Materials/Corrosion Specialist

Job Introduction

The role is within the Materials and Corrosion group within the FR&R Capability Area and you will be based at Workington 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 operators of the experimental corrosion rigs at Workington Laboratory and general materials support.  There are a number of experimental programmes planned and further work is envisaged as these develop and results are analysed and reported.

Role Responsibility

Working flexibly and providing technical support 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 leading of experimental programmes in delivering a combination of plant support testing and more complex experimental programmes, primarily on a rig scale.

Work closely with the technical leads to develop and implement a technical strategy for the materials and corrosion group.

Development and maintenance of strong customer delivery links with a focus on the identification and progression of new opportunities to win future work.

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 Infrastructure and Assurance staff, ensuring that all required safety documents and associated approvals are in place and providing troubleshooting support when required.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Skills:

• A degree in a (metallurgy/materials/corrosion) relevant Science or Engineering based discipline and/or relevant level of experience.
• A proven ability to provide technical and safety related leadership while successfully delivering complex experimental projects.
• Demonstration of a positive attitude to safety, security and other EHSS&Q requirements.
• A pro-active and flexible approach to customer support and project delivery in making sure that requirements and expectations are met or exceeded.
• Experience in practical/experimental leadership role, including working alongside stakeholders in discussing the requirements of rig or 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:

• 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

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 microdrilling technology, or as large as developing state-of-the-art power systems for spacecraft, based on radioactive materials.

National Nuclear Laboratory