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Senior Metallurgist

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

Job Introduction

The role sits within the Materials and Corrosion team within the Fuel, Reactors and Reprocessing Area, based at Central Laboratory.  This group carry out a variety of materials and corrosion assessments, including cutting edge research, primarily in support of Sellafield Ltd plant customers but also for other customers around the nuclear industry.

There is a requirement within this team to provide technical leadership in the areas of metallurgy and general materials support.  This will include the development and implementation of an updated technical strategy for the team, alongside the Business Manager and other Technical Leads, to identify new areas of research and development that will be important to customers in the future.  There is also a requirement to provide technical leadership to experienced staff working on ongoing customer projects, to provide assistance to specialist corrosion technical leads and to help develop a resource plan to deliver the team’s technical strategy.

Role Responsibility

  • Working flexibly and providing technical leadership as part of a team of materials and corrosion scientists in finding resolutions to complex problems in relation to customer plant operations and R&D requirements.
  • Safe and successful leadership in delivering a combination of plant support testing and more complex experimental programmes, primarily on a lab scale.
  • Work closely with business/team manager and other technical leads to develop and implement a technical strategy for the materials and corrosion group within the MPI&D team.
  • Development and maintenance of strong customer links with a focus on the identification and progression of new opportunities to win future work.
  • Generation of new and innovative ideas and consideration of exploitation via customer programmes, IR&D and technology commercialisation.
  • Lead interface with customers, project managers, contractors and technical staff from other NNL teams working on related programmes of work.
  • Continuous development of less experienced staff including day to day technical support, identification of appropriate training opportunities and enhancement of NNL expertise in metallurgy/materials and corrosion.
  • Ad-hoc problem solving to resolve day to day technical challenges that emerge.
  • Interfacing with NNL Facilities staff, ensuring that all required safety documents and associated approvals are in place and providing troubleshooting support when required.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Skills/Qualifications

  • A degree in a (metallurgy/materials) relevant Science or Engineering based discipline and/or relevant level of experience.
  • A proven ability to provide technical and safety related leadership to a team while successfully delivering metallurgy and materials based projects.
  • Demonstration of a positive attitude to safety, security and other EHSS&Q requirements.
  • A proven ability to identify new business opportunities and initiate, foster and maintain strong customer relationships.
  • A pro-active and flexible approach to customer support and project delivery in making sure that requirements and expectations are met or exceeded.
  • An ability to develop and implement a team technical strategy including identification of key actions, risks and opportunities.
  • Experience in practical/experimental supervisory or leadership role, including working alongside facilities staff and other stakeholders in discussing the requirements of lab based work and ensuring that procedures are met to allow work to proceed.
  • A track record of applying academically acquired knowledge in practical applications.
  • An ability to mentor and develop less experienced technical staff.
  • Proven experience of writing high quality technical proposals and related reports based on experimental results/data.

Desirable Skills/Qualifications

  • Previous experience and existing contacts with Sellafield Ltd customers in relation to plant operations and/or decommissioning challenges.
  • A PhD in a relevant (metallurgy/materials) Science or Engineering based discipline.
  • A Chartered Scientist or Engineer in a relevant discipline.
  • A good understanding of the NNL business, its role in the nuclear industry and the challenges it is likely to face in the future.
  • Some existing knowledge of Sellafield reprocessing, waste treatment and decommissioning operations.
  • Evidence of using innovative means to solve practical problems, in an experimental context and/or in solving more complex challenges.

About the Company

We play a key role in the UK and global nuclear industry. That means reducing the cost of clean-up and decommissioning, maintaining critical skills and attracting talented new people to the industry. We're the only UK organisation with the skills, facilities and expertise to provide technical support to all aspects of the nuclear industry. What's more, we pride ourselves on offering quality, value and service to every one of our customers.

National Nuclear Laboratory

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