Plant Inspector/Assessor

United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory; Workington; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Pension plan

Annual leave

Job summary

United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory operates a flexible role focused on safe and effective plant inspections at Sellafield, with deployment of visual inspection and NDE devices. You will support a high-demand programme, delivering high quality reports, and developing inspection tooling for challenging environments.

The role emphasizes safety, collaboration with senior inspectors and suppliers, and the ability to work across Sellafield and Workington sites, ensuring readiness for

Qualifications

• Degree in materials science, mechanical engineering or chemical engineering (or HND/HNC with significant experience).
• Proactive safety attitude and compliance with EHSS&Q requirements.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Support plant inspections and asset condition assessments using visual and NDT techniques.
• Produce high quality technical reports with conclusions and recommendations.
• Develop inspection techniques and tooling for harsh environments and access challenges.
• Contribute to innovative strategies and tooling to address customer needs.
• Assist in design optimization, trials and deployment readiness of new tools for customer plant.
• Provide advice on tools, condition monitoring and lifetime assessment.
• Troubleshoot equipment issues during development and trials.
• Support SQEP development for the role.

Skills

Safety mindset

Excellent communication

Teamwork

NDE data analysis

Education

Engineering degree (materials/mechanical/chemical)

Job description

Job Description for Plant Inspector/Assessor

This is where your skills play a critical role in keeping everyone safe. Working in Safety, Security & Safeguards gives you the chance to make your mark on some hugely interesting projects. UKNNL does work that nobody else in the sector is doing, and this means we need experts like you to make it possible, whilst keeping everyone safe. We’re committed to using nuclear science to benefit society for years to come. This means that you can build a long and successful career here whilst playing a meaningful role in delivering cleaner energy, reducing waste and keeping colleagues and the public out of harm’s way.

The Plant Inspection Team supports the statutory inspections for the Sellafield Site. The team’s largest programme was renewed for Sellafield Statutory Plant Inspections in March 2025, worth circa £7m over 3 years and supports HALES WVP, LAEMG, and Magnox plants through planned and call-off services. Staff requirement to support commitments to Sellafield Statutory Inspections. Primarily supporting the team through the deployment of visual inspection systems and NDE. Individuals required to service the current demand and additional call-off inspections which may be requested at short notice.

The team develop, test and maintain bespoke inspection devices that have been designed or modified for specific plant. Support would be required mainly on the Sellafield site, but with also time spent at the Workington facility to support inspection device development or deployment system development and trials when required. The individual would work alongside other inspectors/assessors and be expected to safely deliver high quality plant inspection, condition monitoring and development support to chemical process and decommissioning plant on the Sellafield site.

The location for this role is flexible and can be based at Sellafield or Workington.

Main Responsibilities for Plant Inspector/Assessor

• Support plant inspections/asset condition assessments using a variety of visual and NDT techniques
• Produce high quality technical reports and memoranda of Inspections together with relevant conclusions and recommendations
• Support development of proposals for inspection and monitoring techniques and tooling to access difficult/harsh environments to address customer requirements
• Support development of innovative strategies and tools to address customer challenges
• Support senior inspectors, suppliers and academia to take their new product ideas through design optimization, trials and ensure suitable for active deployment on customer plant
• Provide advice on plant inspection tools and techniques, condition monitoring and lifetime assessment
• Trouble shooting equipment issues as they arise during development trials and training activities
• Willingness to train and develop SQEP requirements for the role

Essential criteria for Plant Inspector/Assessor

• A degree in a materials science, mechanical engineering or chemical engineering discipline or HND/HNC with significant experience
• Demonstration of a positive attitude to safety and security and all other EHSS&Q requirements
• A proactive and flexible approach to customer support and project delivery to ensure requirements and expectations are met and exceeded
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Experience of writing high quality technical reports, capturing results, drawing out conclusions and making appropriate recommendations
• Ability to work effectively within a team
• Able to support technical analysis and reporting of NDE data
• Access to C3+ controlled areas
• Ability to obtain SC level security clearance (this includes but is not limited to identity, employment, financial and criminal record checks plus 5 years’ worth of UK residency)

Desirable criteria for Plant Inspector/Assessor

• A good understanding of the UKNNL business, its role in the Nuclear Industry and the challenges it is likely to face in the future
• Existing knowledge of the Sellafield site, operations, waste treatment and decommissioning activities

Why join us?

UKNNL isn’t just a place where you can do career-defining work that makes a real-world impact. It’s also a place where you’ll feel appreciated and valued. We’re creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is free to be themselves and feel like they belong. We put your wellbeing first, we push you to reach your potential, and we do everything possible to help you feel safe, supported and inspired.

We also offer a range of employee benefits:

• Sector leading Family-Focused Policies: celebrate life events, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave and a week off for your marriage.
• UKNNL offers attractive pension plans. If you contribute 5%, UKNNL contributes 15%. Alternatively, if you choose not to contribute (0%), UKNNL will still contribute 10%.
• Annual Leave: Benefit from 25.5 days of leave, plus 4 extra days to be taken during Christmas shutdown, plus Bank Holidays.
• Reduced gym membership with discounts of up to 25% from 3,700 gym and leisure providers across the UK
• Company Bonus: Be rewarded for your contributions.
• Learning Opportunities: Enhance your skills through excellent development programmes.
• Employee Assistance: Access support for personal and professional challenges.
• Cycle to Work: Stay active and eco-friendly.
• Life Assurance: Ensure peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
• Enhanced Sick Pay Benefits: Receive support during illness or injury.
• Access to ‘Mydiscounts’ which has a range of special offers and discounts from more than 200 suppliers, including medical insurance and dental insurance.
• Health Care: Health savings plan which allows you to claim money back on visits to the dentist, optician and/or physiotherapist (limits apply).

About The Company

UKNNL is an incredible place to work. A place where people do things that have never been done before. A place where people push boundaries to further themselves, the business and society as a whole.

This is a place where personal and professional opportunities are limitless. If you want to change the world, if you want to tackle climate change, if you want to help advance medical science, if you want to help put things in space, if you want to answer the big questions, if you want to work with extraordinary materials, if you want to meet great people, learn new skills, challenge yourself, work flexibly, and build a long successful career with the power to make a real impact… you can do it all here.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

UKNNL has a vision for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (ED&I) where UKNNL aims to be an inclusive workplace that attracts diverse talent through transparent and equal policies and procedures, providing reasonable adjustments as appropriate. We want you and the diverse mix of people that we employ, customers that we service and stakeholders that we influence to feel valued. We encourage a workplace culture where everyone can thrive with a sense of belonging and the ability to access to workplace in a way which works for you.