Head of Independent Oversight and Regulatory Affairs

Originally named, Great British Nuclear, Great British Energy - Nuclear is an arm’s length body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, dedicated to supporting the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies in Great Britain. We play a crucial role in advancing nuclear new build, ensuring the UK’s energy security and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Great British Energy - Nuclear focuses on fostering innovation, facilitating investment, and coordinating efforts across the nuclear industry to build a resilient and sustainable energy future.

Great British Energy - Nuclear’s first step was to start the technology selection process for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in 2023. SMRs can potentially be quicker to deploy and less expensive to build than traditional nuclear power plants because they are smaller, have factory based modular manufacturing and more flexible deployment options. In June 2025, Great British Energy - Nuclear announced that Rolls-Royce SMR had been selected as the preferred bidder to build the UK’s first SMRs, following a technology selection process that began in 2023.

Great British Energy - Nuclear is aiming to deliver fast, based on a supportive and collaborative culture which values equality and diversity and creates an inclusive workplace.

Our activities will be driven by our values, which are:

Trust - We prioritise safety, we act responsibly and with integrity.

Collaboration - We work as a team; we value diversity and expertise.

Challenge - We are curious and courageous in the way we think and act.

Care - We are thoughtful, inclusive and respectful of others.

Drive - We get things done and we make a difference.

If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at and we will talk to you about how we can assist.

Role Description

The Head of Independent Oversight and Regulatory Affairs leads two critical functions within the Safety, Licensing and Assurance Directorate of the GBE-N Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Integrated Project Team (IPT):

1. Independent Oversight – providing assurance of safety, security, safeguards and environmental compliance performance through independent assessment of documentation, audits, inspections and task observations.
2. Regulatory Interface and Engagement – establishing and managing robust arrangements for coordinated and consistent interactions with statutory regulators.

The postholder will be part of the SLA Directorate leadership team and act as the senior advisor on oversight and regulatory engagement matters, ensuring regulatory commitments are tracked and delivered, and that engagement is managed effectively across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• To establish, develop and lead a team providing independent oversight of the SMR Project benchmarked against UK Nuclear Industry guidance, including:

o Independent assessment of documentation against categorisation and classification arrangements

o Independent assessment of HSSSEQ performance through audit, inspection and task observation

• To provide an independent source of advice, particularly on nuclear safety matters;

• To establish, develop and implement regulatory interface arrangements and protocols covering the SMR Project’s interactions with statutory bodies, including:

o Office for Nuclear Regulation

o Environmental regulators

o Planning authorities

o Other relevant authorities

• To manage regulatory engagement structures and programmes, including:

o Meetings and interventions

o Regulatory correspondence

o Tracking regulatory actions, commitments and conditions

o Managing regulatory instruments and enforcement

• To manage the regulatory budget (expected to be £4M–£5M per annum);

• To provide the secretariat to the Nuclear Safety Committee;

• To line manage the Independent Oversight and Regulatory Affairs team, fostering capability development and a collaborative culture.

Qualifications and Experience

• Recognised professional qualification in security or appropriate equivalent;

• Chartered membership of a relevant professional body;

• Extensive experience in the UK nuclear industry, including nuclear site licensing and permissioning;

• Experience in developing and implementing compliance demonstration arrangements;

• Previous experience in preparation and/or assessment of nuclear site licence applications (highly desirable);

• Strong understanding of the UK nuclear regulatory landscape and engagement protocols;

• Proven leadership experience managing oversight and regulatory interface teams;

• Ability to achieve National Security Vetting Clearance at Security Check level.