Senior Technical Advisor (NIRO Secondment 24 months)

Job Introduction

The Nuclear Innovation and Research Office (NIRO) is operated by the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL). Our role is to provide independent strategic advice and guidance to Government across a range of nuclear and energy-related activities. Our purpose is to enhance the economics of a safe, sustainable and reliable civil nuclear life cycle through maintaining the integrity and independence of the advice Government receives and maximising its value. We do this through building strong relationships with Government, Industry and Academia and may represent the interests of Government nationally and internationally, as required. NIRO is made up of NNL, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Industry secondees who have the knowledge and experience to achieve this aim.

The nuclear industry faces important challenges, as we work to develop our relationship with Euratom following the UK’s withdrawal, and begin implementation of BEIS strategy for how nuclear technology can help the UK deliver on net zero, recently set out in the Energy white paper: Powering our Net Zero Future and the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. The policy signals an ambition for developing Advanced Nuclear Technologies and implementation of the Nuclear Sector Deal (NSD).  In these, HMG has a commitment to pursuing large scale nuclear, invest in Small Modular Reactors and an advanced reactor demonstrator.  The NSD sets out a shared vision of Government and the nuclear industry to deliver reliable low-carbon power with significant cost-reduction to ensure it remains competitive with other sources of low-carbon technology.  The NSD also signals a greater ambition for developing advanced nuclear technologies.   New ideas and innovation will be crucial to meeting these challenges.  NIRO plays a role in advising government on priorities for nuclear innovation necessary for delivering these ambitions and ensuring uninterrupted cooperation and trade in the civil nuclear sector.

The role can be based at the NIRO office in Risley, Cheshire or undertaken remotely from anywhere in the UK, with regular travel to London once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. The role will be a 24 months secondment.

Salary - Normally Secondees will retain current T&Cs whilst on secondment unless otherwise agreed.

Main Responsibilities

Main responsibilities for Senior Technical Advisor:

As Senior Technical Advisor, you’ll provide high quality independent objective advice to Government on a range of technical topics. This will involve maintaining high quality relationships with Government officials, including operating as lead point of contact for Government on specific projects, and leading the development of advice. You may be involved in a number of Government and Industry meetings with respect to specific nuclear topics and you may also represent and promote the UK, on behalf of Government, in key international fora.  You will also be involved in facilitating the work of the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board (NIRAB) which is charged with providing independent advice to Government.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Criteria for Senior Technical Advisor

• A broad understanding of nuclear energy technologies with expertise relevant to the development of advanced nuclear technologies is essential.  As well as an understanding of national and international nuclear energy policy issues, you should have experience of working with customers and stakeholders at a senior level, and the ability to engage constructively and effectively with Government and policy makers.
• Ability to achieve BPSS Clearance

Desirable Criteria for Senior Technical Advisor

• Excellent communication skills are important, as is the ability to tailor messages to a variety of audiences. Thought leadership will be a key ingredient in moving the nuclear sector forward. As such NIRO roles will be filled from individuals that have a broad range of backgrounds enabling a diversity of thought across the department.
• This is an unrivalled opportunity to play a highly visible and influential role in an organisation that will shape the safe, efficient future of nuclear in the UK and as such we are seeking as diverse a range of candidates as possible.

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.