About the job

Job summary

ONR is not a Civil Service department, however, we are an arms length body of Department of Work and Pensions.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation is the UK’s independent nuclear regulator, with the legal authority to regulate nuclear safety, security and conventional health and safety at 36 licensed nuclear sites in Great Britain (GB). This includes the existing fleet of operating reactors, fuel cycle facilities, waste management and decommissioning sites, as well as licensed defence sites, together with the regulation of the design and construction of new nuclear facilities.

ONR also regulates the transport of nuclear and radioactive materials by road, rail and

inland waterways, and as of January 2021 operates the UK’s State System of Accountancy for and Control of Nuclear Materials (SSAC) and a domestic safeguards regime.

As part of its 2025 strategy ONR is committed to being a modern and transparent regulator, delivering trusted outcomes and value. We are making substantial investments in new digital technologies and skills to enhance our regulatory processes and management of information

Job description

Within the Office for Nuclear Regulation, Fault Studies is the application of deterministic and probabilistic analysis / arguments within safety case submissions to demonstrate the safety of a nuclear facility following a postulated initiating event.

A typical accident fault sequence analysed might be a loss of coolant accident on a Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR). To understand this accident requires good knowledge of reactor kinetics, heat transfer and fluid dynamics and how major system components behave and interact with one another under severe changes of pressure and temperature.

The challenge is to understand the behaviour of a plant under a wide range of fault conditions using deterministic safety analysis techniques, most of which require the application of complex computer codes. Therefore, fault studies specialists need to have a very good understanding of the underlying science (in this case neutronics, fluid dynamics and heat transfer) and how the science is used through the application of computer codes to predict the plant's behaviour in during a transient.

For other nuclear facilities, experience in Chemical Process Engineering, preferably nuclear but at least Tier 1 COMAH, would normally be a pre-requisite, with a considerable part of that experience having been applied to analysis of high hazard facilities under fault conditions.

Principal Responsibilities

Nuclear Inspectors are expected to be capable of undertaking a variety of roles:

• Inspecting sites.
• Assessing technical safety cases.
• Enforcing the law.
• Influencing safety improvements.
• Investigating incidents.
• Participating in emergency exercises.
• Developing strategic approaches to secure high standards in the industry.
• Managing nuclear research contracts.
• Developing and maintaining internal guidance.

The role of a Nuclear Inspector is varied, and you are likely to undertake a range of duties during your career. Some Inspectors concentrate on undertaking planned and reactive inspections on site, while others will mainly assess safety submissions or manage discrete intervention projects. The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders internally and externally both verbally and in writing is an essential attribute.

The focus is on working as part of multi-disciplinary teams to ensure compliance with the law, reassure the public and improve safety standards. When Inspectors find shortcomings in compliance, they initially provide advice but may take formal enforcement action if appropriate. The powers available to inspectors enable them to serve Enforcement Notices and ultimately initiate prosecutions. There is also a wide range of powers available under nuclear license conditions.

Our inspectors come from a variety of mainly nuclear or high-hazard backgrounds, but all demonstrate composure when working at pace whilst undertaking an exacting and rewarding job in the public sector.

Specific job-related expertise required alongside other technical and behavioural competencies for this specific discipline role are described below.

Line Management Responsibilities

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

Person specification

Location / Travel

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

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.

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.

This post requires some travel including overnight stays predominantly across the United Kingdom and occasionally abroad, again subject to COVID restrictions.

Security Clearance

Security Vetting clearance at SC level

ONR is committed to being an inclusive employer and we welcome and encourage applications from all applicants. We will make reasonable adjustments and adaptations to ensure the recruitment process is inclusive and barrier-free. For example, providing job descriptions in alternative formats, and providing communication support and accessible venues. If you would like to discuss how we can support you, please contact (ONR.Human-Resources@onr.gov.uk / 07766380271 / 07786541468 / 07786554172 / 07823741047) who will be able to provide further information and discuss any reasonable adjustments you may need during the recruitment process. We will offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role. Applicants also have the choice to opt into our Guaranteed Interview Scheme when completing their application where we will offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

ONR recognises it has a role to play in helping those leaving the Armed Forces (veterans) and have introduced a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for veterans. This is part of a government initiative known as the ‘Great Place to Work for veterans. Veterans are officially defined as anyone who has served for at least one day in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve). All veterans who meet the minimum criteria for a role will be invited to interview and they have the choice to opt into this scheme when completing their application. To be eligible to apply for roles under the initiative, veterans must meet certain eligibility criteria below;

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

Essential Qualifications

We expect all Nuclear Safety 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
• A Full driving licence that permits you to drive in the UK.  However, ONR is willing to consider any proposals put forward by disabled applicants that would allow them to do the job by any other means.

Essential Related Expertise

For nuclear power plant (NPP) fault studies:

• we are looking for experts who have a good understanding of plant behaviour under a wide range of fault conditions or a good working knowledge of reactor fuel design.
• Familiarity with the use of one or more analytical computer codes (PANTHER, MACE, TRACE, RELAP, MAAP, MELCOR etc.) would be an advantage.

For other nuclear facilities:

• experience in the analysis of complex behaviour of high hazard process plant (nuclear or possibly Tier 1 COMAH) under fault conditions is essential.
• A good understanding of supporting techniques such as HAZOP, fault trees, event trees, reliability block diagrams etc. or application of analytical methods such as CFD would be an advantage.
• Experience of taking the results of fault analysis and using it to make or substantiate safety case claims (such as showing margin to key safety limits or demonstrating numerical risk targets have been met).
• Able to provide guidance and advice in your specialism, you would need to be able to lead on the technical assessment safety cases, liaising with specialist inspectors from other technical disciplines.

In addition:

We are looking for people who can apply their specialist knowledge to the regulatory assessment of nuclear safety cases, for example:

• Knowledge of light water moderated, graphite moderated or advanced reactors, from either a design or operational background.
• Experience in developing or assessing transient analysis models for reactor fault sequences.
• Experience of fault identification techniques, classification of safety measures, fault schedules, establishing limits and conditions for operation, and demonstrating that risks have been reduced as low as is reasonably practicable (ALARP) in safety cases.
• Knowledge of relevant operator, regulatory or international standards and guidance for accident analysis and associated safety cases.
• Experience in complex safety analyses for non-nuclear high hazard facilities that can be shown to be readily transferable to the nuclear sector.
• strong team working and good communication skills to help us achieve our objectives.
• Confidence in the use of modern Microsoft based 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 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.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £77,942, Office for Nuclear Regulation contributes £27 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Please submit your application through the recruitment portal on the ONR website directly by clicking onto the link above apply at advertisers site where you can also download full job description.

For further information about this vacancy please contact ryan.maitland@onr.gov.uk.

A relocation package may be available. ONR offers occupational maternity pay, the provision of shared parental leave, and flexible working.

How to Apply

Please submit your application through the recruitment portal. 

This advert will remain open until we have filled the advertised role. We reserve the  right to withdraw this advert at any time.

Your application should include: 

• CV to include a full record of your education and professional qualifications and 
a full employment history 

• A suitability statement highlighting the ‘essential skills and experience’ (please 
provide specific evidence/examples where possible up to a maximum of 350 
words relating to each essential criteria) – you will be prompted to copy and 
paste your statement into our online portal 

• If you have any experience under ‘desirable skills and experience,’ please also 
highlight these within your statement

Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the essential criteria for the role which  are detailed on the job description, if you are shortlisted you will be invited to a technical and competency-based interview. We will offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.