tools, standards, and assurance framework needed to deliver excellence. Working across the organisation, the Governance and Assurance team helps drive consistency, compliance, continuous improvement, and operational effectiveness, ensuring our engineering activities remain robust, efficient, and fit for a highly regulated environment.
The Opportunity
In this context, we're looking for an Engineering Capability – Governance and Assurance Senior Engineer to join our growing Engineering Capability function, reporting to the Capability Lead – Governance and Assurance.
This role offers a unique opportunity to influence how engineering is delivered across Rolls-Royce SMR. Working with leaders and stakeholders from across engineering, quality, assurance, and design disciplines, you'll help strengthen governance frameworks, support assurance activities, identify opportunities for improvement, and ensure our engineering processes continue to evolve in line with business needs and regulatory expectations.
This is a highly visible role that combines governance, assurance, stakeholder engagement, investigation, continuous improvement, and problem-solving, giving you the opportunity to make a tangible impact on the way our business operates.
We'll Need You To
- Supporting and delivering governance reviews and assurance activities across engineering, ensuring processes are being applied consistently and effectively.
- Developing, reviewing, maintaining, and continuously improving engineering processes, templates, guidance, and associated governance documentation.
- Collaborating with assurance, quality, design, and engineering stakeholders to identify gaps, non-conformances, process inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
- Investigating process-related issues, undertaking root cause analysis, gathering evidence, and producing high-quality reports supported by clear recommendations.
- Tracking, prioritising, and supporting the implementation of improvement actions, ensuring recommendations are translated into meaningful outcomes.
- Facilitating stakeholder engagement activities, gathering feedback, promoting best practice, and supporting organisational learning.
- Supporting change implementation activities to ensure new processes and ways of working are embedded successfully across the business.
- Using data, evidence, and insight to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement across engineering capability.
Why this role?
This is far more than a governance role. You'll be helping to define and improve the systems, processes, and ways of working that underpin one of the UK's most ambitious engineering programmes.
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We're looking for someone who enjoys understanding how organisations work, challenges the status quo constructively, and is motivated by improving quality, safety, efficiency, and performance. You'll bring a naturally collaborative approach, strong analytical capability, excellent communication skills, and the confidence to work with stakeholders across multiple disciplines and levels of seniority.
What We're Looking For
Qualifications & Professional Development
- An engineering degree or equivalent professional experience within engineering, governance, assurance, quality, operational excellence, or a related discipline.
- Working towards Chartered Engineer status or another relevant professional accreditation would be advantageous.
Experience
- We'll ask about your experience contributing to governance, assurance, compliance, quality, continuous improvement, operational excellence, or process improvement activities.
- Experience working within engineering, manufacturing, nuclear, aerospace, defence, infrastructure, energy, or another highly regulated environment would be beneficial.
- Experience supporting investigations, audits, assessments, process reviews, or assurance activities and translating findings into practical recommendations.
- Experience working with cross-functional teams to implement improvements and drive organisational change.
Knowledge & Skills
- Knowledge of governance frameworks, process management principles, assurance methodologies, quality management systems, or business process improvement techniques.
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to build credibility and productive working relationships across diverse teams.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present findings, recommendations, and technical information clearly.
- Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills with the ability to assess complex information and identify root causes.
- A structured and organised approach, maintaining high attention to detail while managing competing priorities.
- A continuous improvement mindset coupled with curiosity, resilience, and a desire to challenge existing ways of working constructively.
What Success Looks Like
Within your first 6 months
- Establishing strong relationships across engineering, quality, assurance, and supporting business functions.
- Building a detailed understanding of the engineering process landscape and governance framework.
- Supporting governance reviews and assurance activities while ensuring actions, outcomes, and recommendations are effectively managed and communicated.
Within 12 months
- Contributing to the implementation of process and governance improvements aligned to business strategy and regulatory requirements.
- Supporting the development of improved guidance, templates, tools, and governance arrangements.
- Establishing effective stakeholder feedback mechanisms that help identify and resolve process gaps.
- Supporting assurance and quality teams in maintaining high standards across engineering activities.
Longer-term
- Becoming a recognised and trusted member of the Governance and Assurance team.
- Influencing improvements to engineering governance and ways of working across the organisation.
- Delivering assurance outputs and recommendations that help shape business decisions and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Supporting a culture of learning, accountability, compliance, and engineering excellence.
Location
We offer hybrid and flexible working arrangements and would expect regular attendance at one of our offices in Derby, Manchester, or Warrington.
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While much of the work can be undertaken flexibly, occasional travel between sites may be required to support stakeholder engagement, governance activities, workshops, and assurance reviews.
What's in it for me?
- We anticipate paying a salary of between £50,650-£66,500
- Bonus - Performance related target opportunity 12.5 %
- Benefits Allowance – £2,200 per annum, enabling you to create a bespoke package
- Pension - 12% employer and 6% employee contributions.
- Holidays - 28 days holiday (+ public holidays) and the ability to buy or sell up to 4 days.
- Private Medical Insurance - BUPA single cover health care
- Life Assurance - 6x pensionable pay
- £250 - One-off payment for new starters for home office purchases
As part of our pre-employment checks, successful candidates will be required to complete:
- Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance.
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) screening.
- Financial probity checks. These checks are assessed proportionately and are not considered on a simple pass/fail basis.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is fundamental to our success and, as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to creating fair, accessible, and supportive recruitment processes that enable everyone to perform at their best.
We are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements and will make reasonable workplace adjustments where required in line with the Equality Act 2010.
At Rolls-Royce SMR, we know that diversity of thought drives innovation. We encourage applications from candidates regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or background.
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 around 75% of the requirements for this role, we'd love to hear from you.
Whether you're looking for a new challenge, considering a move from another sector, or bringing transferable skills from a different industry, we encourage you to apply. Your experience could be exactly what we're looking for.
Why Join Us?
You’ll be joining a forward-thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness, and innovation. We offer:
- 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.
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
Due to the safety regulations within the nuclear industry, applicants will be required to participate in additional screening. These are:
- 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
Pay Range
£50,600.00
£66,465.00
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