Major Subcontract Manager - Submarines

Job Description

Job Title: Head of Commercial Delivery – Supply Chain - Submarines

Working Pattern: Full Time / Permanent / Hybrid

Working Location: Derby

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Head of Commercial Delivery – Supply Chain - Submarines to join our team in Derby.

The Head of Commercial Delivery shall lead and support the commercial delivery teams across a portfolio of projects within the overall RRSL Major Infrastructure Programme (MIP) of works. Reporting to the Commercial Programme Executive the Head of Commercial Delivery will focus on ensuring that we protect the commercial interests of RRSL whilst supporting RRSL as a balanced and intelligent client to deliver its programme outcomes.

The key objective of this role is to lead the delivery of a consistent and high-quality approach to commercial excellence in subcontract commercial delivery, budget management, cost and financial management, contract management, dispute avoidance and supplier performance management. The role needs to provide capable and thoughtful commercial leadership, progressive assurance, and delivery ownership into the RRSL Major Infrastructure Programme (MIP).

The role has accountability to develop and lead the commercial support into delivery teams, focusing on the balance of commercial and contract risk to achieve programme outcomes. To protect RRSL's commercial interests and support the commercial delivery of the programme through cost and commercial management excellence, supply chain relationships and efficient contract administration and achieve successful commercial outcomes for the programme, namely to budget and time.

The role also demands a collaborative leadership approach to working with our supply chain partners, holding each other to account to deliver agreed outcomes, whilst maintaining long-term strategic supplier relationships.

Why join Rolls-Royce

At Rolls-Royce we are proud to be a business that has truly helped to shape the modern world and are committed to always being a force for progress; powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.

By joining Rolls-Royce, you'll have the opportunity to work on world-class solutions, supported by a culture that believes individuality is our greatest strength, and all perspectives, experiences and backgrounds help us innovate and enable our high-performance culture.

What you will be doing:

• Overall strategic responsibility for all contract and commercial activity across your portfolio within the overall Infrastructure MIP, ensuring the needs of the business are met whilst achieving RRSL commercial outcomes.
• Protect RRSL's commercial interests within your portfolio within the overall MIP.
• Provide commercial leadership across your respective portfolio to drive excellence in commercial delivery including budget management, cost and financial management, contract management, dispute avoidance and commercial performance management for RRSL subcontracts.
• Own and manage the commercial relationship with suppliers within your portfolio to support successful commercial delivery. You'll be the primary point of contact for all commercial matters relating to your portfolio and work closely and proactively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Analyse, and provide management information and reports to identify trends and address commercial and contract issues proactively. Coach and support programme and project managers and their teams on the application and interpretation of commercial issues.
• Lead and manage the Commercial Leads who are accountable for project commercial leadership and management of project commercial delivery teams.
• Promote RRSL's reputation through building visible and effective supplier partnerships within your allocated programme.
• Providing commercial and contract expertise, identifying needs, understanding priorities and potential threats to success of the allotted part of the programme, so that mitigation is defined in order to support better delivery.
• Working alongside the Heads of Projects and Programme Executives within the Infrastructure MIP as an integral senior member of the leadership team.
• Drive supplier performance in delivery against contract scope and deliverables to meet RRSL safety, quality, cost and programme requirements.
• Ensure subcontract costs incurred for you portfolio within the overall MIP is appropriate, attributable, reasonable (AAR) in accordance with Single Source Contract Regulations (SSCR), and drive compliance with commercial policies and management procedures.
• Lead commercial governance within your portfolio, to ensure compliance with RRSL policy and procedure - to drive predictable commercial delivery.
• Develop subcontract agreements from first principles involving negotiating with suppliers and senior stakeholder to ensure fit for purpose subcontracts.

Position Qualifications:

• Expert knowledge of NEC contracts, and specifically application of Defined Cost contracts.
• Significant and demonstrable experience of leading and managing commercial teams including matrix management at a senior level.
• Significant major programme experience: nuclear experience is desirable, but wider infrastructure experience is also acceptable (e.g. utilities, transport, energy)
• Capable of leading, building and motivating a diverse workforce to deliver strong and consistent commercial performance, with the ability to manage delivery through large project teams.
• Experience to make decisions effectively, selecting the option most likely to mitigate commercial threats and realise efficiency opportunities to achieve sustainable development.
• Experience of forming and maintaining partnering arrangements in a commercial delivery environment.
• Able to establish and exemplify industry standards for integrity of commercial delivery in the use of government funding (Ministry of Defence).
• Relevant professional qualification RICS, ICES, ICE or equivalent.

For more than 60 years Rolls-Royce Submarines has designed, supplied and supported the nuclear propulsion plant, providing power for all UK Royal Navy nuclear submarines.

To work for Rolls-Royce Submarines an individual must hold a Security Check clearance. We will support the application for Security Clearance if you don’t already have it. Due to the nature of work we conduct, we can only progress applications from individuals who are a UK national or, in MoD approved cases, a dual national.

Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.

Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.

Closing Date : 27th February 2026

As part of our selection process, candidates in certain locations may be asked to complete an online assessment, which can include cognitive and behavioural aptitude testing relevant to the role. If required, full instructions for the next steps will be provided.

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