Configuration Specialist in England

Venesky-Brown recruitment are currently looking for a Configuration Lead to join the growing team at Sizewell C. This is a long-term contract role, based in the Suffolk office with hybrid working available.

Are you looking for a career which is rewarding, at the cutting edge of project development and where you can really make a difference? Come and join our expanding Sizewell C (SZC) team and work on one of the most exciting and largest megaprojects in the UK, whilst being at the forefront of the UK’s climate change agenda and energy policy. Following on from the success of Hinkley Point C (HPC), the SZC Project is a nuclear new build project in Suffolk, which has obtained planning approval and Government financing support. The project has started construction and when completed, it will provide dependable electricity to 6 million homes for 60 years, which along with renewables, will support Britain to achieve Net Zero by 2050.

The purpose of the role is to provide support to the SZC Delivery Programmes to ensure configuration management functions (planning, identification, change control, status accounting and audit) are established, applied correctly and continuously improved.

As a Configuration Lead, you will dive into diverse areas, connecting with stakeholders to ensure project-wide awareness and implementation of Configuration Management arrangements. You will tackle emerging risks head-on, supporting pragmatic solutions and simplifying complexities to drive optimal decisions. Collaborating with various teams, you will shape the project’s technical baseline and enhance decision-making and visibility. As a key part of the SZC’s technical efforts, you will play a pivotal role in driving project success.

Responsibilities of this role will also include:

• Support execution of the Overarching Configuration Management Plan ensuring a balanced application of Configuration Management tailored to the programme-specific scope.
• Establishment and maintenance of scope-specific Configuration Management Plan(s) which supports integration with the overarching Configuration Management Plan.
• Define, implement and improve Configuration Management arrangements (e.g. standards, procedures, guidance, forms and tools) to ensure adequate and proportionate configuration control is established and maintained.
• Review and author relevant Configuration Management arrangements (e.g. procedures and guidance).
• Oversee self-assessments of arrangements and procedures.
• Define configuration items selection criteria, oversee identification and recording of Configuration Items and Product Configuration Information within a programme to ensure a proportionate and consistent approach is applied.
• Engage with programme stakeholders ensuring configuration baselines are established as an outcome of scheduled events (e.g. Gateway reviews, Replication Reports), configuration changes are identified and managed, configuration records are established and maintained, configuration status reports are produced, configuration audit strategies are agreed and configuration audits are planned and performed.
• Administer the change control procedure ensuring configuration changes are registered and recorded, they are confirmed as meeting CM quality criteria, applicable governance meetings are arranged, decisions recorded, and support Engineering/Programme Leads to expedite changes through the process to closure.
• Define and develop Configuration Status Reports to support management decision making and continuous improvement activities by providing data-backed reports summarising current and prior configurations, configuration changes, and the outcome of configuration review and audit activities.
• Oversee production of the Configuration Status Reports by the Configuration Engineer ensuring they are produced to meet programme timescales and quality expectations.
• Establish and provide CM training so programme participants understand their responsibilities within CM procedures, the information and records required, and the inter-relationships and dependencies between CM, design management, document control and information management activities.
• Participate in Engineering Data Management / Information Management activities to specify CM requirements for CM data and information management systems, and verify they are adequately delivered.
• Engage with Engineering Data and Tools function to ensure tools can be used for CM identification and Configuration Items are accurately recorded within tools.
• Build and manage stakeholder relationships including those within the Technical Directorate, delivery Programmes, and Suppliers.
• Act as a coach to wider programme participants in relation to CM topics, and mentor for CM Engineer(s).
• Work hand-in-hand with the Programmes engineering delivery teams to ensure the Project dataset is established, maintained and configuration controlled.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Capable of coordinating cross cutting technical topics and applying configuration management procedures.
• Capable of defining CM related procedures pragmatically aligned with project needs.
• Ability to read, digest and implement engineering procedures.
• General professional qualities such as accuracy, tenacity, result-oriented and teamwork-oriented attitude, and diplomacy.
• Ability to work independently, be pro-active, report on and elevate relevant issues.
• Good communication/interpersonal skills.
• An understanding of engineering principles within large scale infrastructure projects.
• In-depth knowledge of Configuration Management Standards including ISO 10007, EIA 649 and supporting guidance (e.g. GEIA-HB-649).
• Use of Product Lifecycle Management Tools.
• Knowledge of other CM standards (e.g. Def Stan 05-57).

Qualifications & Experience:

• Demonstrable experience of how to perform configuration management on large, complex programmes (major infrastructure or similar).
• CM certification (CM2) and/or equivalent industry experience.
• Engineering degree or equivalent industry experience.
• Experience in large multi-disciplinary engineering projects.
• Prior experience working on HPC or other EPR projects.