Technical Author

Job Introduction

NNL is where your solutions solve real-world problems. As part of our Engineering team, you’ll not only be able to get involved with a huge variety of projects, you’ll also have lots of opportunity to drive them through from start to finish — allowing you to see the impact your work has in a real-world environment. This is your chance to use your experience, expertise and ingenuity to collaborate with leading scientists. You’ll be part of a team that delivers work to benefit society by advancing cleaner energy, protecting the environment and keeping everyone safe.

Job Description for Technical Author

The Technical Author role will support a varied portfolio of engineering and operational tasks and projects in the AHF (Active Handling Facility) to ensure the facility continues to deliver for NNL’s internal and external customers. The role holder will be part of a multidiscipline team and will be expected to collate technical information from a variety of sources including manufacturers/suppliers and SMEs (Subject Matter Experts). The role holder will produce documents that will include, but not be limited to installation method statements, operational instructions, training aids, and maintenance instructions all to the highest standard   The ideal role holder should have the ability to express instructions clearly and briefly in simple language, should be able to understand and structure large amounts of information, and be able to anticipate a reader’s knowledge gap.

The role will be based at the AHF, the role holder will be expected to work from site as the work demands. However NNL are operating a flexible approach to work and are encouraging remote working which will be agreed between the role holder and role holders line manager at the start of the contract.   

Role Responsibility

Main Responsibilities for Technical Author

Accountable to the Facility Engineering Delivery Manager the role holder must be responsible for:  

• Producing documents that will include, but not be limited to risk assessments, installation method statements, operational instructions, training aids, maintenance instructions and proof tests, all to the highest standard of presentation and user understanding.
• Supporting the AHF technical basis of maintenance (TBoM) process to produce maintenance instructions. 
• Producing documents that conforms to company policies and procedures and adheres to Sellafield Ltd Site License Conditions.
• Updating existing documents used and live on the NNL Integrated Management System.
• Attending planning meetings and briefings to collect and edit complex information to support the preparation of documents.
• Planning, scheduling, and tracking documentation production and approval to meet the project delivery schedule. 
• Supporting the production of SQEP packs for use in the AHF. 
• Assisting in the production of any PMPs required to support project implementation. 
• Supporting the work permissioning process in the AHF by attending project planning meetings and advising on the most time efficient way to deliver safe systems of work to implement work tasks in the AHF.    

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Criteria for Technical Author:

• A good level of education and experience producing technical documents in an engineering or operations delivery environment. 
• Proven knowledge and experience following an accredited document production process to deliver documents that meets all required statutory, site and national standards.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, to enable fit for purpose solutions, ideas, and concepts to be clearly communicated to customers, regulators and key stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, including willingness and ability to consult with engineering SME’s internal and external to NNL, to develop, organise and write documents.
• Experience of Microsoft Office software to produce documents on NNL company templates.
• Excellent written English skills including using technical and procedural language typical in engineering and operational documents. 
• Self-motivation with demonstrable levels of drive, energy and resilience working individually and within a close team to prioritise and deliver work to agreed schedule.
• 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 Technical Author:

• Degree / HND in an Engineering discipline or closely related subject or experience in an engineering environment. 
• Experience working in the nuclear sector on the Sellafield site, together with a working knowledge of Sellafield Site Procedures and Site License Conditions.
• A demonstrable understanding of the role of a safety case to ensure active nuclear plants operate safely.
• A demonstrable knowledge of nuclear safety mechanisms (SM), safety related equipment (SRE) and Safety Features (SF) and their role in the plant safety case. 
• Knowledge and experience writing or supporting the production of Plant Modification Proposals (PMP’s) to modify equipment and plant on the Sellafield site.   

About the Company

Grounded in robust science and decades of experience, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is the authoritative voice in the UK and beyond for technological development within the nuclear power sector.

Our unparalleled understanding of the science, challenges and opportunities makes us an unrivalled authority and partner in the field, providing experts, technologies, and access to cutting-edge facilities to organisations around the world.

Harnessing potential technologies and translating them into to industry-ready solutions means our pioneering approach spearheads international improvement and technological progress.

We work on projects as small as drilling a hole to analyse underground wastes with our integrated micro drilling technology, or as large as developing state-of-the-art power systems for spacecraft, based on radioactive materials

NNL has a vision for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (ED&I) where NNL aims to be an inclusive workplace that attracts diverse talent through transparent and equal policies and procedures. 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.

Recruitment Agency Notice

We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for the provision of recruitment services. Only agencies on our PSL may provide CVs and only when the role is released to them by our recruitment team. We will not accept unsolicited CVs from suppliers not currently on our PSL. We explicitly reserve the right to add candidate details from unsolicited CVs from non-PSL agencies into our own candidate database and to pursue/hire such candidate(s) without any obligation, financial or otherwise, to the agency concerned.

United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory