Operations and Technical Support

Job Introduction

Job Description for Operations and Technical Support:

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. 

An exciting opportunity to join the Advanced Fuels team who are developing the next generation nuclear fuels in support of the UK’s net zero ambition. The role involves the manufacture and characterisation of advanced nuclear fuel material using modern facilities at NNL’s Preston Laboratory and reporting the results to the customer to time, cost and quality.

The work is primarily laboratory-based where you will be operating bespoke fuel fabrication equipment to produce fuel material which is then characterised using a suite of cutting-edge analytical equipment such as scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, laser flash analysis and x-ray diffraction. 

This role predominantly focuses on the production and characterisation of test pellets to ensure the quality of the fuel produced by Westinghouse Ltd meets regulatory as well as customer specifications.

The role supports the delivery of technical programmes of work to the customer on time to cost and to satisfactory quality, working closely with project managers and providing technical guidance and advice as required. NNL strives to develop and maintain a pipeline of skilled talent in order to ensure continued delivery to its long-term customers.  

You will be required to work to high degrees of accuracy and with fixed timelines to meet customer deadlines and requirement, whilst maintaining good laboratory practice and complying with regulatory and company policies / procedures e.g. safety, risk, quality, security.

Main Responsibilities for Operations and Technical Support:

• Deliver technical work to the satisfaction of the customer to time, cost and quality.
• Promote and maintain key relationships (internal & external) for efficient and effective project delivery.
• Provide technical support to the Westinghouse Pellet Lab program. Ensuring the delivery of high quality outputs.
• Comply with all legislative, regulatory and company policy alongside procedures applicable to the role i.e. Safety, quality, security, risk etc.
• Work Flexibly to ensure work is completed with a high degree of quality to meet customer requirement.
• Appointment to AP-NM (Approved Person for Nuclear Movements), involving accountability for safely carrying out movements of nuclear materials, including accurate record keeping and documentation (Separate assessment required).
• Keep well-informed of the latest technical developments in the field which are relevant to the project.
• Produce and maintain accurate records of experimental data.
  

Essential Criteria for Operations and Technical Support:

• Experience of working within a highly regulated industry.
• Excellent communication and team working skills.
• Demonstrable ability to work with hazardous materials performing intricate tasks and maintain GLP.
• Ability to work with a high attention to detail.
• Demonstrated questioning attitude and safety conscious.
• Experience working within a Quality Control / Assurance type laboratory.
• Data taking / analysis skills with accuracy.
• 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 Operations and Technical Support:

• Experience working with uranic or hazardous powders.
• Degree level education in a relevant scientific or engineering subject.
• Prior experience of analytical techniques used to characterize nuclear fuel, for example, Scanning electron microscopy, Laser flash analysis, Thermogravimetric analysis.

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.

United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory