Job Description

If you’d like to be considered for this opportunity we encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment as if applications are high the role will close before the closing date given.

Production Operations Specialist (Duly Authorised Person) – Assembly & Coulport Business Unit

Location – Basingstoke/Reading

Package – £38,000 - £45,000 dependant on skills and experience plus allowances

Working hours: This is a shift based role.

2 weeks of early shift followed by two weeks of late shift.

Early shift 06:00-14:45

Late shift 14:15 – 23:00

AWE is currently recruiting for a Production Operations Specialist for the Assembly & Coulport Business Unit to provide leadership and supervision of operations delivery and support team.

The Production Operations Specialist (Duly Authorised Person – DAP) is responsible for the direct supervision and control of operations with the highest safety significance within a high‑hazard manufacturing environment.

The role leads a team of operatives carrying out complex technical assembly and disassembly activities, ensuring all work is planned, authorised, executed, and recorded in full compliance with regulatory, safety, and quality requirements.

The post holder acts as the authorised decision maker at the point of work, maintaining strict adherence to approved procedures, safety cases, and permit conditions, while exercising sound judgement to manage risk and respond to abnormal situations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing frontline supervision of safety critical operations
• Ensuring all tasks are conducted safely, compliantly, and to defined quality standards
• Applying and enforcing robust risk controls and safe systems of work
• Maintaining oversight of team performance, behaviours, and adherence to procedures
• Making timely, informed decisions to protect people, product, and plant

The role is pivotal in ensuring that operational delivery is achieved without compromise to nuclear, radiological, or conventional safety, acting as a critical control point between operational execution and regulatory compliance.

This role is ideally suited to a candidate that has a proactive attitude towards safety, continuous improvements, problem solving and ability to adapt to changing team and delivery demands.

Who are we looking for?

We need you to have the following:

• Proven leadership and task management experience
• Experience of managing in a manufacturing environment
• Ability to understand technical drawings and documentation.
• Ability to interpret and use data to inform decisions

Whilst not considered essential it would be good to have experience in the following:

• Continuous improvement / lean methodologies.
• Cross functional collaboration.
• Coaching, mentoring and developing talent.

Key Accountabilities:

• Perform role of Duly Authorised Person (DAP) to supervise high hazard operations within manufacturing process areas.
• Ensure technical support to manufacturing process areas, programme and/or project managers throughout AWE.
• Full task management including task setting, approval of leave and input into annual appraisals.
• Deliver assigned tasks in accordance with requirements, operational constraints, time, cost and quality.
• Ensuring best manufacturing practice in terms of productivity, reliability, innovation and quality to the workplace
• Maintain and promote high personal standards in environment, safety, health, security and quality and be a great team player.
• Deliver or assist in the delivery of new manufacturing processes/equipment by delivering the agreed objectives/milestones and associated technical specifications/documentation in accordance with company processes and standards.
• Additional accountabilities for this job profile may be defined and appointed through the Chief Engineer Management Arrangements, with appointees listed within the Company Design Authorities and Technical Authorities, as held in the company management system.
• Participating and reporting on metrics relating to overall end-to-end performance

Key Responsibilities:

• Apply and consolidate specialist skills and knowledge and ensure essential procedures are followed
• Help to define the standards and specifications around which others will operate.
• Developed communication and diplomacy skills used to direct/persuade/influence others.
• Set delivery-based objectives and task day to day activity.
• Advising Function of resource requirements.
• Strong communication and diplomacy skills are required to guide, influence and convince others, in particular colleagues in other areas/departments and external customers/other tech centres/sub functions.
• Influencing decisions through advice, counsel or facilitating services to others in area of specialisation.
• Support delivery of training- both hands on and classroom.
• Establish and record customer and process requirements including the production of configuration documentation in accordance with the appropriate procedures and legislation.
• Identification of all legislation and regulatory requirements associated with new and existing processes, ensuring compliance.
• Subject Matter Expert for process in a manufacturing environment, including the development and implementation of operational documentation.
• Liaise with key stakeholders, project teams and management, ensuring appropriate communication of project/programme status and any circumstance reflecting upon safety, security, efficiency, quality, management or any other respective area of responsibility.
• Adopt a ‘See It, Own It, Solve It’ mind-set, by identifying obstacles to success and taking ownership to find solutions to those problems.
• Supporting ESH requirements and assessments within operational facility

• Conduct and Support Investigations within the operational facility
• Conduct and review safety assessments (Risk, COSHH, Manual Handling)

• Perform role of Radiation Protection Supervisor for production facilities.
• Responsible for undertaking other duties as reasonably required from time to time by line and task management, including work at other places within the UK or overseas; this will be done in consultation with you, and in accordance with any requirements contained in your Contract of Employment.
• The Company may require you to fulfil any other reasonable duties as aligned to your position from time to time in line with business needs; this may include additional roles as set out below (these are subject to your area of work, and where formally agreed by the individual):
- e.g. First Aider; Ballistic First Aider; RA First Aider; Assistant Zone Control Officer; Zone Control Officer; Facility Emergency Controller; Risk and COSHH assessor; Manual Handing assessor
- The company may require you to fulfil any other reasonable duties aligned to your position from time to time in line with business needs

Work hard, be rewarded:

We ask a lot and set the bar high because our work truly matters. In return we offer balance, with award winning benefits including:

• 9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.

• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).

• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.

• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.

• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.

• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).

• Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.

• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

#LI-JW-A

Candidates must be willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for this role.

Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.
• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.

Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.