Job Description

The overall purpose of the Human Factors (HF) Lead in Safety Cases is to provide Senior Leadership of Sellafield Limited’s (SL) HF Specialism in the provision of expert advice to enable Nuclear Safety Case development and management, non-nuclear Safety, Security, and other key areas where the human element is important.

Principal Accountabilities

1. Provide strategic direction and leadership to the Human Factors discipline to ensure adequate Human Factors support and input to all stakeholders and interfacing professions across the business.
2. To lead on improvement and innovation opportunities in Human Factors matters (including with respect to Human Factors resourcing and processes) to ensure the Human Factors service to the enterprise continues to enable the mission.
3. To lead on internal and external stakeholder engagement (with respect to strategic Human Factors matters), secures stakeholder support and build confidence to enable to Human Factors discipline to continue to enable the mission.
4. Maintains a broad awareness of business and profession drivers in order to ensure Human Factors activities align with current business needs, context and strategic drivers.
5. To lead on the strategy for the maintenance of SL technical expert capability for the Human Factors function to meet the expectations of the business.
6. To coordinate Human Factors resources to meet the needs of the enterprise.
7. To oversee the Human Factors supply chain capability who are delivering work for Sellafield to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and value for money.
8. To lead on the identification and development of Human Factors Technical methods and enabling applications to support the effective integration of Human Factors technical arrangements with other interfacing company arrangements.
9. To lead on Human Factors assurance and governance arrangements to ensure Human Factors activities are delivered to meet the needs of the business (e.g. to quality, cost and schedule).
10. To be a key member of the Safety Case Lead team, providing leadership and input to profession strategic decisions to ensure that the Safety Case profession continue to enable the mission.

Note: The accountabilities outlined in this job description are not exhaustive. Position holders may be required to undertake other work-related activities commensurate with their grade and skills which are necessary to fulfil the job purpose. This may include deputising for their Line Manager when required.

Authorities & Dimensions

Authorities:
To the Head of Safety Cases/Other Key Business Stakeholders (including Delivery):
• Provision of strategic and visible leadership in establishing an effective and constructive Regulatory relationship with respect to the HF function. This includes engagements on both strategic and specific issues, as well as nurturing the health of the relationship itself.
• Lead on the commercial and supply chain interactions in the HF function, with oversight and financial accountability/responsibility to forecast, control and report for direct spends in the region of £2.5M.
• Intelligent Client and Intelligent Customer for the Safety Case Profession with respect to any Projects which require HF input.
• Ensure that the HF function is sufficiently integrated with enterprise strategy and is positioned to deliver and enable all Enterprise key targets and operating plan milestones.
• Provide a service to key business stakeholders on all matters relating to HF process and guidance which cover non-nuclear aspects (e.g. conventional safety and security).
• Informs HF capability strategies.
• Informs HF process development and maintenance.

Dimensions:
The HF Lead will be responsible for providing Senior Leadership to the SL HF function (Grades Band 4C to Band 3B Lower) and supply chain (ASW/CSW) (team size currently circa 50 FTEs). The line management expectations of this job may change depending on business structure and need but the job holder could be responsible for direct line management of SL staff (grads ranging from B4C- B3BL). Irrespective of direct line management responsibilities, this job holder will be expected to provide a strong leadership presence within that structure. The position holder directly enables the organisation to operate safely in line with Site Licence Conditions 14, 15 & 23) and SL Safety Case process arrangements/ supporting guidance for nuclear HF aspects. Although most activities for the position relate to nuclear safety, the nature of the Sellafield site is such that HF expertise may be required in other non-nuclear areas. The HF Lead provides the key interface for such activities. The activities may range from provision of advice to stakeholders through to detailed assessment. Non-nuclear areas and aspects that may have a need for HF expertise at Sellafield include, but are not limited to:
• Security and policing.
• Environmental management and protection.
• Operational efficiency and management.
• Conventional health and safety.
In all such instances the HF Lead will work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure adequate HF input while agreeing and retaining boundaries of responsibility.

