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Head of Risk

Head of Risk

locationPlymouth, UK
PublishedPublished: 17/09/2026

Job Title: Head of Risk

Location: Plymouth, Devon

Compensation: Competitive + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF74625

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as Head of Risk at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.

The role

As a Head of Risk, you’ll lead risk and opportunity management activities across both business-winning and project delivery phases. Working within the Project Management Office, you'll help ensure robust governance, forecasting and decision-making processes are embedded across complex programmes.

Day-to-day, you’ll have an exciting opportunity to influence major programmes, work with senior stakeholders and drive continuous improvement in risk management practices. You'll play a key role in developing capability, enhancing project performance and supporting the delivery of strategically important projects that contribute to a safe and secure world.

  • Leading risk and opportunity management activities across bids, programmes and project delivery activities.
  • Developing and maintaining risk models, forecasting tools and governance processes to support informed decision-making.
  • Responsible for the development and implementation for joint risk management capability with the customer and coordination of risk reviews, maintaining risk registers and producing insightful performance reports.
  • Collaborating with Project Managers, stakeholders and project teams across complex multi-disciplinary programmes whilst driving continuous improvement and promoting best-practice risk management standards across the organisation.
  • Oversee a small number of direct reports and larger matrix team.

This role is full time, 35, hours per week and is based on site at Devonport Royal Dockyard.

Essential experience of the Head of Risk

  • Significant experience in risk and opportunity management within strategic programmes and project-based environments.
  • Experience developing and managing risk models and cost forecasting tools.
  • Experience supporting bids, tenders and project delivery through risk modelling and analysis.
  • Experience working with Project Managers and stakeholders on complex, multi-disciplinary projects.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder engagement capabilities, including presenting risk information to senior audiences including senior customer stakeholders.

Qualifications for the Head of Risk

Essential:

  • Degree in Engineering, Project Management, Construction Management or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of recognised risk management standards and best practices, such as ISO 31000 or APM risk management approaches.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.

Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What we offer

  • Generous holiday allowance
  • Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
  • Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
  • 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. This Window opens February through to March annually.
  • ‘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

Babcock

We’re Babcock — a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 29,000 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 call that lifetime engineering.

Join us and see how far we can go, together.

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.

Closing date: 04/10/2026

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