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Senior Chemist

Please Note: The application deadline for this job has now passed.

Job Introduction

Job Description for Senior Chemist:

NNL is where you’ll experiment to help solve global challenges. As part of our Waste Management & Decommissioning capability, your work will impact the lives of generations. By finding new ways to avoid, reduce, store and treat nuclear waste, and drive down the cost of decommissioning, you’ll help to deliver cleaner energy and influence our nation’s energy future. You’ll face new challenges every day, working in unique locations on ground-breaking projects. Whichever area you specialise in this is a place to do great science for a good cause.

This role is required to provide technical capability to NNL’s Waste & Residue Processing capability based at the Preston Laboratory. This is an opportunity to join and contribute to a growing capability, delivering on a variety of different workstreams for a range of customers.  The team have an established capability in developing and implementing bespoke processing solutions for a wide variety of uranic residues from both UK and overseas customers, in addition to contributing to fuel cycle process development work.  We operate across several wet chemistry laboratories and a processing plant and utilise a wide range of processes and techniques.

Role Responsibility

Main Responsibilities for Senior Chemist:

  • Work alongside Technical Leads to develop technical objectives and scope for new projects based on customer requirements.
  • Develop, define and carry out a variety of experimental and desk-based work programmes to achieve agreed objectives.
  • Work alongside Technical Leads to define and uphold safety and quality standards for technical work.
  • Lead on ensuring assigned projects are delivered to an agreed schedule, working closely with a variety of stakeholders to manage and troubleshoot any operational issues.
  • Lead on ensuring assigned projects are delivered to the required level of quality.
  • Interpret and report on experimental and desk-based development work, tailoring the reporting approach to the intended audience.
  • Act in the capacity of Task Supervisor for laboratory work (depending on experience).
  • Provide technical and mentoring support to junior team members.
  • Plan for the continued development of own and others’ technical knowledge.
  • Actively contribute to the team’s improvement and assurance activity.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Criteria for Senior Chemist:

  • Minimum undergraduate degree in a relevant scientific subject; preferably Chemistry.
  • Experience of developing the scope of technical development projects to meet customer requirements.
  • Experience of taking a lead role in successfully delivering technical development projects to meet customer requirements.
  • Interest and aptitude to develop into a Subject Matter Expert in Waste & Residue Treatment.
  • Experience in the fields of chemical process development and/or radiochemistry.
  • Experience of taking a customer focussed approach to project delivery, with a pro-active approach to troubleshooting and the ability to actively engage with stakeholders to identify solutions to operational issues.
  • Excellent communicator with the ability to build relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
  • Demonstrable commitment to achieving high levels of safety and quality.
  • Experience of supervising and supporting the development of junior team members.
  • Demonstrable commitment to own personal development and seeking out and sharing new knowledge.
  • Demonstrable commitment to continuous improvement.
  • Ability to view ‘UK eyes only’ information.
  • Ability to obtain SC level security clearance (this includes but is not limited to identity, employment, financial and criminal record checks plus 5 years’ worth of UK residency).

Desirable Criteria for Senior Chemist:

  • Chartership of a relevant professional institute.
  • Experience of working in the nuclear industry.
  • Experience of carrying out work in an active laboratory.

About the Company

Grounded in robust science and decades of experience, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is the authoritative voice in the UK and beyond for technological development within the nuclear power sector.

Our unparalleled understanding of the science, challenges and opportunities makes us an unrivalled authority and partner in the field, providing experts, technologies, and access to cutting-edge facilities to organisations around the world.

Harnessing potential technologies and translating them into to industry-ready solutions means our pioneering approach spearheads international improvement and technological progress.

We work on projects as small as drilling a hole to analyse underground wastes with our integrated micro drilling technology, or as large as developing state-of-the-art power systems for spacecraft, based on radioactive materials

NNL has a vision for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (ED&I) where NNL aims to be an inclusive workplace that attracts diverse talent through transparent and equal policies and procedures. We want you and the diverse mix of people that we employ, customers that we service and stakeholders that we influence to feel valued. We encourage a workplace culture where everyone can thrive with a sense of belonging.

Recruitment Agency Notice

We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for the provision of recruitment services. Only agencies on our PSL may provide CVs and only when the role is released to them by our recruitment team. We will not accept unsolicited CVs from suppliers not currently on our PSL. We explicitly reserve the right to add candidate details from unsolicited CVs from non-PSL agencies into our own candidate database and to pursue/hire such candidate(s) without any obligation, financial or otherwise, to the agency concerned.

National Nuclear Laboratory

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