Band 3 Nuclear Safety Inspector - Chemistry in City of London

The Opportunity

As the UK’s independent nuclear regulator, our mission is vital to the nation’s safety and security. We protect society by securing safe operations at nuclear facilities across our nation.

This is an exciting role critical to the decarbonisation of the UK’s economy; our national defence; and the decommissioning of our nuclear legacy. A career with ONR will provide you with opportunity to lead and shape our society’s future use of nuclear technology.

The Role

As an inspector your job will be varied, and you are likely to undertake a range of roles across the sector; from regulating the construction of new nuclear build to the decommissioning of legacy facilities. Some inspectors concentrate on undertaking planned and reactive inspections on site, while others will assess safety submissions or manage discrete intervention projects. Additionally, there may be opportunities to conduct investigations, manage research projects and mentor and develop the next generation of inspectors.

As part of our specialist chemistry team of inspectors you will consider the chemistry aspects and challenges associated with the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of civil nuclear reactors as well as fuel cycle facilities. Your work will require expert judgement in relation to minimisation of material degradation (including fuel clad), source terms and radioactive waste production. Working knowledge of accident chemistry effects, mitigations and chemistry modelling techniques is desirable.

Line Management Responsibilities

• None currently, however, at this level there could be an expectation to manage staff in the future.

Work with Us

Our colleagues are from all walks of life with varied personal experiences and career journeys into ONR. We want the best people for our roles. As an inclusive employer we value individuals’ contributions, regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, social background, religion, or belief. Our values ‘supportive, open-minded, fair and accountable’ are central to this. We invest in our people to build capability, resilience, and promote wellbeing in our great teams, underpinned by our inherent focus on inclusion and excellence.

Inclusion

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We will consider reasonable adjustments to ensure the recruitment process is inclusive and barrier-free. Please contact ONR.Human-Resources@onr.gov.uk or Mike.silcock@ONR.gov.uk to discuss further. We will also offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for applicants who opt into the guaranteed interview scheme.

We recognise we have a role to play in helping those leaving the Armed Forces and also have a Veterans guaranteed interview scheme. We offer an interview to Veterans who meet the minimum criteria for applicants who opt into the scheme. Please see eligibility criteria below;

• served for at least one year in His Majesty\'s Armed Forces (as a Regular or Reserve)
• be in transition from, or ceased to be a member of, His Majesty’s Armed Forces; and
• not already be employed by ONR

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must hold or can achieve and retain National Security Vetting clearance at SC level.

Location / Travel

This post may be undertaken from a base at any one of ONR’s office locations (Bootle, Cheltenham, or London).

This post requires some travel including overnight stays predominantly across the United Kingdom and occasionally abroad. The successful applicant requires a full driving licence which permits the holder to drive in the UK unless reasonable adjustments can be made under the Equality Act 2010.

ONR operates hybrid working (working in the office and / or at home) as part of our flexible working policy. There is an expectation that everyone will spend some time in the office on a regular basis, recognising that some work is better done face to face. Managers will collaborate with their teams on what works best to meet individual, team, business and organisational needs to enable collaboration, as well as balancing personal choice and wellbeing.

Person Specification / What You’ll Need

Qualifications

We expect all Nuclear Safety Inspectors to have:

• Degree level qualification or equivalent in chemistry or a related discipline.
• Chartered membership of a relevant professional institution, or the ability to demonstrate performance and/or experience at an equivalent professional level

Essential Skills / Experience

• Knowledge and/or experience relevant to chemistry in the design, construction, commissioning, operation, decommissioning and accident conditions for reactors and fuel cycle facilities.
• Knowledge of one or more nuclear / high hazard facilities, examples include: pressurised water reactors, advanced gas cooled reactors, high hazard processing plants etc.
• The ability to assimilate, analyse and provide judgements on new and complex technical issues, clearly and concisely.
• Strong communication, decision making and influencing skills. With the ability to see the bigger picture, targeting and prioritising work, based on risk.

We would ideally like you to have experience in the nuclear sector or alternative high hazard industry. But don’t worry if you don’t! We are happy to consider applicants with a non-nuclear/non-high hazard background who, if appointed, would undertake a structured nuclear training programme to reach Nuclear Safety Inspector level (subject to alternative salary range whilst training).

For Further Information

The closing date for receipt of applications is 28th October at 23:45.

For more information about this vacancy please contact:

louise.gray@onr.gov.uk

07798 882063

How To Apply

Please submit your application through the recruitment portal. Your application should include:

• CV to include a full record of your education and professional qualifications and a full employment history.
• A suitability statement (maximum of 800 words) highlighting how you meet the “essential skills and experience” required for the role, which will be used at shortlisting in conjunction with your CV.
• Where applicable highlight if you have any experience under ‘desirable skills and experience’ within the application form.

Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions based on evidence you provide. If you are shortlisted you will be invited to a technical/competency-based interview.

Please note

• Interviews are likely to be undertaken w/c 10th November or w/c 17th November, where possible.
• We anticipate the successful candidate joining ONR prior to 1st April 2026

AI Tools and Platforms

• During the application process applicants are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and tools to support them in writing their CVs, suitability statements, essential skills and experience. Please ensure that all information submitted is truthful and verifiable. This includes avoiding plagiarism and accurately attributing the work of others, including artificial intelligence generated content, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.
• Important guidance when providing CVs – please upload text-based CVs with no graphics or pictures to ensure the anonymisation function works correctly.
• Please note if you use special characters within your examples, some characters may be converted by the system. This will not prevent review at shortlisting.