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Salary: Salary starting at £57,854 (range £57,854 to £63,248, Grade 4A).
Closing Date: 2026-08-06
Location: Workington, Cumbria
Job Description for Senior Research Technologist:
There are vacancies for two Senior Research Technologist roles in the Immobilisation Science & Technology team within WM&D and based at Workington. The roles will provide technical leadership on all elements of practical work in the team’s labs and rig hall.
It will be essential to have a good working knowledge of cement chemistry, grout development work, encapsulation systems for nuclear waste and support to Sellafield Ltd encapsulation plants. The roles will act as an interface between the team’s current Technical Leads and other technicians in the team and also provide technical leadership on their own projects requiring appointment to Discipline Technical Lead. The individuals will need to work closely with a range of customers to understand their challenges and interpret this to develop and deliver experimental programmes of work.
Main Responsibilities for Senior Research Technologist:
- Technical Leadership and delivery of laboratory and rig project work in the area of Immobilisation Science and Technology covering cement chemistry, grout development work, encapsulation systems for nuclear waste and support to Sellafield Ltd encapsulation plants.
- Proven ability to understand customer requirements then develop, scope/cost and deliver experimental work programmes ensuring work is delivered to time, cost, quality and safety requirements.
- Be appointed as a Discipline Technical Lead and fulfill the requirements of this role.
- Establish and maintain strong relationships with current technical leads, lab technicians, project managers and other UK NNL functions. Work collaboratively with others to ensure the successful delivery of customer work, EHSSQ and related actions.
- Ensure that high safety and quality standards are consistently maintained including the supervision of others.
- Confident to interpret and present experimental results and an experienced author, checker and approver Technical Memoranda and Reports.
- Take a proactive approach to continuous improvement with the ability to recognize issues, develop and implement solutions to work more effectively and efficiently.
- Training and development of self and other team members, contributing to the future direction and strategy of the team.
- Raising profile of self and team both internal and external to UKNNL, the ability to supervise PhD students.
Essential Criteria for Senior Research Technologist:
- Degree qualified in chemistry, chemical engineering or an equivalent related subject.
- Knowledge and experience of nuclear encapsulation technologies and the team’s work and ongoing projects.
- An experienced practitioner with significant experience working in laboratory and rig hall environments.
- SQEP for a range of small and large scale grout mixing and product quality assessment techniques.
- Evidence of performance in a technical environment that is representative of the requirements of a DTL role.
- Ability to understand customer issues, develop solutions and build strong working relationships.
- Track record of successfully developing, scoping and delivering work programmes with customers and colleagues.
- A proven track record in authoring, checking and approving high quality technical reports and/or journal papers.
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, the ability to communicate effectively with all levels of personnel.
- Good problem solving, analytical thinking and decision-making skills. Able to demonstrate resilience when solving complex problems.
- A role model for Safety and Quality standards within the team.
- A team player with the ability to work in a team environment. Able to work collaboratively with Capability Manager, Technical Leads, Technicians, Project Managers, Compliance Teams.
- Self‑motivated with a proven aptitude to taking proactive steps for continuous improvement.
- Highly organized and the ability to plan ahead and work across multiple customer projects at any one time to ensure delivery.
- Ability to obtain BPSS level security clearance (this includes but is not limited to identity, employment and criminal record checks).
Desirable Criteria for Senior Research Technologist:
- Chartership of a relevant Professional Institute.
- PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering or process chemistry or equivalent subject.
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