Notice

Head of Innovation (permanent role, flexible location and £70,550 to £83,000 salary ) – closing date 10 May 2024

Updated 3 May 2024

Role title: Head of Innovation

Salary range: £70,550 - £83,000 depending on skills and experience

Function:  Assurance and Performance

Role level range:  8 - 9

Role type:  Permanent

Base location:  Flexible

Reports to:  Chief R&D Officer

Closing date:  10 May 2024

The role:

The NDA is seeking to transform delivery of our decommissioning mission through Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I). This includes both incremental improvements and breakthrough innovations, supported by a culture where innovation can thrive, accessing ideas from within the NDA group and beyond. NDA Strategy 2021. Our aspiration is to be world leaders in RD&I for nuclear decommissioning.

We have in recent years published our NDA group innovation strategy which sets out our objectives and provides the framework to continue our implementation plans. NDA_Innovation_sty_for_WEB.pdf. The scope of our strategy encompasses all aspects of innovation in all aspects of our business, although this role has a particular focus on technical innovation leadership, searching for new and emerging technologies and approaches, horizon scanning to support our strategy development, identifying collaboration opportunities across and beyond the group. We have developed effective partnerships with other government organisations (e.g. Innovate UK and Defence and Security Accelerator) and are now looking to extend our collaboration pipeline across other government areas and other sectors, seeking new routes to collaborate and access innovation. This will provide opportunities to look at how we procure, finance and resource our work, seeking to improve good practice deployed elsewhere. Creativity is at the heart of our NDA Leadership standard and values. The wider cultural aspects of innovation are closely linked with other key areas such as leadership, training and development, communications and organisational development and this role will need to work in close collaboration with these areas to optimise delivery of the strategy.

We have set out our Grand Challenges for Technical Innovation setting our aspirational targets up to 2030 The NDA’s ‘Grand Challenges’ for technical innovation – Cleaning up our nuclear past: faster, safer and sooner (blog.gov.uk). Across the NDA group we have made significant progress towards our interim aims and now is an exciting time to take advantage on our progress to date, linking in with wider initiatives in nuclear and beyond. Transforming how we decommission sustainably and creatively will help us accelerate progress towards these, and future ambitious targets.

This is a leadership role developing a network of peers across the NDA group and beyond so we can access, develop and share good practice. Stakeholder engagement and the ability to communicate with many types of stakeholders is essential including influencing to realise innovation and funding opportunities. We now need to develop the business case to expand our programme, activities and impact to realise the aspirations in our strategy.

NDA group comprises NDA and our operating companies Sellafield Ltd, Nuclear Restoration Services, Nuclear Transport Solution and Nuclear Waste Services. Key interfaces for this role include Heads of Technical, Strategy and Business Improvement within our operating companies, senior operating company directors, NDA Functional Heads, NDA Executive, Senior Regulators, NDA’s sponsoring Government department, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and innovation delivery organisations (Innovate UK, Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and Catapults). More broadly key interfaces include working with other sectors and organisations, both public and private, with similar aims e.g. Oil and Gas, Space, Academia, Digital, Utilities, Pharmaceuticals. Engaging and accessing a broad supply chain will be key to success.

Accountabilities:

• Creating and enabling the continued development and implementation of innovation strategy across the NDA group to ensure an integrated approach.
• Develop the business case for the future on a 10–15-year horizon for funding and resources to expand our current activities across more sectors and on an increased scale.
• Guiding the development and implementation of the approach to searching for new and emerging technologies and approaches (horizon scanning) for the NDA group.
• Establishing the strategic opportunity timeline for technology insertion to achieve significant benefits across the decommissioning baseline.
• Supporting the development of an appropriate culture across the NDA and group in line with our Leadership standard where innovation can thrive.
• Collaborating with NDA and group colleagues to support development of their technical innovation programmes and capabilities that are appropriate for the size and nature of their challenges.
• Developing, seeking funding and delivering a cross group innovation programme to support early innovation opportunities or particularly large-scale innovation opportunities, recognising those in between will probably be embedded in the operating company programmes.
• Acting as a lead for innovation across group and beyond including similar regulated industries nationally and internationally; and
• Shaping a team within NDA and networks across the NDA group to deliver the above (up to 3 reports including from secondments).

Knowledge, skills and experience required:

• Shares and demonstrates the NDA values of, respect, openness, collaboration, performance and creativity.
• Experience of setting up and delivering RD&I programmes (preferably at values greater than £3M), especially in a collaborative programme environment.
• Experience of working across sectors (including regulated environments) to understand innovation culture and drive disruptive change.
• Proven stakeholder engagement and communication skills – to be able to work with diverse communities from government stakeholders, funding bodies and supply chain organisations.
• Willingness to identify and seize opportunities and turn concepts and ideas for collaboration into deliverable projects/programmes workstreams ensuring robust management.
• Experience of working in the nuclear industry or some other highly regulated environment is desirable along with experience/understanding of procurement processes to facilitate innovation.
• Experience of working with government departments in securing funding and delivering innovation; and
• Excellent motivation and influencing skills working across all types of teams, together with the ability to communicate and influence effectively at all levels. This includes improving informal networks across diverse groups.

Other knowledge, skills and experience which are advantageous:

• Educated to graduate level (or equivalent), preferably in a technical field such as engineering or science.
• Chartered status or similar professional qualification (or equivalent).
• A recognised qualification in project management (or equivalent experience).
• Knowledge and practical experience of innovation management and approaches.

Travel will be required to fulfil the requirements of this role, typically two days per week.

To apply: Please complete and send the Equal Opportunity Form accompanied by your CV and covering letter to resourcing@nda.gov.uk