Senior Environmental Specialist in Thurso

We are seeking a Senior Environmental Specialist to join our Site Services team, playing a key role in supporting Dounreay’s mission through expert land quality management. This is a rare opportunity to work at the interface of environmental science and nuclear decommissioning, helping to protect people, the environment and the future use of the site as we progress towards closure.

As part of the Land Quality Team, you will apply your professional expertise to real, complex challenges, undertaking assessments, investigations and remediation activities, while advising site programmes and strengthening how land quality is managed across Dounreay. This is a highly influential role for a confident specialist who wants to make a lasting impact.

What Will I Be Doing

In this senior role, you will deliver high‑quality land quality assessments and remediation work, applying specialised knowledge and expert judgement to support safe decommissioning and regulatory compliance. You will interpret complex data, identify risks and drive solution‑focused responses, while working closely with project teams, regulators and stakeholders and contributing to the development of management systems that enable site closure and release from regulatory control.

Key deliverables are:

• Undertake land quality assessments including: Phase 1 - Preliminary Investigations and risk assessments, Phase 2 - exploratory site investigations and risk assessments, Phase 3 - implementation of remediation schemes, Phase 4 - remediation completion and verification reporting, and Phase 5 - Site closure activities
• Recommend and implement solution‑based responses to land quality and decommissioning challenges
• Analyse, model and interpret complex environmental data to inform robust decision‑making
• Identify non‑compliance or poor practice and implement effective remedial actions
• Communicate clearly with internal and external stakeholders and provide professional leadership, including line management where required
• Perform the responsibilities of management appointments relevant to the post

What Will I Bring

You will be an experienced geo‑environmental professional with a strong technical background and a practical, collaborative approach. Comfortable working in regulated environments, you will bring credibility, clear communication skills and the confidence to influence safe and effective outcomes.

• Degree‑qualified in a science or engineering discipline (or equivalent experience) with significant contaminated land expertise
• Significant experience of working at nuclear/engineering sites with a strong knowledge of contaminated land legislation, guidance and industry standards, with hands‑on remediation experience
• Background in a relevant discipline such as geology, hydrogeology, geotechnical, environmental science or geochemistry
• Professionally affiliated (ideally Chartered), with excellent interpersonal skills and the capability to meet role‑specific physical capability assessment requirements

We are looking to hold interviews week commencing Monday 17 August 2026, however, please note that this vacancy may close earlier than the stated deadline should we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

If you require assistance at any point during the recruitment process contact careers@dounreay.nrservices.uk at the appropriate time so we can make any necessary, reasonable adjustment.

Some Reasons We Think You’ll Love It Here

Please note: All successful candidates who do not already hold security clearance will need to provide proof of identity, eligibility to work in the UK, and employment/education history (typically covering the last 3–5 years) in line with NRS Baseline Security requirements. Some roles may also require full Security Clearance, which involves additional checks. For details, please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) guidance.