Nuclear Waste Services has a vacancy for a Chief Geologist to bring geoscience and related subsurface evidence to the heart of programme decision making in Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), and management of programme risk and related uncertainties, to ensure it is adequately informed and addressed.
The Chief Geologist is responsible for setting and maintaining standards in all aspects of geoscience and related subsurface issues across NWS as well as assuring the capability and capacity of the NWS workforce and related areas of the supply chain are aligned to and ready for the delivery of the NWS programme.
The Chief Geologist is accountable for the internal independent challenge function within NWS as well as any external advisory or assurance requirements, assuring geoscience and related subsurface knowledge, understanding, and evidence, is relevant, high quality, and appropriate for the intended purpose. The individual acts to safeguard the integrity and ethical practice of geoscience, within NWS, to maintain confidence and trust in our people, processes and technology together with any products and related facilities.
The Chief Geologist supports the Chief Scientific Adviser in working with counterparts across the NDA Group, on cross cutting issues of significance, to ensure the NWS position is accurately represented and emerging external risks are recognised and actioned. On geoscience and related subsurface matters, the Chief Geologist acts as an external ambassador for the organisation in national and international fora.
- Act as a technical authority in the geoscience domain, assuring the quality, accuracy and consistency of the NWS technical knowledge base and public positions.
- Provide functional leadership in all aspects of Geoscience and related subsurface areas for NWS – functional strategy and plan, setting and maintaining standards (quality) and ensuring capability and capacity of resource (including succession planning) to enable successful delivery of the NWS programme.
- Provide authoritative advice and challenge to the NWS Executive and senior leadership on geoscience matters, to inform robust decision making and management of programme risk.
- Assure the relevance, value, quality, integrity, timeliness, and risk of geoscience work, to enable the programme to achieve its objectives, through internal independent challenge.
- Assure the competency of the geoscience workforce, create and own a strategy for geoscience on behalf of NWS, to deliver the knowledge and understanding required for programmes to meet their objectives
- Assure the capability of geoscience work to meet objectives and aspirations of the programme in health, safety, environment and security.
- Own geoscience and related subsurface technology, processes, workflows and practices including geoscience and subsurface related safety culture across NWS.
- Lead engagement with external stakeholders and networks to communicate our geoscience knowledge and understanding, to develop awareness, confidence, and trust in our work.
- Lead co-ordination of international engagement activity in geoscience, to assure engagement is planned and prioritised to meet programme needs, and cultivates key relationships.
- Foster a stimulating and supportive environment of geoscience practice, to attract, retain, and develop geoscience talent, and maintain the health of our geoscience disciplines.
- Act as the chief point of contact in NWS with learned societies, international counterparts, and external organisations, in the geoscience domain.
- Support the Chief Scientific Adviser in management of the Technical Advice and Assurance capability, deputising as required.
- Champion the delivery of a safety and environmental sustainability culture in NWS
- With Chief Scientific Adviser assure and approve any new technology and innovations that would help NWS success.
Essential
- Demonstrable experience, practice, and recognition, at nationally significant and distinguished level, in a relevant geoscience or geoengineering discipline.
- Subject matter expertise in geoscientific or geoengineering subdisciplines relevant to nuclear waste disposal, confidence to operate authoritatively outside of these specialisms.
- Understanding and awareness of the broad and critical geoscientific issues relevant to successful implementation of near surface and geological disposal of nuclear wastes.
- Ability, confidence, and experience to critically challenge and test established thinking, processes and boundaries.
- Ability to dissect complex geoscience issues, identify the golden thread of critical concepts, and communicate the significance and risk in an understandable way.
- Ability to lead and influence across NWS, at all levels, by building strong relationships and gaining the trust and confidence of others.
- Ability to represent NWS as an authoritative ambassador in external environments, on geoscience matters, and capability to participate in high level discussion and negotiation.
- Highly effective communicator with the critical listening skills and strong emotional intelligence to engage in difficult conversations.
Desirable
- Awareness, understanding or experience of the principles of near surface and geological disposal of radioactive wastes and the current position of the UK programme.
- Experience of relevant site characterisation campaigns, including acquisition of seismic data, borehole investigation, core recovery and analysis, development of hydrogeological models.
- Awareness, understanding or experience of counterpart international programmes and the wider research landscape.
