Waste Estimation & Sampling Manager

Abingdon Road, Culham, Oxfordshire
Full-time
Salary: £52,293 (inclusive of MPP) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension
Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire
Confirmed Grade: Level 5
Department: H3AT

Company Description

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

Job Description

As an employee of UKAEA, you will benefit from:

- Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
- Corporate bonus scheme of up to 7% and a Relocation allowance (if eligible).
- Flexible working options including family-friendly policies.
- Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders.
- Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days of Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
- Wide range of career development opportunities.
- A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions.

The Role

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As Waste Estimation & Sampling Manager, you will play a pivotal role in leading the management of the Waste Estimation and sampling activities in support of the waste and decommissioning R&D programmes. You'll be responsible for the identification, sampling and appropriate classification of complex waste materials generated during UKAEA’s research activities, and the decommissioning of the Joint European Torus (JET).

Additional Responsibilities:

- Responsible for the overall activity leadership of the Waste Estimation & Sampling Technicians, who undertake verification of prior waste information, sampling of waste materials, and the record-keeping of waste sample information to underpin waste disposal.
- Lead the delivery of Waste Estimation activities to assess the likely nature and quantities of waste materials from the JET fusion reactor, JET ancillary systems and other UKAEA experiments. Ensure appropriate techniques, infrastructure and resource is available to deliver current and future sampling activities.
- Design, review and deliver sampling plans to support the identification of waste management/disposal routes (which may include sampling large and/or radioactive materials). Develop and approve work instructions, risk assessments and any supporting documentation to ensure safe execution of sampling plans.
- Ensure accurate sampling records are generated and maintained, applying appropriate attention to detail. Resolve any issues identified within sampling records.
- Closely collaborate with waste specialists to ensure waste undergoes sufficient characterisation for the identified disposal route. Identify/inform where characterisation schemes can be altered based on waste sampling and estimation outputs.
- Champion current best practices, helping to inform strategic decision-making for varied and novel waste-related programmes through the production and review of technical documentation, as well as communicating waste information/data to internal and external stakeholders via face-to-face or online presentations.
- Develop scope, schedule and cost for waste-related activities, supporting decommissioning programmes and acting as a technical adviser to ensure that facilities and processes are designed such that wastes can be appropriately managed and disposed of.
- Provide guidance, share knowledge, and support others through training and coaching to improve capability.

Qualifications

Essential Requirements:

- Qualified to HND/Degree level (or equivalent) in an engineering or scientific discipline or have significant demonstrable experience working in a surveying role or within nuclear decommissioning, or a similar high-hazard industry.
- Demonstrable experience in technical leadership for a team of people, delivering high-quality output within time and budget constraints.
- Highly competent in the management of samples.
- A strong ability in spatial reasoning, the ability to understand and interpret engineering drawings and perform calculations to establish masses, volumes and total activities of radioactive materials.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, particularly with regard to writing concise and impactful technical reports.
- Able to work unsupervised on complex radioactive waste types and comfortable liaising with operational teams and waste experts.
- Ability to solve problems in a proactive manner and apply appropriate attention to detail.
- Ability to constructively interact with a variety of stakeholders and escalate issues/deviations through the management chain.
- Demonstrably proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite, in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Additional Information

For a full list of benefits and to apply, select the apply button to be taken through to the UKAEA careers pages.

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly individuals from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and women. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the UK Government website for information on criminal records checks. If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.