Capability Manager (Defence PIE)

Job Introduction

The role of Capability Manager is a key management role within NNL and it requires an experienced individual to effectively manage a team, which in this instance specialises in Post Irradiation Evaluation (PIE), providing a range of services for key customers. The Capability Manager must manage the team and deploy their capability to effectively deliver for NNLs customers. The role of a Capability Manager is complex,  and requires an ability to balance several high importance areas in parallel while maintaining a focus on the ongoing high-quality delivery to the satisfaction of NNLs customers. The managing of key ‘singleton’ resources is particularly challenging and requires stakeholder management with the project teams, Account Directors and customers. The Capability Manager will ensure a balanced workload across the team, and the development and nurturing of capabilities and skills within the team is key, to meet both current and future customer needs. To facilitate this, the Capability Manager should also develop and maintain strong work relationships with the relevant internal research and development programmes. Focusing on the progression and development of individuals within the team is also a key focus whilst aligning that to the succession challenges specific to the  wider PIE capability area. The Capability Manager will also work towards attaining technical lead roles and becoming the customer committee representative for work programmes within their area (specifically related to dismantling activities, application of examination techniques and development of hot cell equipment).

Role Responsibility

The main responsibilities for the Capability Manager will be:

• EHSS & Q: 
  • Accountable for EHSS&Q within their team. 
  • Duty of care for all staff.
• Capability:  
  • Accountable for all resources within their team including staff, leadership, performance, SQEP, development, technical training, progression and recruitment. 
  • Develop technical knowledge and knowhow of others within the team to support delivery and provide strength, depth and succession.
• Customer Delivery: 
  • Leads on customer delivery, technical excelllence in delivery. 
  • Ensure alignment of delivery objectives with technical objectives and learning from the internal research and development programmes. Maintain an overview of relevant internal research programmes in order to enhance delivery through provision of technical support within their team.
  • Work with Account Directors and project managers to engage with the customer to maximise all business opportunities.
• Leadership: 
  • Accountable for cultural and business strategies associated with their team.
  • Hold the technical lead role for PIE/dismantling activities on irradiated reactor components within their area and act as a point of contact for development of hot cell equipment and examination techniques for these PIE activities with key external customers. 
  • Recognising technical advancements and application within their area.
• Budget control:
  • Support the Capability Leader for all budgetary control associated with their team for staff costs including, recruitment within Defence PIE team, training, progression.
  • Equipment costs maintenance, renewal, disposal, repair, inspection, access and utilisation.
  • Responsibilities include delivery of the local improvement plan, management of a resourcing and asset system, identification and maintenance of SQEP, Performance Management. 
  • Responsible for engagement with relevant customers, ensuring the customer has confidence in our technical robustness and ability to deliver.
  • Responsible for maximising value, developing opportunities and increasing growth by understanding and planning for demand on PIE delivery.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential skills for the Capability Manager:

• Degree qualified in a physical science (eg Chemistry, Materials, Physics).
• Experience in the management of technical and operational staff.
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team of engineers, operations, technical and project staff, bringing the benefit of awareness of disciplines such as mechanical engineering and materials science.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Proven experience of technical report writing at a high level.
• Excellent communications skills and experience of communicating with internal and external customers and stakeholders across all levels of the business.
• UK national.

Desirable skills for the Capability Manager:

• Monitored radiation worker (or ability to become so).
• IOSH Managing Safely (can be arranged).
• Experience of applying research or development programmes to industrial processes or applications.
• Experience of nuclear operations and an understanding of nuclear safety and nuclear security culture.
• Experience in working in a highly regulated environment and in delivering & improving EHSS&Q.
• SC cleared (or ability to become so).

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