Waste Lifecycle Specialist

Are you looking for a role where you can shape the future of radioactive waste management and make a meaningful impact on environmental stewardship? As a Waste Lifecycle Specialist, you will provide strategic and technical leadership to develop innovative solutions for complex waste liabilities, helping advance the safe and effective restoration of legacy nuclear sites. Do you enjoy translating long-term objectives into practical plans, influencing key decisions, and solving challenging technical problems? If you answered yes, then this may be the job for you!

What you will be doing!

• Leading the development of technical plans for the lifecycle management of radioactive waste generated through restoration and decommissioning activities.
• Developing innovative, practical, and cost-effective solutions to complex radioactive waste management challenges.
• Providing advanced technical advice and serving as a trusted subject matter expert on waste management strategies and technical issues.
• Making independent technical decisions and overcoming complex challenges to support project progress and delivery.
• Contributing to the development of site-wide and project-specific waste management strategies aligned with organizational objectives.
• Participating in short- and long-term planning activities to support effective lifecycle management of radioactive waste liabilities.
• Directing research and analysis of new technologies, processes, and methods to improve waste management outcomes.
• Interpreting and evaluating technical data to provide expert recommendations and support informed decision-making.
• Guiding lifecycle cost optimization initiatives by balancing near-term project needs with long-term liability reduction objectives.
• Identifying and implementing opportunities to improve cost efficiency through strategic planning and lifecycle analysis.
• Assessing and recommending changes to plans, specifications, techniques, and materials to enhance project performance.
• Providing technical mentorship, coaching, and knowledge transfer to support the growth and development of team members.
• Building strong collaborative relationships with technical professionals and management to advance organizational expertise.
• Maintaining awareness of emerging technologies and industry best practices in radioactive waste management and sharing knowledge across teams.
• Other duties as assigned by your manager.
  

What we are looking for:

• Education
  • Honours bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, or environmental sciences from a university of recognized standing.
  • Advanced training and/or certification in program or project management.
  • An advanced degree (master’s degree or Ph.D. in science, engineering or environmental sciences) is considered a significant asset.
• Experience
  • Minimum of fifteen (15) to twenty (20) years of progressively responsible experience in radioactive waste management, with substantial practical experience across all classes of radioactive waste, including LLW, ILW, and HLW.
  • Minimum of ten (10) to fifteen (15) years of leadership experience, including leading multidisciplinary teams, directing major programs or projects, and providing guidance to senior/executive leadership.
  • Significant experience in strategic and technical planning for the management of legacy nuclear liabilities.
  • Significant experience in collecting, analyzing, and organizing complex data sets to make recommendations to resolve complex challenges based on experience, industry-best practices, or innovative approaches.
  • Significant experience in leading and/or supporting discrete projects, with experience in all phases of project lifecycles (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and close-out).
  • A background in operations and/or field execution related to radioactive waste management is considered a significant asset.
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, with an ability to adapt communications to the target audience ranging from field workers to technical professionals, to technical industry working groups, to the CNL Senior Leadership Team.
  • Expert-level ability to develop and implement credible, underpinned, and deliverable technical and project plans for complex environmental challenges.
  • Expert-level ability to review highly technical information and data, evaluate options and approaches, and develop solutions and recommendations from both a strategic and execution-level perspective.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop innovative solutions for complex nuclear challenges.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop collaborative solutions, including effective engagement of stakeholders to build consensus and ‘buy in’ on key decisions.
  • Senior-level expert in radioactive waste management (i.e., distinguished expert of recognized standing in Canada and/or internationally).
  • Expert-level understanding of the full lifecycle of radioactive waste, including planning, characterization, generation (or retrieval), processing, packaging, transportation, storage, and disposal.
  • Expert-level understanding of the Canadian nuclear industry, including the CNSC regulations, the CSA standards, and key projects/approaches that are being employed by partner organizations (such as the NWMO).
  • Well-developed understanding of project management principles, including an understanding of the interaction of planning, execution, and close-out of multi-year nuclear projects.
  • Well-developed understanding of international benchmarks and approaches for radioactive waste management.
  • Must have a good working knowledge of the Company, departmental organization, directives, programs, standards and administrative procedures.
• Security Clearance Eligibility Required
  • Reliability Status, which has a minimum requirement of 3-5 years of verifiable history in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and/or the United Kingdom. CNL implements security screening in accordance with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's “Standard on Security Screening” and the “Policy on Government Security.”
    

Working Conditions:

• We have a compressed work week: Four (4) days per week, ten (10) hours per day for a forty (40) hour work week, starting at 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• This position is part of the WPEG Unionand is governed by the terms and conditions outlined in their Collective Agreement. As a member of this bargaining unit, you’ll benefit from clear expectations around hours of work, wages, vacation, and other conditions that support a fair and consistent working environment.
• This is a hybrid position requiring a minimum of four (4) days per week onsite, providing opportunities to collaborate closely with project teams, technical experts, and stakeholders while supporting the safe and effective management of radioactive waste liabilities.

Why CNL?

Does the idea of working with a dynamic team across Canada to advance nuclear science and technology for a clean and secure world excite you? At CNL, we’re reinventing ourselves to be industry leaders—pioneering solutions to the problems that matter most.

From building the next generation of clean nuclear and hydrogen energy technologies, to developing targeted cancer treatments, to continuing our global leadership in environmental remediation—we are driven by impact, innovation, and purpose.

What We Offer: A Total Rewards Package

We believe in taking care of our people. Here’s what you can expect as part of our team:

• Paid time off: vacation, sick, personal, and floater days
• Benefits effective Day One – no waiting period
• Tuition support to help you keep learning and growing
• A defined-benefit pension plan or a defined-contribution pension plan, depending on your employee group, to support your long‑term financial security

Do Our Priorities Resonate with You?

• Delivering clean energy for today and tomorrow
• Restoring and protecting the environment
• Contributing to the health of Canadians

If so, you’ll feel right at home at CNL.

Location: Hybrid
Located near Pinawa, Manitoba, our Whiteshell site offers a peaceful setting surrounded by nature and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Please note: This is a hybrid position, with a blend of remote work and onsite presence at our Whiteshell site, Manitoba.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

At CNL, we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion. We celebrate and welcome employees, stakeholders, and partners of all backgrounds and identities. Click here to read all about it!

We are proud to uphold a workplace culture grounded in our Core Values:

• Respect
• Teamwork
• Accountability
• Safety
• Integrity
• Excellence

These values drive our employment practices and ensure meaningful career development opportunities and accommodations for all employees.

CNL is an equal opportunity employer. If you require accommodation during any phase of the hiring process, please let us know via [email protected]. All requests will be handled with confidentiality.

Whiteshell Laboratories is situated on the traditional lands of Treaties 1 and 3, and near Treaty 5. This land is the home of the Anicinabe, Ojibway Anishinaabe and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. We recognize that many other Indigenous Peoples across the region and Canada also consider this area their home.

At Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), we recognize the unique history, spiritual beliefs, cultural practices, and languages of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and we appreciate the responsibility they have as stewards of the environment. We remain firmly committed to being an active participant in Canada’s journey towards healing and reconciliation.

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