Supply Chain Development Manager

Location: Hybrid, based from Derby, Manchester or Warrington

Salary: £63,750 – £78,750 dependent on experience + 12.5% bonus + £2,200 flexible allowance

Our mission is to deliver clean, affordable energy for all. Rolls‐Royce SMR provides a British solution to a global energy challenge, leading the way in Small Modular Reactor technology and shaping the UK’s premier green export opportunity.

Our Supply Chain function is critical to building a capable, resilient and scalable industrial base to support our first SMR and future fleet deployment. Supplier development sits at the heart of this mission — ensuring our global supply base is ready, mature and capable of delivering to the highest standards of safety, quality, delivery and nuclear professionalism.

To support this, we’re looking for a Supply Chain Development Manager to lead supplier readiness and development activity across key suppliers, deploying our Supplier Readiness Framework (SRF) and ensuring predictable, mature and risk‐managed supplier performance. Reporting to a Senior Supplier Development leader, you’ll work closely with Procurement, Industrialisation, Quality and Programmes to uplift capability, identify risk early and drive measurable supplier improvement.

What you’ll be doing:

• Deploy the Supplier Readiness Framework (SRF) with key suppliers, conducting structured readiness assessments to evaluate capability, maturity, capacity and programme alignment.
• Lead supplier development activity across assigned suppliers, ensuring development plans are robust, outcome‐driven and aligned with programme priorities.
• Identify risks to capability, quality, capacity or delivery early and coordinate mitigation activity with functional partners.
• Support readiness segmentation and criticality assessments across key categories and suppliers.
• Work collaboratively with suppliers to build strong improvement roadmaps focused on performance, maturity, quality and resilience.
• Ensure SRF assessments, readiness reviews and development interventions are applied consistently and proportionately.
• Provide visibility of supplier readiness and risk, escalating issues through governance channels where required.
• Support strategic supplier recovery, transformation or capability uplift initiatives where performance impacts programme delivery.
• Build strong, trust‐based relationships with suppliers and act as a key interface between RR SMR and the external supply chain.
• Collaborate cross‐functionally with Procurement, Industrialisation, Quality, Programmes and Manufacturing to align priorities, share insights and remove barriers to delivery.
• Reinforce behaviours and expectations aligned with nuclear safety culture, operational discipline and evidence‐based decision making.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of the SRF, toolsets and ways of working by feeding back insights and lessons learned from assessment and development activity.

This is a hands‐on delivery role where you will directly shape supplier readiness, mitigate risk and improve the performance of a global supply chain that underpins a first‐of‐a‐kind engineering programme.

What you’ll bring:

• Experience in supplier development, supply chain, quality, industrialisation, manufacturing, operations or related technical disciplines.
• Strong experience assessing supplier capability, conducting maturity or performance reviews, or driving structured improvement activity.
• Ability to identify, articulate and mitigate supplier risks across capability, maturity, quality and delivery.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to influence suppliers and internal stakeholders effectively.
• Experience working in a complex, regulated, technical or safety‐critical environment (nuclear, aerospace, defence, energy, rail or similar).
• Understanding of supplier performance metrics, operational processes, manufacturing capability and readiness assessment methods.
• Ability to work across functions and lead cross‐functional interventions to resolve supplier issues.
• Effective problem‐solving and structured investigation skills with strong evidence‐based judgement.
• Degree (or equivalent experience) in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality or similar technical/operational fields.
• Beneficial: experience with APQP/PPAP/FAIR, continuous improvement, readiness frameworks, risk management, or large programme environments.

Location & Ways of Working:

This role can be based from our Derby, Manchester or Warrington office. We operate a hybrid working model, with regular weekly office attendance expected. Some travel to suppliers or other sites may be required.

Salary: £63,750 – £78,750 depending on experience

Bonus: 12.5% performance‐related bonus

Allowance: £2,200 flexible benefits allowance

You’ll also receive:

• 12% employer pension (6% employee)
• 28 days annual leave + public holidays (option to buy/sell up to 4 days)
• Private Medical Insurance (BUPA)
• Life Assurance – 6× pensionable pay
• £250 home office setup payment

You’ll join a forward‐thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness and innovation, offering:

• A flexible, inclusive and supportive working environment
• Opportunities for development and career growth in a scaling business
• A culture built on diversity, collaboration 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