SRO and Director of Operations

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is seeking an exceptional leader to become Senior Responsible Owner for the National Biosecurity Centre Programme and Director of Operations at Weybridge. This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the UK’s most significant science and infrastructure programmes, delivering a new National Biosecurity Centre that will strengthen the country’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to animal and zoonotic disease threats.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Weybridge campus sits at the heart of the UK’s biosecurity capability. Its specialist laboratories and facilities support surveillance, research and outbreak response, helping to protect public and animal health, food security and trade. The Government is now making a major investment in the site through the National Biosecurity Centre Programme. The programme is estimated to cost £2.8 billion, with construction expected to begin in 2027 and the new facility planned to open in 2033.

As Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), you will lead the successful delivery of this complex programme, providing strategic leadership of the client-side function and oversight of delivery partners to ensure objectives for safety, quality, cost, schedule, performance and long-term value are met. Alongside delivery of the new infrastructure, you will lead preparations for commissioning and future operations, ensuring that the people, capabilities, systems and processes are in place to make the transition successfully.

The role extends beyond the construction programme. As SRO and Director of Operations for Weybridge, you will provide strategic oversight of the wider estate, maintaining business continuity and operational resilience while critical national biosecurity work continues throughout the transformation. You will help shape the long-term vision for Weybridge and lead significant organisational and operational change across multiple organisations. You will also build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across government and beyond, including ministers, HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, delivery partners and scientific leaders, securing confidence and support for the programme.

You will be an accomplished senior leader with proven experience of leading a major, complex infrastructure or construction programme, together with significant experience of operational delivery, operational readiness or transition into operations within a large-scale, complex environment. You will bring strong commercial acumen and significant experience of governance, risk and assurance, with the judgement and credibility to build confidence with senior stakeholders, including Ministers, government departments, delivery partners and other key stakeholders. You will also have a strong track record of leading transformational change, building organisational capability and creating high-performing, inclusive teams that can deliver successfully across organisational boundaries.

This is an opportunity to lead a programme with a significant and enduring national purpose: helping to create the scientific infrastructure the UK needs to protect animal and public health, food security and trade for decades to come. Applications are welcomed from candidates from a wide range of backgrounds who can demonstrate the leadership, infrastructure delivery, operational and transformation experience required for this complex role.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit roles.saxbam.com using reference OCCAB. Alternatively email belinda.beck@saxbam.com. Applications should be received by noon on Friday 18th December.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.