Senior Characterisation Specialist

Nda Group; Dounreay; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

NRS Dounreay is seeking a Senior Characterisation Specialist to provide technical leadership across characterisation programmes in a highly regulated environment. You will define radiological inventories, develop strategies and underpin safe, compliant waste management decisions.

As a senior technical specialist you will lead characterisation activities, design sampling programmes and mentor staff while interacting with regulators and stakeholders to ensure high technical quality.

Qualifications

• Experience in radioactive waste characterisation or radiological assessment.
• Knowledge of radiological fingerprint development, sampling and analysis techniques.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Commitment to technical excellence, continuous improvement and collaborative working.
• Post specific physical capability assessment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support characterisation activities across the site, providing expert advice on radiological and waste characterisation challenges.
• Develop radiological fingerprints and characterisation methodologies.
• Design and oversee sampling and analysis programmes.
• Interpret radiological data to support waste management and decommissioning decisions.
• Prepare characterisation plans, reports and technical justifications.
• Provide specialist characterisation advice to projects.
• Identify opportunities to improve approaches, efficiency and technical quality.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and technical leadership within the characterisation discipline.
• Engage with regulators, supply chain partners and specialist stakeholders.

Skills

Analytical skills and data interpretat

Technical leadership

Communication of technical info

Coaching and mentoring

Technical report writing

Education

Degree in scientific/technical/engineering

Job description

Are you an experienced characterisation professional with the expertise to transform complex data into the evidence needed to support waste management and decommissioning decisions?

NRS Dounreay is seeking a Senior Characterisation Specialist to provide technical leadership across a range of characterisation programmes. This is an opportunity to become a recognised expert within a unique and highly regulated environment, supporting some of the site's most significant waste and decommissioning challenges.

Working with projects, waste specialists, operational facilities and regulators, you will help define and interpret radiological inventories, develop characterisation strategies and provide the technical basis that underpins safe, compliant and proportionate waste management decisions.

What you'll be doing:

As a senior technical specialist, you will lead and support characterisation activities across the site, providing expert advice on complex radiological and waste characterisation challenges.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Developing and maintaining radiological fingerprints and characterisation methodologies.
• Designing and overseeing sampling and analysis programmes.
• Interpreting radiological and characterisation data to support waste management and decommissioning decisions.
• Preparing characterisation plans, reports and technical justifications.
• Supporting projects through the provision of specialist characterisation advice.
• Identifying opportunities to improve characterisation approaches, efficiency and technical quality.
• Providing coaching, mentoring and technical leadership within the characterisation discipline.
• Engaging with regulators, supply chain partners and specialist stakeholders.

What you'll bring:

You will be a technically strong scientist, physicist or characterisation professional who enjoys solving complex technical problems and applying scientific principles to real-world challenges.

You'll ideally have:

• A degree in a scientific, technical or engineering discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Experience in radioactive waste characterisation, radiological assessment, radiochemistry, health physics or related disciplines.
• Knowledge of radiological fingerprint development, sampling and analysis techniques, inventory development or decay modelling.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
• Experience producing technical reports, plans and supporting documentation.
• The ability to communicate complex technical information to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• A commitment to technical excellence, continuous improvement and collaborative working.
• Post specific physical capability analysis assessment

Experience within the nuclear sector is advantageous, although applications are welcomed from candidates with relevant expertise gained in other regulated technical environments.

Ready to make an impact?

This is an opportunity to apply specialist knowledge to some of the most technically interesting challenges at Dounreay.

Your work will directly support waste management, hazard reduction and decommissioning decisions, helping ensure they are founded on robust technical evidence and sound scientific understanding.

If you're looking for a role where your technical expertise can genuinely shape outcomes, we'd love to hear from you.

We are looking to hold interviews week commencing Monday 28 September 2026, however, this vacancy may close earlier than the stated deadline should we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

If you require assistance at any point during the recruitment process contact [e-mail] at the appropriate time so we can make any necessary, reasonable adjustment.