Classifications
Head of Waste
Do you want to play a pivotal role in one of the UK’s most important decommissioning missions? Are you motivated by leading teams, solving complex waste challenges and making a real, lasting impact?
Chapelcross Site is seeking a capable and driven leader to head up its Low Activity and Conventional Waste Team at a critical point in our journey.
This is a high‑profile role at the heart of site delivery, supporting the decommissioning mission and driving forward the Problematic Legacy Waste project, alongside major Programmes and Asset Care work. If you thrive in a collaborative, safety‑focused environment and are ready to step into a role with real purpose and influence, we’d love to hear from you.
What You Will Bring
You will bring visible, confident leadership to the Low Activity and Conventional Waste function, providing direction, assurance and momentum across operations. You’ll combine strong operational delivery with strategic thinking to ensure waste activities are safe, compliant, efficient and fully aligned with site priorities and the wider decommissioning mission.
In this role, you will:
- Lead and motivate the Waste Team to deliver operations safely and compliantly in support of Chapelcross’ decommissioning objectives
- Set clear standards and expectations, driving consistently high performance and professional discipline
- Take ownership of waste targets, promoting continuous improvement and proactive performance management
- Build effective, collaborative relationships across the site and with project teams to ensure waste operations enable wider delivery
- Demonstrate a strong customer‑focused mindset, applying your skills, knowledge and experience to support delivery wherever required
This role offers the chance to further strengthen your leadership capability while making a tangible contribution to Chapelcross’ long‑term success and purpose.
What We’re Looking For
You’ll bring a broad and credible technical background, with experience across multiple technical disciplines and a strong understanding of how waste operations integrate within a complex nuclear environment. You will be comfortable setting direction, making informed decisions, and balancing safety, compliance and delivery. You will also have:
- National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 6 / SCQF level 9/10 e.g. Degree in engineering/science or related discipline or equivalent NQF level 6 technical qualification.
- Proven experience leading teams to deliver shared goals in an operational or programme environment
- Strong nuclear sector experience, particularly within waste management
Equally important, you’ll have a deep working knowledge of applicable national and international standards, alongside a clear understanding of environmental practices, policies, legislation and stakeholder expectations associated with radioactive and non‑radioactive waste management. This expertise will enable you to provide assurance, influence outcomes, and support the site’s decommissioning mission with confidence and authority
Please note this is a site based role at Chapelcross site 07:30-17:15 Mon-Thurs – perfect for someone looking for a 4 day working week.
If you’re looking for a role where your leadership and expertise will make a real difference, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and be part of the Chapelcross mission to safely shape the future.
Want to learn more about working at NRS?
Download our Candidate Pack for information about working at NRS and our employee benefits, or visit our Application Process page to learn what to expect during recruitment.
To learn more about NRS and the work we do, we invite you to explore our organisation by visiting Nuclear Restoration Services - GOV.UK. It’s a great way to discover our mission, our people, and the impact we deliver.
Some reasons we think you'll love it here
Please note: All successful candidates will need to provide proof of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment/education history (typically covering the last 3–5 years) in line with NRS Baseline Security requirements. Some roles may also require full Security Clearance, which involves additional checks. For details, please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) guidance.
At NRS, we value diversity and inclusion and encourage applications from underrepresented groups. We want to ensure you feel supported throughout the application process and provide reasonable adjustments where necessary and requested. If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of your application or interview process, please do not hesitate to let us know.
We offer flexibility on base location for multi-site roles and are happy to discuss flexible working options.
Please note that 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