Senior Criticality Safety Assessor

Senior Criticality Safety Assessor

Closing Date: 16th January 2025

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.

Due to the classified nature of the work involved, there are limited opportunities to work from home in this role. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will spend the majority of their time working on site at AWE Aldermaston.

Packages:

• Senior Criticality Safety Assessor: from £52,000 (depending on suitability and experience) plus allowances

• Principal Criticality Safety Assessor: from £65,000 (depending on suitability and experience) plus allowances

A relocation package may be available - terms and conditions apply.

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.

Let us introduce the role

Join AWE in the UK's largest Criticality Safety Group to support safe nuclear operations in defence of the nation and develop your nuclear career!

We are currently looking to expand our Criticality Safety Group and are seeking Senior Criticality Safety Assessors and Principal Criticality Safety Assessors to join us and apply their experience to our complex and challenging mission. We strive to have such a friendly and supportive group to welcome experienced individuals and to help them build a career that is both rewarding and technically stimulating.

Our goal is to grow our internationally recognised, highly capable, friendly, and supportive group to meet the increasing demands of a challenging programme of work in support of the UK's nuclear deterrent.

As AWE's Criticality Safety Group, our role is to provide an in-house criticality safety assessment capability in support of delivering the company's strategic objectives. This involves the delivery of criticality safety assessments during the design, operation, and decommissioning phases of nuclear facilities, which form a part of our nuclear safety documentation that satisfies our Nuclear Site Licence Conditions.

As a Senior Criticality Safety Assessor, you will be expected to provide leadership within an area of our capability delivery and act as an advisor to operational facilities and new build programmes. The role provides an important function to coach and mentor junior members of the team as well as perform peer review of assessments.

Opportunities for being part of an emergency response capability also exist.

Our Principal Criticality Safety Assessors act as Subject Matter Experts, pivotal in the provision of criticality safety assessments/determinations and specialised expert support relating to large scale Metallurgical Processing Facilities and Operations, Assembly/Disassembly Operations, Decommissioning Operations, Transport, Trials and Nuclear Threat Response requirements.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities:

• Leading the technical approval of criticality safety assessments;

• Set the criticality safety assessment strategy for modifications and new build activities;

• Provide lead technical criticality safety support and advice to the facility, operational or project management teams, influencing as necessary;

• Leading the technical delivery of critical safety tasking supporting the company fissile material operations

• Lead, coach and mentor members of the team ;

• Maintain and improve AWEs suite of company management arrangements for criticality safety that reflect relevant good practice and modern standards. Engaging with other UK and international experts to do so;

• Support external activities, as required, as part of the Critical Safety Authority Outreach and Science Programme. Representing AWE at UK and international conferences;

• Nuclear Baseline Role: Directly Supporting Work with Nuclear Materials and engaging with other Safety Assessment Specialists in support of a common goal;

• The Company may require you to fulfil any other reasonable duties aligned to your position from time to time in line with business needs.

Who are we looking for?

To be successful in these roles, we do need you to have:

• Honours Degree (or equivalent) in science, engineering or closely related discipline or equivalent level of experience;

• Understanding of nuclear physics, physics of criticality, chemistry, and metallurgy of fissile material;

• Detailed knowledge of criticality safety assessment techniques and principles;

• Detailed knowledge of the regulatory requirements of fissile operations within a Nuclear Licensed Site;

• A practitioner who can demonstrate good engineering and scientific judgement with experience in using fundamental engineering and scientific skills;

• Knowledge of nuclear transport codes - Monte Carlo and deterministic methods e.g., MONK and MCNP;

• Experience in methodologies used in criticality safety and an overview of the different regulatory methods outside the UK;

• A portfolio of experience in delivering criticality safety assessments and evidence of leadership/influence, or being ready for leadership, in the field Demonstrate leadership in the field of criticality safety, providing influence and impact;

• Good understanding of the requirements and process for the development of a nuclear safety case;

• Ability to establish strong working relationships with key stakeholders including technology centres, operational and project management, engineers, and safety case teams;

• Ability to articulate and communicate clearly and concisely technical programmes, problems, and risks to internal and external stakeholders with non / technical backgrounds Report and presentation skills;

• Experience in a nuclear, high hazard and/or highly regulated industry;

• Professional membership to a relevant chartered body (desirable)

Some reasons we think you'll love it here:

AWE has wide range of benefits to suit you. These include:

• 9-day working fortnight - meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.

• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).

• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.

• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.

• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.

• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).

• Discounts - access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.

• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

The 'Working at AWE' page on our website is where you can find full details in the 'AWE Benefits Guide'.

Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don't always 'tick every box'. That's why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don't meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we'd love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.

• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.

• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.

• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.