About the job

Job summary

Background

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.

ONR offers a competitive salary and an excellent pension and one of the most rewarding jobs in the public sector.

The Nuclear Safety Inspector Role – Human Factors

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

• Inspecting sites
• Assessing technical safety cases
• Enforcing the law and influencing improvement in safety cases
• Investigating incidents;
• Developing strategic approaches to secure high standards in the industry
• Managing nuclear research contracts etc

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. 

Our Inspectors come from a variety of mainly nuclear or high-hazard-related backgrounds, but all demonstrate calm and poise when working under pressure in one of the most demanding jobs in the public sector. Specific job-related expertise required alongside other technical and behavioural competencies for this specific discipline role are described below.

In this case we are seeking to recruit Nuclear Safety Inspectors who specialise in Human Factors. Human Factors make a significant contribution to nuclear safety throughout a facility's lifecycle, and we are looking for experienced people with knowledge and understanding of safety cases and in particular how individual, team and organisational performance can impact upon nuclear safety. The scope of work is reflected in ONR's Safety Assessment Principles for Nuclear Facilities on Human Factors.

We require credible people:

• With experience of the assessment and/or production of Human Factors safety cases/reports for the nuclear, high-hazard or highly-regulated industries;
• Who understand the relationship between Human Factors and other technical disciplines;
• Who are able to draw on engineering and safety analyses to inform their understanding of the human contribution to safety;
• With an ability to make sound judgements on the significance of Human Factors issues as they relate to overall risk;
• Who are able to influence licensees and other stakeholders.

Extensive training will be provided on the legal and regulatory aspects of the role, along with opportunities to continue to develop, expand and deepen knowledge in the specialist area and on a range of nuclear technologies. In addition, there are opportunities for Human Factors Inspectors to support our Security and Transportation colleagues, using our Human Factors skills, knowledge and experience to provide specialist advice in relation to ONR’s wider purposes. As experience of regulating nuclear safety increases, all inspectors are given the opportunity to progress and potentially achieve promotion.

 

Job description

Person Specification

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/ or  0203 028 0133 / 0203 028 0120) 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 His 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 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

Line Management Responsibilities

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

Person specification

Location

Successful applicants may be based at our Bootle, Cheltenham or London office. Staff will be provided with equipment to enable remote working, however, it should be noted that during the first twelve months of appointment staff will be required to spend a significant amount of time at the Bootle office in order to undertake mandatory warranting (legal and regulatory) and develop business relationships with colleagues.

This post requires some travel, including overnight stays, predominantly across the United Kingdom and occasionally abroad.

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.

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.

Essential Job Related Expertise

At this time we are particularly looking for people with knowledge and experience across a number of the following areas:

• Human Factors integration;
• Human Reliability Assessment;
• User interface design;
• Procedure specification, design and presentation;
• Training and competence;
• Workload, fatigue, shift systems;
• Staffing levels;
• Treatment of Human Factors in operational experience feedback systems;
• Allocation of function;
• Communication systems;
• Workplace design (including ergonomics associated with thermal, light, access issues etc.).

In addition:

• You should have experience of working 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 the technical experience, candidates should have:

• Good team working and communication skills to help us achieve our objectives.
• 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.
• Evidence of effective and professional behaviours throughout delivery of roles.

*ONR will consider applicants with a non-nuclear/non-high hazard background or with less experience within nuclear, 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.

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

Further Information

A relocation package may be available.

The successful candidate(s) must hold or have the ability to achieve and retain National Security Vetting clearance at SC level and hold a full UK driving licence.

For more information about this vacancy please contact Margaret Ryan and Vicki Keene: 

* - margaret.ryan@onr.gov.uk

    Vicki.Keene@onr.gov.uk 

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 (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 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.

Important guidance when providing CV’s – please upload text-based CVs with no graphics or pictures to ensure the anonymisation function works correctly.

Please note -  if whilst completing your application, you use special characters such as (‘ ; “ - _ * ) within your examples, Hireserve will convert these characters into symbols.  We are currently unable to change this.

Whilst these examples will appear on your application, this will not prevent it from being reviewed at the shortlisting stage.

 

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.