Essential Skills

• Degree qualified in a Safety or STEM subject.
• Extensive experience of working in UK nuclear industry or other highly regulated environment.
• Extensive experience of working with Safety legislation, such as: HASAWA, Management of H&S at Work Regulations, Nuclear Installations Act, IRR.
• Proven track record in senior leadership capacity and able to demonstrate professional influence and communication skills across both senior internal and external stakeholders and regulators.
• Significant experience of providing effective senior leadership and management of a team.
• Experience of managing commercial arrangements and effective engagement with supply chain providers.
• Detailed understanding of HF processes, methods, tools and technical approaches.
• Detailed understanding of the importance (and challenges) of HF within the nuclear industry.
• Ability to act as the SL Technical Authority for Human Factors.
• Detailed understanding of Nuclear Safety Case process and methods and the relationship to HF methods, tools and technical approaches.
• Ability to apply proportionality and balance competing constraints to deliver HF process needs and enabling fit for purpose safety cases that enable the business.
• Ability to plan strategically and on timeframes of multiple (2-5) years to consider immediate and longer-term business needs.
• Ability to coach and facilitate in a technical and functional environment.

Desirable Skills

• BSc in Psychology / Ergonomics / Human Factors or other associate behavioural sciences.
• Member of a relevant professional organisation such as the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF), Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) or the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• Significant experience of application of complex HF methods and practices across a plant life cycle.
• Ability to outline the project lifecycle and other project functions safety requirements that need to be integrated within the Safety Case, such as design, manufacturing, construction, commissioning and pre-operations.
• Capable of framing complex problems and setting direction for a delivery team without solving it themselves (broad scanning, reasoning, problem solving, pattern recognition, flexibility of thought and approach).
• Good understanding of the principles of leading transformational and behavioural change within a large organisation.
• Suitable knowledge of:
• The Sellafield Ltd site, hazards posed, organisational structure, and processes to guide and influence across business delivery and technical operations where there is a challenging and changing environment and priorities.
• SL value streams operations, projects and associated value propositions to understand how the HF function can effectively enable these outcomes and lead the HF function to deliver these.
• Nuclear safety case requirements and associated delivery challenges to ensure the HF function enables business and value stream outcomes.
• The outputs from other nuclear safety disciplines within the safety case profession (radiological, criticality, dose and shielding and fire engineering) to ensure HF arrangements are appropriately integrated into the wider Nuclear Safety Case.

Additional Information

• Number of Vacancies: 1
• Contact: safety.cases.capability@sellafieldsites.com

The interviews for this vacancy are expected to be 12th March 2026.

ASW’s may have the right to apply for internal Sellafield Ltd vacancies. Please note if you are an Agency Supplied Worker you are required to attach evidence of all qualifications obtained to support your application. We require a minimum of A*-C (9-4) GCSE in English Language, Maths & Science/IT or equivalent / higher qualification.

If you choose to apply for this role and your application is shortlisted by the hiring manager, you will be invited to a competency based interview. In the interview, you will be assessed against the below competencies:

Behavioural:
1. Collaboration and Teamwork
2. Team Leadership and Broad Scanning
3. Adapting to and Leading Change

Technical:
1. Knowledge of Sellafield Ltd.
2. Knowledge and interpretation of regulatory requirements

Please see link to the competency framework for further information:
https://slportal.ssa-intra.net/pub/SC001/00027/Competency%20Framework/Forms/AllItems.aspx

If your technical competency is not in the above framework, please refer to the profession’s share point page for further information.

During the interview, you will also be expected to give a 10 minute presentation on
‘In the role of Head of Human Factors, how would you lead the Human Factors capability to better enable our mission, safely?’

This presentation should be sent to recruitment@sellafieldcloud.co.uk via email at least two working days before your interview. You should also take four paper copies of your presentation to your interview in case of any IT issues on the day.

Sellafield Ltd are recognised as a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3). Disability Confident employers offer an interview to disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. Sellafield Ltd define the minimum criteria as the ‘essential skills’ which are listed on the vacancy notice. Whilst completing your application form, you will be able to indicate if you wish to be considered under the disability confident scheme. If you would prefer to discuss this directly with us, please contact the GBS Recruitment team on recruitment@sellafieldcloud.co.uk

Please ensure that you save a copy of this advert for future reference if you make an application for this role.

The closing date for this vacancy is INSERT DATE. e.g. 26th November 2026