Senior / Principal Radioactive Waste and Decommissioning Consultant

This is an opportunity for a Senior or Principal Radioactive Waste Consultant to join our talented and growing national Nuclear Division and lead radioactive waste management and decommissioning projects for a range of private and public clients, focused on achieving safe, cost-effective, innovative and timely reduction of the UK's nuclear legacy.

You will be based in our Manchester office, working alongside a wide representation of Hydrock’s other services and disciplines. We work flexibly and are moving to hybrid-working, so you can balance your time and commitments in a way that works for both you and Hydrock.

What you’ll be responsible for

Some of your primary responsibilities will include the following (not necessarily from the start):

• Helping to manage and deliver radioactive waste management and decommissioning packages of work, including overseeing and supporting our delivery teams;
• Continuing to build and develop excellent client relationships;
• Delivering high-quality and bespoke technical and strategic support to our clients;
• Supporting the continued development of our business, including through identifying, bidding for and winning new work, either with new or existing clients;
• Mentoring and developing our graduates and other junior staff.

We know that every individual has different skills, strengths and preferences. We focus on recruiting great people and provide them with opportunities to tailor the role to best fit their skills and experience. We therefore avoid defining rigid roles and the above bullets are indicative of your possible responsibilities. 

What skills and attributes are we looking for?

The work we deliver for our clients in support of radioactive waste management spans the entire waste management lifecycle, in which we provide bespoke strategic advice to ensure the UK’s radioactive waste management inventory is managed safely. This ranges from finding innovative solutions to manage a particular waste stream, to developing business cases which could change national policy and strategy. The common focus being the ability to understand a problem and work out solutions to specific client needs. 

Key understanding, knowledge and experience of the ideal candidate include, but are not limited to:

Understanding of:

• UK regulatory and policy landscape for the management of radioactive waste, including recent developments in policy and strategy;
• Waste management principles including application of the waste hierarchy; 
• The application of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and how is it assessed in the context of radioactive waste management;
• The UK Radioactive Waste Inventory, including different classifications and waste streams.

Knowledge of:

• The range of decommissioning strategies for reactor sites and other nuclear facilities; 
• Waste management processes across the entire lifecycle: characterisation, retrieval, processing, treatment, packaging, and disposal.

Experience of:

• Working with UK Site License Companies and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (including its subsidiaries).

Other skills and experience which we would consider beneficial to a consultancy role with us in:

• Experience of working with waste producers (e.g. Magnox, Sellafield, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd. (DSRL), and EDF Energy);
• Experience working with Radioactive Waste Management Ltd. (RWM) and Low Level Waste Repository Ltd. (LLWR) National Waste Programme (NWP); 
• Knowledge of international waste management and disposal practices; 
• Knowledge of the UK’s Nuclear Sector Deal and commitments made with respect to nuclear liability reductions;
• Experience of working within multi-disciplinary teams and with communication with other technical disciplines;
• Experience, or good understanding of working within a consultancy environment.

In addition to knowledge and experience, we are looking for someone who can provide the following: 

• Flexible, innovative and proactive approach to working and finding solutions;
• Ability to work closely with clients to solve problems;
• Desire to support growth of our radioactive waste management and decommissioning strategy capability. 

Our Nuclear Division

Our Nuclear Division is well established but still very much a growing team, supporting a wide range of key nuclear projects across the UK, from new build through to decommissioning. We pride ourselves on being innovative and providing strategic and bespoke support to meet our clients’ needs, and have worked hard to build strong and mutually beneficial relationships with these clients. We recognise that the success of our business is underpinned and sustained by our people, and we always seek to ensure that we support, encourage and empower each member of our team to further build on what we have achieved.

We have a number of exciting projects, ongoing as well as future opportunities, with a wide range of high-profile nuclear clients. This includes delivery of work through large, long-term frameworks as well as through smaller, bespoke work packages. We are keen to welcome the right person into our team to support the successful delivery of this work and continued growth. 

What's great about Hydrock 'in a nutshell' 

We are a British-owned integrated multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy of over 900 staff in 21 offices across the UK. Our driving motivation is to be a ‘Force for Good’, as it is our aim to improve the quality of people’s lives from our employees to our clients, through to the communities we work in and our planet as a whole through the work we do.  

From the buildings that surround you, the roads and bridges you cross, all related to the infrastructure that we create, we aim to offer the most sustainable possibilities to shape the places, communities and society that we live in through meeting our client’s needs. Through the path we are on to delivering a green future, the result is something that everyone can be proud of. 

Our welcoming and friendly culture is something we are proud of and has gained us recognition with 9 years in the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Check out some of our incredible projects which have been awarded: 2022 Net Zero Award for Bay Technology Centre, Integration and Collaborative Working Award for YGG Tan-y-Lan primary school, The Deaf Academy awarded for its Universal Design at the 2022 Civic Trust Awards and Bristol’s iconic waterfront Wapping Wharf Living making a double win at the Bristol Property Awards! 

To top off, here’s our 2022 wrap up video! 

What we can offer you: 

• Inspiring and supportive colleagues 
• Reward for progression and hard work 
• An opportunity to develop your soft skills, as well your technical skills
• Competitive starting salary 
• Excellent health benefits 25 days of holiday (buy/sell up to five days), accrue 1 day extra every 2 years, with bonus holidays too!
• An earlier finish on Friday (4pm!) 
• An opportunity to give back: “Day off for good cause” (on a workday) 
• A huge range of flexible benefits, including climate perks and an EV car leasing scheme 
• Our biggest event of the year: Annual Challenge Day!  

A place to feel included

We champion diversity, equity and inclusion. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we commit to supporting our employees and ensure we create a safe environment that nurtures you to perform at your best. Offering our people flexibility is an important factor in achieving this aim.  

We consider all application individually with the required qualifications and knowledge without regard to any of the protected characteristics. We would like to provide everyone with a fair selection, assessment and employment experience so we ask with are made aware of any physical or neurodiverse condition within your application for which appropriate reasonable adjustments can be made by us. 

Looking for the next steps? 

Once you have completed your application through our careers site, we aim to review and respond to you as soon as your application’s been reviewed.

If shortlisted, a member of our Recruitment Team will call you for an initial pre-screen by phone (typically 30 minutes) to help us assess your motivations and interest in the position and Hydrock.

If you progress following this telephone pre-screen, you will be invited to attend a formal interview by video conference (Microsoft Teams) or in our offices. 

For the latest updates and news, connect with us on our LinkedIn page!