Business Administrator Apprentice

Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR); Orrell; Hybrid; GBP 12,000 - 16,000; Full time

Job summary

Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is seeking an apprentice to join the Governance and Private Office (GPO). The role supports effective governance, lawful data processing, and fair handling of whistleblowing cases across ONR’s activities.

The role is an 18-month fixed-term Business Administrator (Level 3) apprenticeship with Derby Business College, offering hybrid working from one of ONR’s offices (Bootle, Cheltenham or London).

Qualifications

• GCSEs including maths and English (minimum 5 subjects).
• Strong organisational and communication skills.
• Attention to detail and customer care.
• Ability to work in a small team.
• Leadership potential and proactive mindset.
• Solid IT skills including basic software tools.

Responsibilities

• Provide governance support to the GPO Management Team, including drafting agendas and minutes and following up actions.
• Maintain accurate forward plans aligning ONR dependencies.
• Assist with Data Protection and whistleblowing case management and horizon scanning.
• Lead on publications such as Board expenses, register of interests and biographies.
• Coordinate ONR Board, Board Committees and senior leadership meeting schedules.
• Support agenda preparation, meeting logistics and action tracking for Leadership Teams.
• Assist with preparing meetings for the ONR Board, including strategy sessions and site visits.

Skills

Leadership and communication

Delivering at pace

Collaboration

Change and improvement

IT skills

Education

GCSEs including maths & English

Job description

Introduction

An exciting opportunity to join the Governance and Private Office (GPO). You'll help to ensure that ONR’s governance is effective and transparent, personal data is processed lawfully and securely against data protection legislation, and protected disclosures are handled fairly, confidentially and within expected standards.

About the Employer

We are the United Kingdom’s independent statutory regulator for nuclear safety, civil nuclear security, safeguards and conventional health and safety on licensed sites. Through our independent decision making and oversight, we provide confidence that nuclear activities across Great Britain meet the standards expected by Parliament and the public, ensuring people and the environment are protected.

Our responsibilities span the full lifecycle of nuclear operations from the existing reactor fleet and fuel cycle facilities, through waste management and decommissioning, to defence and other licensed and authorised sites.

We also regulate the safe transport of civil nuclear and radioactive materials, oversee the protection of sensitive nuclear information and account for civil nuclear materials in line with the UK’s international safeguards obligations. As new reactor designs, small modular reactors (SMRs), and advanced nuclear technologies (ANTs) emerge, we play an essential role in enabling innovation to progress safely and securely.

What You'll Do

Job Role/Purpose:

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is the United Kingdom’s independent statutory regulator for nuclear safety, civil nuclear security, safeguards, and conventional health and safety on licensed sites.

This role sits within the Governance and Private Office (GPO). Working with a breadth and depth of roles across ONR, you will help to ensure that ONR’s governance is effective and transparent, personal data is processed lawfully and securely against data protection legislation, and protected disclosures (whistleblowing cases) are handled fairly, confidentially and within expected standards.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Provision of effective governance support for the GPO Management Team. This will include proactively drafting agendas, co-ordinating the timely preparation and quality of reports by others, taking accurate minutes of meetings and pro-actively following up action points to ensure they are satisfactorily executed
• Maintaining accurate forward plans that are aligned across ONR and reflects the various dependencies/interdependencies
• Supporting day-to-day Data Protection/Whistleblowing case management activity including initial screenings of Data Protection Impact Assessments, horizon scanning and housekeeping
• Leading on key publications including ONR Board expenses, register of interests and biographies
• Coordination of the full schedule of meeting dates for ONR Board, Board Committees and senior leadership teams
• Supporting the GPO in the agenda preparation, meeting logistics and tracking of actions for the Leadership Teams
• Leading on meeting preparations for ONR Board including its strategy session and site visits to support the Head of Corporate Governance
• Supporting the Executive PA to the Chair to manage their increasing activities
• Leading on the logistics for Non-Executive Director (NED) inductions
• Co-ordination of training for NEDs

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.

Security Clearance:

• SC is required for this role

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

Skills/Job related expertise:

• Leading and communicating - good interpersonal and communication skills
• Delivering at pace - plan, organise and prioritise work effectively with a strong ability to multi-task
• Collaborating and partnering - ability to work flexibly as part of a small team
• Changing and improving - ability to come up with new ideas or ways of doing something
• Strong IT skills

Training Outcome

This role is an 18-month fixed term contract for the duration of the apprenticeship. Opportunities may be available once you complete the apprenticeship, but this is not guaranteed.

Skills Required

• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Customer care skills
• Problem solving skills
• Team working
• Initiative
• Collaboration skills
• Delivering at pace
• Coming up with new ideas
• Leadership skills
• Interpersonal skills

Qualifications

• Essential - GCSE - 5 subjects including maths & English - 4

Course Information

Course: Business administrator (level 3)

Level: 3

Route: Business and administration

Apprenticeship Level: Advanced

Working Arrangements

Working Week: Monday to Friday, flexible working, daily hours to be discussed at interview, and the working week will be 37 hours.

Expected Duration: 1 Year 6 Months

Training Provider: DERBY BUSINESS COLLEGE LIMITED