Criticality Consultant

Job Introduction

Job Description for Criticality Consultant:

This is where your skills play a critical role in keeping everyone safe. Working in Safety, Security & Safeguards gives you the chance to make your mark on some hugely interesting projects. NNL does work that nobody else in the sector is doing, and this means we need experts like you to make it possible, whilst keeping everyone safe. We’re committed to using nuclear science to benefit society for years to come. This means that you can build a long and successful career here whilst playing a meaningful role in delivering cleaner energy, reducing waste and keeping colleagues and the public out of harm’s way.

As the UK nuclear industry is undergoing a resurgence there is an increasing focus on the delivery of new developments, from advanced modular reactors, clean energy, nuclear medicine, new fuel types, new reprocessing processes as well as the need for support of the existing sites and processes, including decommissioning.  NNL is at the forefront of many of these developments, particularly with its four Focus Areas, and as a result needs to maintain a position at the forefront of developments in criticality safety assessment.  The criticality team at NNL provides criticality safety advice and assessment for our own activities as well as for a number of customers across different licensed sites.

NNL are looking for a trainee criticality specialist to support delivery of Criticality Safety Assessments within NNL, our own facilities, our Focus Areas and current and future customers.  You will develop technical skills within the Criticality area under the direction and mentorship of senior colleagues.

We are looking for a driven individual to develop the skills to support NNL and its customers.  The role will involve:

• Working with a wide range of teams from safety, technical and delivery within NNL, the NNL focus leads, customers and external specialists in the field of criticality safety.
• Technical delivery of projects ensuring they achieve agreed objectives.
• Development of any relevant technology and the capability and skills of criticality safety assessment.
• Development of methodologies, processes or standards for this evolving discipline.

You will have relevant experience in criticality safety and safety cases, alongside experience delivering to the required time, cost, and quality meeting the customer expectations.  

At NNL we support working flexibly, can accommodate homeworking, and can be flexible about location, although some travel will be necessary, to support business needs.

The location for this role is flexible and can be based at Sellafield, Workington or Preston.

Main Responsibilities for Criticality Consultant:

• Lead on the technical delivery of projects in the criticality area to time, cost, quality, value and service requirements (working independently).  Customers may include any UK civil or defence nuclear facility or operator (including NNL laboratories).  
• Technical lead on small projects, e.g., up to £50k.
• Supporting long-term projects with a duration from 3 months up to typically 1-2 years.
• Clearly define project/bid deliverables and determine the scope of what milestones need to be completed to achieve the overall objectives.
• Working as part of multi-disciplinary teams addressing safety challenges.
• Interfacing with internal and external stakeholders to effect successful delivery of projects and identify new opportunities for the team.
• Contributing to the development of new capabilities through innovative approaches and providing insight.  Work independently on own IR&D project and submit own IR&D proposal.
• Maintaining technical awareness of NNL capabilities within the criticality safety area.
• Developing and maintaining SQEP skills for Criticality and continuing professional development
• Design and deliver criticality awareness training.
• Active involvement in relevant national industry groups.

Essential Criteria for Criticality Consultant:

• Degree qualified or equivalent level of demonstrable technical capability.
• SQEP 3, experienced in criticality safety.
• Strong level of knowledge and experience with proven track record in technical delivery in the specialised field of criticality safety.
• Proven ability to both act independently under own initiative and to work in a team.
• Strong communication skills, including multi-site working.
• Mentoring skills to mentor and develop junior staff.
• Good networking skills.
• 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).

Desriable Criteria for Criticality Consultant:

• Preferably Chartered Membership of a professional institution, or working towards this qualification.

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 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, providing reasonable adjustments as appropriate. 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 and the ability to access to workplace in a way which works for you.

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