Head of Delivery Services

Location: Plymouth, Bristol or Edinburgh. Full time / Permanent.

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Head of Delivery Services at our Plymouth, Bristol or Edinburgh sites.

The role:

• As a Head of Delivery Services, you’ll take on a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and driving the delivery of complex portfolios that support the Royal Navy and wider UK defence.
• You will align strategic investment with operational delivery, ensuring governance, performance, and continuous improvement are embedded across the organisation.
• Day‑to‑day, you’ll influence large‑scale programmes, improve infrastructure and capability, and deliver measurable benefits in a safety‑critical, highly regulated environment.
• You’ll work at the forefront of defence delivery, contributing to long‑term national security while advancing your leadership career at a global organisation.

Key responsibilities:

• Leading cross‑portfolio delivery, ensuring compliance, governance, and performance standards are consistently achieved.
• Driving strategic initiatives including digital transformation, knowledge management, and continuous improvement.
• Developing and implementing resourcing strategies to align future demand with operational capability.
• Managing interfaces, risks, and dependencies across complex programmes and stakeholder groups.
• Identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance delivery outcomes.

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and is based on a site at either Plymouth, Bristol or Edinburgh and requires travel to the other sites.

Essential experience:

• Significant experience leading large, complex portfolios within defence, infrastructure, public sector, or regulated industries.
• Proven ability to oversee multi‑million‑pound programmes with complex interdependencies.
• Strong knowledge of portfolio, programme, and project delivery methodologies such as Managing Successful Programmes, Projects In Controlled Environments, or Agile.
• Demonstrated leadership and influencing capability at senior or executive level.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including business case development and benefits realisation.

Qualifications:

• Degree level qualification in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience.
• Additional qualifications in portfolio management, strategy, or programme leadership are desirable.

Security Clearance:

The successful candidate must be a sole UK National who is able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.

What we offer:

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance.
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+.
• Employee share scheme.
• Employee shopping savings portal.
• Payment of Professional Fees.
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10‑days special paid leave.
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement.
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day’s paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity.
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Babcock is a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 26,000 people working together to make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. From initial design to final decommissioning, your work will contribute to products and services that are essential to national security and public infrastructure. Together, we’re building a future that lasts — not just through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work‑life balance.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email careers@babcockinternational.com with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.