Nuclear Waste Services is looking for a Performance Improvement Lead to join our busy team across the UK.
Do you want to make a lasting change in how Nuclear Waste Services delivers its vision to “make nuclear waste safer, sooner”? The Performance Improvement Capability is looking for self-motivated, confident, creative and positive individuals to join us in our mission to “make doing work easy” across Nuclear Waste Services.
As a Performance Improvement Lead, you will play an active role in a team responsible for working with people across the business to plan and deliver improvement activities to make doing work quicker, slicker and easier (whilst remaining safe, sustainable and compliant). You will be responsible for improvement activities from scoping to handover to business-as-usual; as well as providing advice, guidance and coaching on performance improvement to the business. This role would suit anyone interested in gaining skills and experience in improvement methodologies, facilitation and delivering performance changes; and for anyone interested in learning more about the whole Nuclear Waste Services business.
- Lead and oversee work with business areas across Nuclear Waste Services to scope, design and plan improvement events to facilitate positive and lasting change in how the organisation delivers its work. This involves engaging with improvement sponsors to develop problem statements, managing the collection and analysis of relevant performance data, designing improvement events (deciding on relevant methodologies and how these will be deployed), logistical planning, and facilitating improvement event in-briefs and communications.
- Design and implement proportionate and relevant post-improvement (deployment) activities to enable successful deployment of improvements into everyday practice in Nuclear Waste Services, to help make doing work easy in the business.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with improvement event sponsors across the lifecycle of improvement activities to enable good improvement intervention design and deployment.
- Actively enable improvement in the awareness and capability of personnel across Nuclear Waste Services in improvement methodologies and approaches by providing advice, coaching and training; to help the organisation better participate in improvement activities and to improve their competence and confidence in self-delivery of continuous improvements.
- Own allocated aspects of the performance improvement library by facilitating development and maintenance of resources, to help support increasing competence and competence of the organisation. This may include: undertaking research through targeted web searches and document reviews; and producing output documents. Development of the compendium activities or tasks may be self-performed or delivered using contractor resource; and so, work may involve supporting appropriate procurement of sub-contractor resource and the management of supply chain contractors engaged to support delivery.
- Maintain horizon scanning in different nuclear organisations and other sectors on performance improvement tools, techniques and approaches; and adapt these for deployment in Nuclear Waste Services; to make sure that we are forward thinking and always applying good practice.
- Lead the development and implementation of new processes, procedures and tools to support the Business Improvement Capability, including its Management System; to help ensure that we deliver improvements consistently and appropriately.
- Deputise for the Business Improvement Manager as required to support delivery of the Business Improvement Programme and other relevant areas that the programme supports; to ensure that there is always relevant representation from the team at relevant meetings and events.
- Represent the organisation at allocated Lean forums such as the Cumbria Lean forum and NDA Asset Management and Continuous Improvement Summits; to make sure that we are forward thinking and always applying good practice.
Essential
- Relevant degree level, professional qualification or proven track record showing extensive relevant experience. Suitable work experience in lieu of qualifications or alternative qualification pathways may be considered where appropriate.
- High level understanding of radioactive waste management practice in the UK.
- Highly self-motivated and able to work on own initiative with minimal supervision.
- Ability to effectively manage a diverse, varied, and busy workload, with an ability to prioritise and maintain progress on a range of work scopes.
- Confidence and professionalism with good interpersonal skills, high standards and attention to detail.
- Good verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to communicate to people at different levels of the business.
- Excellent planning, organisational and problem-solving skills.
- Experience of formal writing (e.g., minutes, briefing papers, or reports).
- Good IT proficiency, including use of Excel, Visio, and PowerPoint
Desirable
- Experience in workshop facilitation and delivery.
- Knowledge of performance improvement methodologies such as Lean.
- High level understanding of radioactive waste management practice in the UK and the NDA estate.
Aside from the huge professional scope at Nuclear Waste Services, the personal benefits are excellent, these include:
- Very competitive salary
- Generous bonus scheme
- Holiday allowances
- Attractive pension schemes
- Cycle to work scheme
- Sick pay
- Group life assurance scheme
We value the unique differences that each of our colleagues bring to work every day and are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels respected, included and able to perform at their best. At Nuclear Waste Service we are committed to creating a workplace that is diverse and inclusive. We value the diversity of our people and actively seek to have a workforce that represents the rich diversity of the communities we support. Currently we are underrepresented in some areas, and would particularly welcome applicants from Women, Black, Asian and Ethnic Minorities, LGBTQ+ and candidates who have a disability.
In promoting equal opportunities, Nuclear Waste Service welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We select people according to their abilities and our needs. As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet all of the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of disabled candidates who meet all of the essential criteria, Nuclear Waste Service will interview the best candidates from within that group.