Active Waste Chemist

Active Waste Chemist / Radioactive Waste Team Lead

Location: Southampton
Salary: £50,000 + Bonus + Excellent Benefits

Our client, a leading environmental and waste management organisation, is seeking an experienced Active Waste Chemist / Radioactive Waste Team Lead to join their specialist operations team based in Southampton. This is an excellent opportunity for a Radiation Protection professional looking to take ownership of radioactive waste operations while working within a highly regulated and safety-critical environment.

The Role

As the Active Waste Chemist, you will be responsible for managing the safe and compliant handling of radioactive waste from initial customer enquiry through to final treatment and disposal. Working closely with customers, internal operational teams and regulatory bodies, you will ensure all activities are carried out in accordance with environmental permits, legislative requirements and industry best practice.

This is a key technical and leadership role where you'll have the opportunity to influence operational performance, regulatory compliance and commercial success.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage customer enquiries relating to radioactive waste treatment and disposal.
• Provide technical advice and assess waste acceptance for radioactive and hazardous materials.
• Ensure all waste is accepted in accordance with radiological permits and site acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate transport arrangements and prepare all associated documentation.
• Oversee compliant radioactive waste storage and inventory management.
• Plan and schedule radioactive waste processing through the site's incineration facilities.
• Produce burn plans and provide technical guidance to operational teams.
• Ensure compliant disposal of radioactive residues, including ash and filter cake.
• Complete radiological clearance activities for returned containers.
• Maintain accurate operational and regulatory records.
• Lead and support operational teams while ensuring the highest standards of health, safety and environmental compliance.

About You

We're looking for candidates with:

• Qualified Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS), or currently working towards qualification.
• Previous experience within radioactive waste management, nuclear operations or a related regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of UK radioactive waste legislation and environmental compliance.
• Knowledge of Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA) requirements relating to radioactive materials.
• Experience managing or supervising teams.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and SAP.
• Excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• A proactive approach to safety, compliance and continuous improvement.

What's on Offer

• Salary up to £50,000 depending on experience.
• Performance-related bonus.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• Flexible benefits package.
• Health and wellbeing programme.
• Retail and leisure discounts.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Long-term career development with a recognised industry leader.

If you're an experienced Radiation Protection professional looking to progress your career within a specialist environmental organisation, we'd like to hear from you