Head of Contractual Assurance Delivery

Company Description

Sizewell C is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the UK, delivering the next gigawatt-scale nuclear power station to support energy security, economic growth and long-term skills development across Suffolk and the wider UK. Unlike previous nuclear projects, Sizewell C is the first to be funded through a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model alongside equity and debt. This introduces a unique and evolving regulatory environment, requiring new approaches to assurance, governance and compliance across the full project lifecycle.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Head of Contractual Assurance Delivery to design, embed and operate robust assurance and compliance practices across Sizewell C's delivery activities. This is a build-phase role, ideal for a senior practitioner with strong experience in regulated environments who can translate complex financing, contractual and regulatory requirements into clear, practical operational processes. Working closely with delivery, commercial and finance teams, you will help ensure that project spend remains aligned to our obligations under the RAB licence, government support package, shareholder agreements and lender requirements. This role will act as a subject-matter lead for financing assurance, supporting colleagues through guidance, training and constructive challenge. You will help shape how assurance is delivered on the project, establishing new frameworks, ways of working and a small centralised second-line-of-defence capability. This is initially a 9-month fixed-term contract, with the potential to extend.

Key Responsibilities

• Establishing Assurance Frameworks

• Conduct gap analysis of the current contractual and governance landscape, identifying areas where processes do not align with financing and regulatory requirements.
• Design and implement practical assurance methodologies to track and evidence compliance across:

• RAB licence conditions and government support arrangements
• Debt and lender agreements
• Shareholder obligations

• Act as a visible and trusted point of contact for financing assurance across the site and delivery community.
• Provide training, coaching and guidance to colleagues to build understanding and capability.
• Support the development of major alliance structures, including the Civils Works Alliance (CWA) and Mechanical & Electrical Alliance (MEH), ensuring assurance requirements are built into contracting approaches.

• Maintain a near-miss register highlighting where eligible spend may be at risk.
• Provide insight, analysis and recommendations to senior leaders on emerging risks and mitigations.
• Support the CFO, CEO and wider economic regulatory team in discharging their responsibilities to avoid ineligible spend and demonstrate value for money.
• Contribute to discussions with regulators and external stakeholders where required.

Dimensions

• Responsibility for recruiting a small, centralised support team.
• Ownership of a limited scope budget for short-term specialist consultancy support.

Impact and Relationships

This role is highly dependent on strong relationships with delivery, commercial, finance and programme teams, as well as alliance partners. The impact of this role is significant: it helps protect Sizewell C from regulatory breaches and ineligible spend, while ensuring transparency and value for money for bill payers and investors.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Strong experience making recommendations and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Understanding of the Three Lines of Defence model.
• Expertise in RAB funding models.
• Experience of risk-based assurance approaches.
• Ability to translate complex regulatory and financing requirements into operational processes.
• Strong regulatory awareness.
• Experience in knowledge sharing, training and stakeholder engagement.
• Process mapping and design capability.
• Demonstrable operational experience.
• Contract management experience.

Desirable

• Experience within major construction or infrastructure programmes.
• Exposure to highly regulated sectors such as energy, utilities or transport.
• Understanding of best practice contracting models.
• Experience working with government bodies or regulators.
• Financial literacy (including IFRS and UK tax awareness).

Additional Information

Join the team at Sizewell C. Our vision is to Lead The Way On Nuclear. The Sizewell C team is one of the most exciting and largest new megaprojects in the UK, whilst being at the forefront of the UK's climate change agenda and energy policy. We have begun constructing a 3.2-gigawatt nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast in the East of England replicating, wherever possible, the design used for Hinkley Point C, another nuclear power station being built in Somerset. When built, Sizewell C will be one of the largest power stations to operate in the UK. The power station will generate low carbon electricity for at least 60 years, supplying over 6 million homes and supporting around 7% of the UK's current electricity needs. Our vision is to Lead The Way On Nuclear. We want Sizewell C to define what good leadership for the nuclear industry and British infrastructure looks like and deliver on it. We understand the feats of organisation, logistics, collaboration and imagination that building nuclear requires. We are building for the next generation for their home-grown energy, energy price stability and ultra-low carbon power in abundance. We also want to set the benchmark for maximising long-lasting social value as we build and demonstrate how smart collaboration can work for the benefit of communities - locally, regionally and nationally. We are the first nuclear power station in the UK to be funded under the Regulated Asset Base funding model (RAB). Our largest shareholder is the UK Government, alongside equity partners La Caisse, Centrica, EDF and Amber Infrastructure. Sizewell C operates within a complex and fast-moving stakeholder environment, engaging with a wide range of partners including government bodies, regulators, local communities, supply chain partners, and international collaborators. This makes Sizewell C a uniquely stimulating place to work - where navigating evolving priorities, balancing interests, and building trusted relationships is just as critical as technical excellence. For those who thrive in dynamic, multi-dimensional settings, it offers unmatched professional challenge and growth.