Materials Scientist

Job Introduction

Job Description for Materials Scientist: 

NNL is where your understanding of reactors fuels the nation. As part of our Fuel Reactor & Reprocessing capability, you’ll play a vital role in developing the UK fuel cycle in line with advances in new technology and new processes. As old reactors reach the end of their lifespan, we need experts like you, with the technical skills to virtually model scenarios that not only enable us to explore new ways of managing the inputs and outputs of reactors, but also pave the way for the implementation of smaller, cleaner revolutionary new reactors. This is a place where you can use your knowledge and expertise to do long term meaningful work for years to come. 

The Materials Scientist will support Senior Materials Scientists, Technical Leads, and lead work packages to develop techniques for the measurement of irradiated materials properties in high radiation environments.
This role supports UK defence and civil customers e.g. Rolls-Royce/MoD/Jacobs/EdF, providing support to ongoing post irradiation examination campaigns in support of plant safety cases and research & development activities.

Role Responsibility

Main Responsibilities for Materials Scientist: 

• Accountable to the Defence Materials Capability Manager for the supply of materials expertise.
• Take the leading technical role in developing solutions to aid in the measurement of irradiated materials properties in hot-cell applications.
• Maintain existing hot-cell rigs.
• Look at emerging technologies for application within the NNL hot cells.
• Undertake the specification of test rig designs and support the following build and commissioning processes.
• Operate and train personnel in the use of test rigs and subsequent data analysis on irradiated materials.
• Train and educate other staff in the operation and maintenance of rigs developed. 
• Development and maintenance of strong customer delivery links.
• Contributions to proposals for both internally funded (Core Science) and customer funded work.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Criteria for Materials Scientist: 

• A degree in materials science or metallurgy, with an element of materials/mechanical testing.
• Demonstrable experience working in a materials based industry.
• Demonstrable experience test development.to meet international standards.
• Demonstrable experience of developing complex R&D projects.
• The ability to communicate complex technical ideas both written and verbally with clarity.
• Proven ability to manage operators and technicians in operation of test programmes.
• 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).
• Ability to view UK eyes only information – this involves being a British citizen as defined in the British Nationality Act 1981 (British Nationality Act 1981 (legislation.gov.uk)).  Please note if you hold a dual nationality of which one nationality is British you may still be able to view UK eyes only information it does however depend on what your other nationality is.

Desirable Criteria for Materials Scientist: 

• Experience in zirconium alloys, pressure vessel steels or nuclear materials.
• Chartered Scientist or Engineer in a relevant discipline.
• Experience of hot-cell operations.
• PCN Level 2 trained and experience of eddy current testing.

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