Personal Statement

An enthusiastic, self motivated individual with the drive and determination to produce results without compromising safety. An experienced Team Leader with excellent personal and analytical skills, complimented by practical and theoretical knowledge of chemistry, engineering, environment and safety legislation. Experience gained from 8 years in the nuclear electricity generation industry as Operations Technical Support Group Head (Chemistry and Efficiency), Operations Training Group Head and Shift Operations Engineer (Unit Desk and Plant).

Qualifications

PhD in Chemical Engineering

Applied Chemistry Degree 2.1

Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Currently employment

Group Head Operations Technical Support Dungeness B PowerStation (2006 - )

❑ Laboratory management experience as Group Head of Chemistry department with the responsibility to ensure that compliance monitoring is undertaken, reported and acted upon in an effective manner. Operational requirements are managed in line with best practice, and all chemical safety matters (COSHH, confined space, dangerous goods, explosive material etc.) are dealt with in a professional manner.

❑ Experience in the use of the skills and knowledge required to direct and motivate staff, co-ordinate personnel and communicate with stake holders, manage budgets, appraise and coach staff gained as a Group Head in direct supervision of 12 staff members.

❑ Directly supervise up to 40 staff whilst acting as the Operations Service Engineer.

❑ Managerial experience gained whilst acting as Operations Manager and Training Manager.

❑ Challenge successfully in numerous areas to improve the profile of chemistry. These areas range from daily focus meetings to executive meetings to align expectations and obtain stakeholder sign-on to operational issues.

❑ Interact with all levels of the British Energy team from Chief Nuclear Officer to apprentice, building a network of resource to ensure that the drive to higher standards is supported by all.

❑ Meet directly with regulators such as the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and the Environment Agency to discuss technical issues, report progress against targets and manage their expectations.

❑ Worked closely with the Chemistry Fleet Manager to create a peer group, this approach has increased communication within the group and has lead to a fleet approach to many issues.

❑ Investment requirements are secured through negotiation and providing clear evidence of need. A number of previously unsupported areas have been highlighted and are now financially supported through participation at appropriate investment meetings.

Work History

Dungeness B - Group Head Operations Training (2006 - 6 month secondment)

Prime responsibility to organise and co-ordinate operations Initial and Continuing programmes.

❑ Lead a team of seven to ensure that the simulator, initial and continuing training provided was focused on operational need.

❑ Motivated and directed staff to ensure that challenging targets were met.

❑ Implemented new Systematic Approach to Training methodology.

❑ Ensured that Operations were engaged with new training approach and that they were supported throughout its implementation.

❑ Highlighted the programme threats to the programme owner and used negotiating skills to gain their support and commitment.

❑ Ensured that Human performance was incorporated in to all training and its use reinforced.

❑ Reported stations progress to the rest of the fleet and implemented fleet wide initiatives and improvements.

❑ Ensured the programme continuously improved throughout its evolution by maintaining a fleet wide systematic approach when solutions to challenges were overcome.

❑ Developed staff in line with the business requirement taking in to account where the programme needed to be in the future.

Heysham 2 - Assistant Engineer Operations (2001 - 2006)

Working on shift as either a Plant Engineer or Unit Desk Engineer (UDE) at Heysham 2 with the primary responsibility of ensuring the safe, reliable, continued operation of the reactor/turbine unit. These roles require a good understanding of site licence requirements, statutory regulation, company and location directives in order to ensure full compliance with safety and environmental standards.

❑ As a UDE, team working, operational focus and precise communication skills were vital to ensure safety and generation issues are effectively relayed to all levels within the station.

❑ Ability to work to strict deadlines demonstrated whilst acting as a Senior Authorised Person. The deadlines imposed by the stations "work week" plan were achieved by building a good working relationship with the work week managers, maintenance teams, contractors and system engineers.

❑ Leadership experience has been gained from being a Mountain Team Leader, Fire and Incident Team Leader, Test Team Leader and from organising, guiding and setting staff to work.

❑ Secondment to the outage test team required use of negotiating and influencing skills to ensure that tests were completed on schedule, as plant became available, allowing the unit to be returned to service on time.

❑ As a mentor to a UDE trainee, planning, motivation and evaluation techniques have been utilised to support his development. I have used these methods previously to successfully mentor a G5 optech helping him reach his aspirations as a UDE trainee.

Heysham 2 - Assistant Chemist (1999-2001)

❑ Ensured compliance with chemistry limits by analytical analysis.

❑ Advised on COSHH requirements, delivered chemical safety presentations and updated existing documentation into Material Safety Data Sheets.

❑ Dealt with environmental regulators to ensure the station satisfied it's regulatory requirements.

❑ A selected person ensuring that confined spaces had been monitored for noxious, explosive or poisonous gases, corrosive or carcinogenic substances.

❑ Supported the station run procedural adherence initiative by creating a suit of easy to follow methods. Developed new techniques to ensure compliance with regulatory demands.

❑ Managed the bulk chemicals budget and laboratory Visa budget.

BTTG (1995-1999) (a research and training organisation affiliated with Leeds University).

Study into the mechanism of biosorption for the economic recovery of copper from solution. Required to give lectures and presentations, manage budgets, train undergraduates as well as advise and edit other postgraduate theses. Gave presentations to the DTI (sponsor) to ensure continued support.

University of Portsmouth (1991 - 1995)

Applied chemistry degree specialising in analytical, fuels and corrosion chemistry. Included a year within Texaco oil refinery's laboratory analysing fuels and waste water.