Post Doctorate Scheme 2022 - Chemistry / Chemical Engineering - Post Operational Clean Out

Job Introduction

There’s never been a more exciting time to be part of the nuclear sector. New opportunities are being created all the time. At NNL, you’ll be in the ideal place to capitalise on this momentum, face new challenges and develop a long, successful and meaningful career. 

We’re an organisation that’s here to experiment and push the limits of what’s possible. So, if you’re keen to excel in your chosen field, this is the place to do it. Because at NNL, anything is possible.

We are developing the next generation of technical experts. Not only will you receive the opportunity to work on challenging and exciting projects, but you’ll continually learn from skilled and knowledgeable industry experts who are leaders in their field. We will help you become everything you can be, by challenging, stretching, and pushing you to your limits while supporting you every step of the way.

To join the NNL Post Doctorate programme you will have a PhD in chemistry, radiochemistry, environmental chemistry, chemical engineering, or geochemistry ideally with a focus on nuclear applications and a Masters or Bachelors Degree in Chemistry (or comparable subject).

You will have the right to work in the UK, have lived in the UK for at least 5 years and be able to achieve SC level security clearance.

You will be self-motivated, organised, and able to plan and manage your own time.

Main Responsibilities

You will join NNL at an extremely exciting time, as we develop our newly established Health and Nuclear Medicine programme. The capability is currently expanding to ensure a reliable skills base to support our growth plans. The skills requirements for the programme range from shaping and undertaking technical development experimental work to engaging with potential customers and academic collaborators, to understanding safety and security aspects of the planned projects.  

This is an opportunity to join the area as it becomes established, and to contribute to shaping the role according to the needs of the programme.

The responsibilities of the role may include:

• Defining, planning, undertaking and reporting on technical development work, (including active laboratory and desk-based work).
• Contributing to ensuring all laboratory work is carried out safely, securely and to a high quality by defining (where relevant) and upholding exemplary working practices.
• Carrying out enabling activities as needed to ensure laboratory work can be delivered to planned timescales. This could include scheduling of activities, purchasing of equipment and materials, completing permissioning paperwork, maintenance of equipment.
• Liaising with a range of stakeholders within the team, across NNL, and externally.  Stakeholders will include project managers, internal customers, Compliance team members, academic collaborators and potential customers.
• Supporting knowledge transfer activities by receiving training, developing training material and providing training to other team members.

Your two-year scheme will provide the opportunity to develop your technical knowledge and skills whilst providing you with an insight into NNL’s strategy and direction. You will receive an overview of how the company operates and delivers its projects. 

You will undertake personal development through training aligned to your personal development plan and understand your strengths, weaknesses, and behaviours. You will receive a personal budget to support your development within your field of expertise. 
NNL recognises that academia and industry are very different environments, our Postdoctoral Development Scheme will smooth the transition whilst supporting you as you take your first steps towards becoming a Subject Matter Expert.

From day one you’ll have a role in a technical team involved in delivering real customer projects. You will have direct sight of the value that your skills and knowledge have to our industry and by extension our society. The Postdoctoral Development Scheme runs alongside your role, providing you the space and skills to develop in a commercial environment whilst helping you decide how to advance your technical expertise.

Our two-year programme is designed to give you:

• An introduction to NNL so you understand where we sit in the wider context of the nuclear industry and how we work
• An introduction to the technical expertise at the core of our business so you understand how your expertise interrelates with our wider technical portfolio
• A clear pathway of technical development
• Commercial awareness of the Business Operations of NNL
• Opportunity to network with mid-career professionals and experts
• Mentoring to achieve chartered status with your chosen professional body
• A choice of development activities tailored to you and your career aspirations
• Membership of a cohort of early career professionals to provide support in developing within the company
• The support of a dedicated early careers team and our strong, thriving early careers community.

You will be based at our Preston site, our dedicated facility for work in nuclear physics and advanced reactors and the design and manufacture of nuclear fuels. 

As part of the selection process for the Post Doctorate programme you will complete a Technical Interview against the skills and competencies required for this role. 

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.