Band 3 Structural Integrity Nuclear Inspector

As the UK’s independent nuclear regulator, our mission is to ensure safe nuclear for a secure and sustainable future. ONR is changing with the sector: nuclear is set to play a central role in economic growth, energy security, national defence, decommissioning and the development of new technologies. Our role is to enable innovation and growth through proportionate, enabling regulation, while maintaining public confidence that the highest standards of nuclear safety, civil nuclear security, safeguards, and conventional health and safety are met across nuclear facilities in Great Britain. This is an exciting role at a pivotal time for the UK nuclear sector. You will help regulate work that supports decarbonisation, energy security, national defence, new reactor technologies, fuel manufacture, decommissioning and waste management. A career with ONR offers the opportunity to shape how nuclear technology is used safely and securely, while contributing to a regulator that is becoming more modern, agile and productive.

About The Role

As a Structural Integrity Inspector your work will be varied and strategically important. You are likely to undertake a range of roles across the sector, from assessing new reactor designs and advanced nuclear technologies to regulating construction, operational and decommissioning sites. Some inspectors undertake planned and reactive inspections at operational facilities, while others assess submissions, manage discrete intervention projects, conduct investigations, commission research, or mentor and develop the next generation of inspectors. Across these activities, you will help ONR deliver proportionate, enabling regulation that supports safe innovation and maintains public confidence.

As an ONR Structural Integrity Inspector, you will be concerned with the integrity of pressure vessels, pipework, tanks, and their supporting structures. For Light Water Reactors it includes the nuclear safety significant vessels including the reactor pressure vessel; associated pipework; and vessel internal structures. For chemical plants it includes the main processing vessels and pipework that contain radioactive materials. For advanced reactor technologies this will include molten salt and/or liquid metal cooled reactors.

We are looking for experts who not only have a specialism related to structural integrity, but those who have developed an understanding of the inter‑relationship between stresses, materials, defects and degradation in structural integrity; the different aspects that contribute to a structural integrity safety case. As well as providing guidance and advice in your specialism, you would need to be able to take the lead on the technical assessment of structural integrity aspects of safety cases and in making judgements on the adequacy of the safety case and site‑based interventions. Extensive training will be provided on the legal and regulatory aspects of the role, along with opportunities to continue to develop the expand and deepen knowledge in the specialist area and on a range of nuclear technologies.

Line Management Responsibilities

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

Location / Travel

This post may be undertaken from the closest ONR office (Bootle, Cheltenham, or London). You may be eligible for relocation package up to £15,000. 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 time in the office on a regular basis, recognising that some work is better done face to face. Managers will work 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.

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‑mindedness, fairness and accountability’ 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.

Security Clearance

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

Person Specification 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. If you require reasonable adjustments as part of your application, please contact ONR HR as soon as possible, preferably before the vacancy closes, by emailing ONR.Human‑Resources@onr.gov.uk or stephanie.glen@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 have a Veterans guaranteed interview scheme. We offer an interview to Veterans who meet the minimum criteria for applicants who opt into the scheme.

Qualifications

We expect Structural Integrity inspectors to have:

• A good honours degree, or equivalent in a subject appropriate to the specialism, or the ability to demonstrate performance and experience at an equivalent professional level.
• Chartered membership of a relevant professional institution, or the ability to demonstrate performance and/or experience at an equivalent professional level.

Essential Skills / Experience

We are looking for specialists who can also take the lead on the overall assessment of a safety case or for people with specialist knowledge of one (or more) of the following areas:

• Materials behaviour such as irradiation embrittlement, corrosion, creep, environmentally assisted fatigue and other ageing and degradation phenomena.
• Non‑destructive examination testing and inspection qualification processes such as ENIQ.
• Casting, Forging, Welding, and fabrication including the production of high integrity pressure vessels, dissimilar metal joints etc. for nuclear or high hazard applications.
• Knowledge of advanced manufacturing techniques, for example additive manufacture.
• Knowledge of advanced reactor technologies; including molten salt and/or liquid metal cooled reactors.
• Stress analysis and pressure vessel design code assessment to ASME III or RCCM.
• Fracture mechanics assessments to R6, RSEM or similar assessment codes and high temperature assessment to the R5 procedure.
• Graphite reactor core integrity including material degradation processes, and engineering analysis and simulation.

Desirable Skills / Experience

You should have experience of working in responsible positions in the nuclear sector in design, construction, operation, decommissioning or safety appraisal in a safety case environment, with preference given to candidates who can demonstrate a sound understanding of the current nuclear industry context and understanding of relevant principles and practices. In addition to technical experience, candidates should have:

• Proven effective judgement and decision‑making skills, applying logical reasoning, and making effective and proportionate risk‑based recommendations.
• Good team working and communication skills to help us deliver our strategy.
• Demonstrable strong influencing skills and an ability to persuade by working collaboratively and flexibly with all stakeholders, showing appropriate interpersonal sensitivity, self‑awareness, and assertiveness.
• Proven experience of balancing challenging and conflicting priorities, with resilience to flex to meet business needs.
• Evidence of effective and professional behaviours throughout delivery of roles.
• Confidence in the use of modern IT tools and applications.

ONR will consider applicants with a non‑nuclear/non‑high hazard background, who if appointed would undertake a structured nuclear equivalence process in order to reach Nuclear Safety Inspector level. Applicants should be aware that if individuals are appointed on this basis, they will be appointed on an alternative salary range whilst undergoing the equivalence process.

For Further Information

For more information about this vacancy please contact Mike Webb. E – Michael.Webb@onr.gov.uk

The closing date for receipt of applications is 30th September 2026 at 11:45. Throughout our shortlisting process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the essential criteria (and the desirable if applicable).

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

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