Post Doctorate Scheme 2025 - Nuclear Scientist and Nuclear Engineer

Job Description

This is where your skills play a critical role in keeping everyone safe. Working in Safety, Security & Safeguards gives you the chance to make your mark on some hugely interesting projects. UKNNL does work that nobody else in the sector is doing, and this means we need experts like you to make it possible, whilst keeping everyone safe. We’re committed to using nuclear science to benefit society for years to come. This means that you can build a long and successful career here whilst playing a meaningful role in delivering cleaner energy, reducing waste and keeping colleagues and the public out of harm’s way.

As the national laboratory for nuclear fission in the UK, we are harnessing nuclear science to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.

The Measurement and Analysis, instrumentation and in-situ analysis team (M&A-IIA) are involved in development of new technologies for radiometric applications and deployment challenges.

The team is looking for an individual to join this growing team to play an important part in allowing NNL to fulfil future commitments and develop into a subject matter expert for future programmes of work and become a technical lead.

Minimum Requirements

To join the UKNNL Post Doctorate programme, you will have a PhD in radiometric physics, nuclear instrumentation or similar and be able to work with engineering, sensor and instrument suppliers.

You will have the right to work in the UK and be able to achieve 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).

Main Responsibilities

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.

You will have the opportunity to work on innovation projects for radiometric instrumentation and customer work for the future, develop your knowledge of radiometric detectors and experience in radiometric systems, and help the Measurement and Analysis, instrumentation and in-situ analysis team deliver decommissioning for the Sellafield site.

You will support research and other customer work, experimental design, provide experimental data, data analysis, testing and underpinning evidence for instrumentation and processes.

UKNNL 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.

Your two-year scheme will provide the opportunity to develop your technical knowledge and skills whilst providing you with an insight into UKNNL’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.

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 UKNNL 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 UKNNL
• 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 Central Laboratory, the most modern and advanced facility of its kind in the world. On the doorstep of the Lake District National Park, our Sellafield site offers you the opportunity to work with incredible people on extraordinary projects whilst enjoying some of the most unique and beautiful landscapes the UK has to offer, providing an excellent quality of life. This role allows for hybrid working with the flexibility to work from home on some of your working days.

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.

Why join us?

UKNNL 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.
• UKNNL offers attractive pension plans. If you contribute 5%, UKNNL contributes 15%. Alternatively, if you choose not to contribute (0%), UKNNL 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

UKNNL 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

UKNNL has a vision for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (ED&I) where UKNNL 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.

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