Business Improvement Practitioner

Job Introduction

Job Description for Business Improvement Practitioner:

There’s never been a more exciting time to be part of the nuclear sector. New opportunities are being created all the time. At NNL, you’ll be in the ideal place to capitalise on this momentum, face new challenges and develop a long, successful and meaningful career.

We’re an organisation that’s here to experiment and push the limits of what’s possible. So, if you’re keen to excel in your chosen field, this is the place to do it. Because at NNL, anything is possible.

Reporting to the Pre-Operations and Business Improvement Manager, NNL is seeking to hire a Business Improvement Practitioner. The role of the Business Improvement Practitioner will involve collaborating with all departments within the facility to identify process improvements that will enhance efficiency, customer delivery, cost-effectiveness and safety with quantifiable results.

Situated at the Windscale facility, this position will offer direct assistance to facility operations in enhancing overall operational effectiveness through incremental improvement initiatives. While primarily based on-site, there may be occasions where remote work or attendance at events in offsite locations is necessary.

Role Responsibility

Main Responsibilities for Business Improvement Practitioner:

• Select, introduce, and standardise Improvement tools and techniques across the business, for example standard work, Value Stream Mapping, Waste identification, SIPOC, 5S, Root Cause Analysis and charters, as appropriate for the facility.
• Lead and facilitate continuous improvement opportunities, training and workshops driving cultural change guided by business data and implementing industry best practices.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to teams on how and when to use the standard tool sets and assist in activities to grow the culture.
• Adopt a strengths-based approach, focusing not only on waste and problems but on areas of best practice, seeking to share and replicate throughout the facility. 
• Support in investigations of operational abnormalities to help identify and correct the root cause of the event:
• Lead on undertaking Limited learning and Apparent Cause analysis.
• Promote overall nuclear safety (along with all other areas of safety – conventional, industrial, radiological, environmental) by maintaining a safe operating envelope. Oversee the relevant processes employed within the plant checking that all work activities meet site standards, policies, processes and procedures.
• Contribute to the creation and sustainability of a continuous improvement culture. 

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Criteria for Business Improvement Practitioner:

• Recognized qualification OR proven demonstrated experience in Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma (min green belt).
• Experience in the application of lean techniques ( 5s, value stream mapping, visual management).
• Proficiency of Microsoft applications. 
• Experience in developing relationships with internal and external stakeholders and supports delivery of their projects.
• Operational experience in a regulated environment, managing technical and facility programmes to a high EHSS&Q standard.
• Skills and behaviours: 
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with a proven ability to engage stakeholders and build strong collaborative relationships.
  • Demonstrable ability in change management.
  • Acts as a role model to NNL’s values and behaviours.
  • Proven ability to lead and inspire others to achieve goals.
• 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 Business Improvement Practitioner:

• Nuclear experience is not essential but would be advantageous.

Why join us?

NNL isn’t just a place where you can do career-defining work that makes a real-world impact. It’s also a place where you’ll feel appreciated and valued. We’re creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is free to be themselves and feel like they belong. We put your wellbeing first, we push you to reach your potential, and we do everything possible to help you feel safe, supported and inspired.

We also offer a range of employee benefits:

• Sector leading Family-Focused Policies: celebrate life events, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave and a week off for your marriage.
• NNL offers attractive pension plans. If you contribute 5%, NNL contributes 15%. Alternatively, if you choose not to contribute (0%), NNL will still contribute 10%.
• Annual Leave: Benefit from 25.5 days of leave, plus 4 extra days to be taken during Christmas shutdown, plus Bank Holidays.
• Reduced gym membership with discounts of up to 25% from 3,700 gym and leisure providers across the UK
• Company Bonus: Be rewarded for your contributions.
• Learning Opportunities: Enhance your skills through excellent development programmes.
• Employee Assistance: Access support for personal and professional challenges.
• Cycle to Work: Stay active and eco-friendly.
• Life Assurance: Ensure peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
• Enhanced Sick Pay Benefits: Receive support during illness or injury.
• Access to ‘Mydiscounts’ which has a range of special offers and discounts from more than 200 suppliers, including medical insurance and dental insurance. 
• Health Care: Health savings plan which allows you to claim money back on visits to the dentist, optician and/or physiotherapist (limits apply).

About The Company

NNL is where your solutions solve real-world problems. As part of our Engineering team, you’ll not only be able to get involved with a huge variety of projects, you’ll also have lots of opportunity to drive them through from start to finish – allowing you to see the impact your work has in a real-world environment. This is your chance to use your experience, expertise and ingenuity to collaborate with leading scientists. You’ll be part of a team that delivers work to benefit society by advancing cleaner energy, protecting the environment and keeping everyone safe.

NNL is an incredible place to work. A place where people do things that have never been done before. A place where people push boundaries to further themselves, the business and society as a whole.

This is a place where personal and professional opportunities are limitless. If you want to change the world, if you want to tackle climate change, if you want to help advance medical science, if you want to help put things in space, if you want to answer the big questions, if you want to work with extraordinary materials, if you want to meet great people, learn new skills, challenge yourself, work flexibly, and build a long successful career with the power to make a real impact… you can do it all here.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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.

About the Company

NNL is an incredible place to work A place where people do things that have never been done before A place where people push boundaries to further themselves, the business, and society as a whole.

This is a place where personal and professional opportunities are limitless. If you want to change the world, if you want to tackle climate change, if you want to help advance medical science, if you want to help put things in space, if you want to answer the big questions, if you want to work with extraordinary materials, if you want to meet great people, learn new skills, challenge yourself, work flexibly, and build a long successful career with the power to make a real impact… you can do it all here.

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