Job Description

The Opportunity

As the UK's independent nuclear regulator, our mission is vital to the nation's safety and security. We protect society by securing safe operations at nuclear facilities across our nation.



This is an exciting role critical to the decarbonisation of the UK's economy; our national defence; and the decommissioning of our nuclear legacy. A career with ONR will provide you with opportunity to lead and shape our society's future use of nuclear technology.

The Role

As an inspector your job will be varied, and you are likely to undertake a range of roles across the sector; from regulating the construction of new nuclear build to the decommissioning of legacy facilities. Some inspectors concentrate on undertaking planned and reactive inspections on site, while others will assess safety submissions or manage discrete intervention projects. Additionally, there may be opportunities to conduct investigations, manage research projects, and mentor and develop the next generation of inspectors.



As a Radiation Protection inspector your role will be ensuring that people are adequately protected from the risks posed by ionising radiation arising on the wide range of UK nuclear sites and during the transport of radioactive materials; risks that many in society care deeply about. We have particular need for expertise to join our small team in the area of radiological impact and consequences assessment which includes identifying the significant hazards on nuclear sites, working with our fault analysis colleagues, and evaluating the potential radiological consequences to workers and the public.



Nuclear sites that we consider include existing all AGRs and PWR, Sellafield, defence, decommissioning, fuel manufacture, new build HPC and SZC, new alternative nuclear technologies and SMRs. We also perform evaluations to support emergency response to central Government requests relating to overseas events such as Fukushima and Ukraine. The role includes identifying, commissioning, and managing research and improving ONR's guidance (SAPs, TAGs, TIGs).



Applying your radiological protection expertise in ONR can give you the chance to significantly widen your influence and make a difference in radiation protection throughout the nuclear industry. This may be through a mix of assessment, compliance inspection, producing in-house guidance, training fellow inspectors, working with professional bodies and institutions to develop relevant industry good practice nationally and internationally, working with government to develop or revise legislation, and representing ONR/UK internationally.



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.

Line Management Responsibilities

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

Work with Us

Our colleagues are from all walks of life with varied personal experiences and career journeys into ONR. We want the best people for our roles. As an inclusive employer we value individuals' contributions, regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, social background, religion, or belief. Our values 'supportive, open-minded, fair and accountable' are central to this. We invest in our people to build capability, resilience, and promote wellbeing in our great teams, underpinned by our inherent focus on inclusion and excellence.

Inclusion

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We will consider reasonable adjustments to ensure the recruitment process is inclusive and barrier-free. Please contact ONR.Human-Resources@onr.gov.uk/ or mike.silcock@ONR.gov.uk to discuss further. We will also offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for applicants who opt into the guaranteed interview scheme.



We recognise we have a role to play in helping those leaving the Armed Forces and also have a Veterans guaranteed interview scheme. We offer an interview to Veterans who meet the minimum criteria for applicants who opt into the scheme. Please see eligibility criteria below.


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.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must hold or can achieve and retain National Security Vetting clearance at SC level.

Location / Travel

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



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



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



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 some time in the office on a regular basis, recognising that some work is better done face to face. Managers will collaborate 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.

Person Specification / What You'll Need

Qualifications

We expect all Nuclear Safety Inspectors to have:


Degree level qualification or equivalent in a science, mathematics, engineering, or a related discipline. Chartered membership of a relevant professional institution, or the ability to demonstrate performance and/or experience at an equivalent professional level.

Essential Skills / Experience

At this time, we are particularly looking for a person with specialist knowledge of radiological protection with practical experience that can demonstrate competency in the following areas:


Application of radiological protection principles and dose optimisation techniques, including using the hierarchy of control measures. Dose consequence analysis related to postulated fault sequences and preferably atmospheric dispersion modelling and/or numerical targets. Preparation and/or peer review of safety cases and risk assessments relating to radiological protection. Knowledge of one or more nuclear / high hazard facilities, examples include: pressurised water reactors, advanced gas cooled reactors, high hazard processing plants etc. The ability to assimilate, analyse and provide judgements on new and complex technical issues, clearly and concisely. Strong communication, decision making and influencing skills. With the ability to see the bigger picture, targeting and prioritising work, based on risk.

We would ideally like you to have experience in the nuclear sector or alternative high hazard industry. But don't worry if you don't! We are happy to consider applicants with a non-nuclear/non-high hazard background who, if appointed, would undertake a structured nuclear training programme to reach Nuclear Safety Inspector level (subject to alternative salary range whilst training).

For Further Information

For more information about this vacancy please contact Gareth Thomas.

Email - Gareth.thomas@onr.gov.uk

How To Apply

Please submit your application through the recruitment portal.



The

closing date

for the receipt of applications is

28th October 2025 at 23:45



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 based on evidence you provide. If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to a technical/competency-based interview.

Please note:

Interviews are likely to be undertaken w/c 10

th

November or w/c 17

th

November, where possible.

We anticipate the successful candidate joining ONR prior to 1

st

April 2026.

AI Tools & Platforms

During the application process applicants are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and tools to support them in writing their CVs, suitability statements, essential skills and experience. Please ensure that all information submitted is truthful and verifiable. This includes avoiding plagiarism and accurately attributing the work of others, including artificial intelligence generated content, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.

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.

Job category

Nuclear Safety, Civil Nuclear Security and Safeguards

Contract type

Permanent

Security clearance

The successful candidate must hold or can achieve and retain National Security Vetting clearance at SC level.

Pay band

Band 3

Specialism

Regulatory

Salary

80,670 - 96,883 (plus 4,194 London Weighting Allowance if applicable)

Closing Date

28/10/2025

Ref No

100300