Senior Waste Management PHD

We’ll inspire and empower you to deliver your best work so you can evolve, grow and succeed - today and into tomorrow. We offer an exciting range of opportunities to develop your career within a supportive and diverse team who always strive to do the right thing for our people, clients and communities.

People are our greatest asset, and we offer a competitive package to retain and attract the best talent. In addition to the benefits you’d expect, UK employees also receive free single medical cover and digital GP service, family-friendly benefits such as enhanced parental leave pay and free membership of employee assistance and parental programmes, plus reimbursement towards relevant professional development and memberships. We also give back to our communities through our Collectively program which incorporates matched-funding, paid volunteering time and charitable donations.

Work-life balance and flexibility is a key focus area for us. We’re happy to discuss hybrid, part-time and flexible working hours, patterns and locations to suit you and our business.

About the Opportunity

We are looking to recruit scientists, engineers and researchers across Harwell, Warrington or Cumbria for the Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal (WM&D) Business Unit. You will be part of a multi-disciplinary business (including chemists, physicists, material scientists, engineers, modellers, geologists, safety case specialists, mathematicians and project managers) that delivers a range of projects on behalf of both UK-based and international customers. The WM&D Business Unit has led the field of research and development work related to the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste, for over 30 years. The unit has a wide breadth of both nationally and internationally respected expertise which underpins the science, technology and engineering that allows the safe disposal of radioactive waste. Our reputation for safely delivering quality projects on time and on budget is well-recognised by our clients and our technical excellence and strong client relationships put us at the forefront of our industry, along with our proven expertise in managing large, complex projects in the UK and overseas.

We would like to invite scientists, engineers and researchers to apply for this open application. Whether you are “just about to submit your PhD thesis”, a post-doc, research fellow, lecturer, or professor, we are keen to receive your application. In particular, we are interested in candidates from relevant academic networks (TRANSCEND, DECOVALEX, ATLANTIC, SINDRI, RAIN, MATHRAD, EURAD, DISCO AFCP, etc), CDTs (Nuclear Energy Futures, GREEN, etc), or from NUCLEAR Universities consortium partners, other institutions, national or international, with an established nuclear programme. This is an open, rolling advertisement, so your application will be allocated to a team within the WM&D Business Unit, according to your skills, capabilities and the Business Unit’s needs. This is an excellent opportunity to explore exciting new topics and learn new skills, and to experience a real variety of projects, colleagues, and clients, collaborating to achieve outstanding results in a stimulating and quality-driven environment.

The vacancy provides an excellent opportunity for those wishing to develop their careers in our technically challenging and commercially-oriented business. As part of WM&D, you will work on a range of desk-based and/or experimental consultancy projects for customers, including owners of radioactive wastes and nuclear materials, both in the UK and overseas. Our established client portfolio includes organisations like the NDA, NWS, Sellafield Ltd, EDF, AWE, UKAEA, NDF, TEPCO, Nagra, ONDRAF-NIRAS, NND, POSIVA and SKB. The work includes a variety of activities across the areas of nuclear waste management, including the following topics: Corrosion Science, Materials Science, Radiation Sciences, Nuclear Materials, Radiochemistry, Environmental Sciences, Safety Case Assessment, Mathematical modelling, Geological Studies (including site characterisation and modelling), Criticality Modelling, Spent Fuels, Integrated radioactive waste management.

CANDIDATES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO HAVE EXPERIENCE IN ALL THE FIELDS LISTED ABOVE - your areas of specialism will simply determine the role or team you will be assigned to. We implement hybrid and flexible working, but you will be attached to a company office at Harwell, Warrington or Cumbria and will focus on providing technical and scientific capabilities to support our clients in a variety of real-world technical challenges. As a Consultant, your role will include the following:

1. Deploying desk-based, analytical and/or experimental capabilities to assess, rationalise and document solutions for a variety of scientific or engineering problems in the field of nuclear waste management and disposal, including definition, design, procurement and delivery of R&D programmes.
2. Leading the production of high-quality technical reports, as main author as well as providing supervision to other resources, including reviewing and assimilating data/information and technical reports produced by other members of the team.
3. Enabling successful interactions with customers, including presentation of key results and their interpretation in the context of client’s needs, by managing supply chain partners and leveraging research networks and contacts to form new partnerships for research.
4. Supporting business development (including competitive bidding) in relevant technical areas to secure new contracts and subsequently supporting project management and project control activities to ensure work is delivered to agreed timescales, quality and cost.

We are committed to the continuing professional development of our staff. You will have excellent opportunities to progress by furthering your technical, project management, and commercial capabilities and broadening into the wider interests of our company. You will be strongly supported to develop your skills and qualifications, including excellent support and pathways to chartership (CEng, CSci, CPhys, CChem, etc).

If you are finishing your doctoral thesis write-up or preparing for your viva, flexible or part-time options are available to ensure you have sufficient time to successfully complete and defend your thesis. Support for your viva preparation can also be given, as we will have a stake in your success.

• A PhD in a relevant scientific or engineering discipline, such as Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Materials Science, Geology, Environmental Sciences or any relevant Engineering topics (or soon to complete!)
• A higher degree in a relevant physical science or engineering discipline OR equivalent training/experience.
• Outstanding experimental, modelling or desk-based analytical skills with focus on nuclear topics.
• Numerate with excellent technical writing skills, demonstrated by publication of technical work in industry reports and/or scientific literature.
• Flexible, innovative, and demonstration of intent to develop commercial skills.
• Adaptable, able to work on a number of varied projects at the same time, prioritising as appropriate.
• Enthusiasm to apply academic skills to the solution of real-world problems.
• Experience of presenting work at national or international conferences. Experience of successfully managing a project budget or funding application.

If you are looking for a new challenge and are passionate about developing yourself then we want to meet you.

Our Culture:

Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and diversity. We put people at the heart of our business, and we genuinely believe that we all succeed by supporting one another through our culture of caring. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

We aim to embed inclusion and diversity in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected, and if we are diverse, we’re more creative. We accept people for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, mental health, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. This is reflected in our wide range of Global Employee Networks centered on inclusion and diversity.

We partner with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain diverse talent. For greater online accessibility, please visit www.vercida.com to view and access our roles. As a Disability Confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.