Fusion Safety Assessor

Overview of Responsibilities

The salary for this role is £57,117 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). 

This role can be based at any of the following sites: Culham, Oxfordshire. 

Please be aware that this role is subject to achieving a UK Security Vetting (UKSV) including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data. For this role the UKSV level is Security Clearance (SC). You must either hold SC clearance with no restrictions or be able to achieve it. Note: the UK residency criteria for SC is a minimum of 2 out of the last 5 years, at least one year of which must be 12 consecutive months. For further information please refer to The UKAEA recruitment process | UKAEA Careers.

UKAEA is an onsite organisation, and this role requires regular onsite presence (usually between 3-5 days in any given week) in line with business needs. We actively support flexible working arrangements where this is compatible with the role.

The Role

The fusion industry is growing in the UK and internationally, with the initiation of long-term projects to design and build future fusion power plant on the path to commercialisation of fusion power.  This includes UKAEA’s STEP prototype reactor, in support of UKAEA Goals, to solve challenges of sustainable fusion energy.

To support these advances, the future safety, security and environmental regulatory framework for fusion power plant must be developed, to ensure that it is proportionate to the hazard profile of fusion, and enabling of the innovative approaches to fusion plant design.

The Fusion Safety Advisory (FSA) team plays a key role in the development of UK’s international regulatory framework for fusion power, and also internationally. To achieve this, the team provides technical fusion safety advice, guidance and technical support to DESNZ, Regulatory Bodies and international groups, such as the IAEA.  The team also engages with domestic and international fusion groups and companies in areas of fusion safety, security and environment.

Nationally, this will include working with and advising government, as well as assisting regulatory bodies, contributing to pivotal strategic industry documents and technical fusion safety guidance.  Internationally, the UK has built a leading reputation in the development of proportionate fusion regulation, and the job holder will help to preserve this reputation and influence the world stage by collaborating closely with international groups, such as IAEA and others. The job holder will build and maintain relations with organisations across the fusion sector, supporting working groups as required on focal regulatory topics, as such travel will be required. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Taking main responsibility for high-level radiological consequence assessment for postulated accident scenarios and using this underpinning technical work to guide the development of fusion safety, security and environmental regulation both domestically and internationally. This may be as a direct contributor or as intelligent customer, as required. Note that due to the First of a Kind nature of fusion developments, these high-level radiological consequence assessments are undertaken with emerging conceptual design information in order to inform a developing sector
• Providing specialist fusion safety, security and environment input into strategic and technical documentation supporting the development of the national and international regulatory framework for the future fusion industry
• Planning regulatory familiarisation and training in fusion by providing site visits and subject matter expert presentations
• Proactive interaction with other fusion organisations and regulatory bodies, both in the UK and internationally, to support the harmonisation of fusion safety regulation
• Actively participating as UK representative in national and international fusion industry workshops to develop standards and guidance in safety, security, environmental protection and waste management
• Providing technical review, advice and guidance in response to questions relating to fusion safety regulation in alignment with the UK’s fusion strategy.