What if you could work with remarkable people on extraordinary things? What if the end result was something a little bit special? What if your role was mission critical?

For nearly 70 years, AWE has been at the forefront of nuclear weapons research and development. We have a critical mission: to provide the warheads for the UK’s ultimate deterrent - Trident. We also use our unique skills to provide wider UK government with counter-terrorism and nuclear threat reduction solutions.

It takes a special sort of person to work at AWE. What if that person was you?

AWE’s Nuclear Threat Reduction (NTR) Special Projects Group is looking to recruit a dynamic and innovative person to deliver science and technology-based projects to support UK government customers.

NTR Weapon Effects Modeller

Location : Reading

Salary: £36,640 - £45,000 (depending on your suitability and level of experience)

Closing Date : 7th August 2024

As part of our People Promise, AWE (one of the best 25 big companies to work for in the UK) has a range of benefits to suit you. These include:

• Time to recharge your batteries with 270 hours of annual leave (plus every other Friday off work)
• Consideration for flexible working arrangements so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know on your application if you wish to work part time
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development that include funding for the annual membership of a relevant professional body, access to mentors and training
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services
• A generous defined contribution Group Personal Pension (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your own contribution)
• Life Assurance
• 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 for your family
• A host of voluntary & core benefits to suit your health and wellbeing - more information available on our careers site

This role sits within the Nuclear Security sub-function supporting AWE’s Nuclear Threat Reduction programme. You will join a small multi-disciplinary team developing a new modelling capability focussed on full-spectrum analysis of nuclear and radiological hazards.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Verification and Validation (V&V) of complex physics models (some developed within the team, some sourced externally).
• End-to-end comparison of the capability against experimental data and other software packages to build stakeholder confidence.
• Independent research to support your analysis.
• Planning and delivery of technical assessments.
• Writing technical documentation, delivering training, and supporting other users of the capability.

You may be expected to occasionally travel both domestically and internationally in the course of your duties.

Ideally, we are looking for the successful candidate to demonstrate some of the following criteria:

Essential:

• An undergraduate degree in a STEM discipline, equivalent NQF level 6 qualification or equivalent experience
• Experience using numerical methods to model physical phenomena
• Strong analytical skills: able to systematically approach and break down complex tasks and independently drive them to conclusion
• Excellent communication skills: you will need to present your findings to various audiences with different levels of technical expertise and subject matter knowledge

Desirable:

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant STEM discipline or equivalent industry experience
• Scripting skills (Python, Bash)
• Experience using High Performance Computing (HPC) platforms
• A specialism in one or more of the following areas:
  • Numerical methods
  • Uncertainty quantification
  • Computational fluid dynamics
  • Structural dynamics
  • Nuclear/radiation physics
  • Atmospheric transport and dispersion modelling
  • Using bespoke software to complete detailed analyses

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

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

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 us will be used to encourage and support you through the application process and will be held only for this purpose in accordance with GDPR.