Vacancy: Manager Civil Engineering

A mission that matters 

To achieve its climates goals, the Netherlands is committed to achieving carbon-free electricity. Nuclear Energy Organisation Netherlands (NEO NL) contributes to this by building and operating two new nuclear power plants, on behalf of the government.  It is one of the most ambitious energy projects the Netherlands has ever seen. At NEO NL, your work will directly contribute to this national ambition and make an impact that lasts for decades. To make this assignment a success, we need extraordinary people. People like you.

For the start-up phase of NEO NL, we are looking for: Manager Civil Engineering

Your assignment

As Manager Civil Engineering, you are a senior leader within the Technical function providing strategic direction for all civil engineering and resilience aspects of the nuclear programme. Reporting to the Head of Technical, you are accountable for identifying, approving, and implementing all relevant codes and standards for the development of the Netherlands' new nuclear facilities.

You serve as the key strategic and technical interface for civil engineering matters across all stakeholders including nuclear regulators, main vendors, and internal teams. Furthermore, you provide strategic leadership and direction for the growth, capability, and delivery of the Civil Engineering and Resilience Engineering organization (leading a team of approximately 10 direct and 30 indirect reports).

Your key activities include:

Strategy & Delivery: Lead the civil engineering and resilience strategy, ensuring the delivery programmes have the engineering capability and capacity to construct autonomous nuclear power facilities in the Netherlands.

Codes & Standards Authority: Establish and maintain the civil engineering codes and standards, providing a coherent framework that optimizes whole-life plant performance and secures regulatory approvals.

Design Oversight & Contractor Acceptance: Ensure specification, oversight, and acceptance of contractor-supplied designs and artefacts are optimized for the whole plant lifecycle, conducting rigorous design reviews ahead of major milestones.

Capability & Team Leadership: Build, scale, and lead the Civil Engineering team within NEO NL. Provide clear direction, tools, and resources to ensure design reviews accurately assess civil engineering risk, constructability, and maintainability.

Technical Risk & Regulatory Compliance: Manage civil engineering, licensing, and nuclear analysis risks, ensuring full regulatory compliance across all owner's scope activities.

Your background and experience

• A Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering or a related technical discipline
• Extensive senior leadership experience with over 15 years of relevant nuclear experience spanning design, construction, commissioning, and operations
• Over 15 years of strategic management experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and functions in large-scale infrastructure or nuclear energy programmes
• Excellent, demonstrated understanding of Eurocodes and civil nuclear codes and standards
• Proven track record in managing complex engineering designs, design reviews, and vendor delivery across multi-million Euro capital projects
• Strong expertise in Owner's Scope activities, non-nuclear site infrastructure, and resilience engineering

We also value if you have:

• Direct experience building and scaling a civil engineering organization from scratch within a greenfield or startup nuclear program.
• Proven capability in managing regulatory interfaces with nuclear safety authorities (such as the ANVS) and international vendor consortia.

Competencies

At NEO NL, everyone needs four core competencies to be successful: Learning Agility, Collaboration, Responsibility, and Communication. For this role, we additionally look for:

Strategic Technical Leadership: Able to set a clear long-term vision for civil engineering and resilience, inspiring and guiding teams through complex, ambiguous infrastructure challenges.

Complex Problem Solving & Risk Management: Demonstrates high analytical skill in identifying, evaluating, and mitigating high-uncertainty risks related to constructability, maintainability, and nuclear safety.

Stakeholder & Regulatory Alignment: Exceptional capability to negotiate, persuade, and align diverse internal and external stakeholders—including regulators, suppliers, and executive boards.

What we offer

• A strong and committed team – Become part of a diverse and ambitious team of 100 professionals who share a common goal and mission.
• A culture of trust and ownership – We believe in responsibility, collaboration, open communication, and a safe working environment. 
• Dynamic environment – Experience the energy of building a new organisation step by step, and two nuclear power plants that will help the Netherlands for many decades from now.
  
   

About the organisation 

NEO NL is a state-owned company. Our mission is clear: deliver long-lasting nuclear energy solutions that support the Dutch ambition of climate neutrality. With unmatched standards of quality and safety, and driven by deep expertise and responsibility, we are creating a resilient energy system while advancing nuclear knowledge for generations to come.

At NEO NL, you won’t just have a job, you will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to ensure the Netherlands becomes less dependent of fossils fuel, and to have clean and reliable energy for generations to come. You will be part of an ambitious, supportive, and international team, working at the forefront of policy, technology, and society. 

This is your chance to make history. Join us and be part of something that lasts.

Want to know more?

Please contact our Talent Acquisition Partner, Dominique Pichard at d.pichard@minezk.nl

For more information, visit: www.neonl.com

Unsolicited approaches or acquisition by recruitment agencies in response to this job posting will not be accepted.