Welding & NDT Construction Superintendent - Hinkley Point C (HPC)
Sector: Nuclear New Build / Quality Assurance & Surveillance
Location: Hinkley Site, Somerset (Bridgwater area)
Position Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Opportunity
We are partnering with a primary delivery framework partner at Hinkley Point C to recruit a senior Welding & NDT Construction Superintendent. Operating within the site's Technical Directorate, you will lead a dedicated quality surveillance team providing client-side oversight of all heavy fabrication, welding, and non‑destructive testing (NDT) activities across the project's mechanical scope.
This is a high-profile leadership role focused on ensuring that major contractors install, assemble, and manufacture safety‑critical components “Right First Time” – safeguarding nuclear safety and preventing costly project rework.
Key Responsibilities
- Technical Oversight: Provide client-side control and technical review of welding, NDT, heat treatment, pressure testing, and stainless steel surface integrity across dual nuclear units.
- Team Leadership & Development: Line‑manage a specialist field surveillance team, allocating workloads, setting performance objectives, coaching staff, and conducting on‑site competency assessments.
- Surveillance Programming: Build comprehensive look‑ahead schedules of upcoming contractor activities, define the surveillance scope, author risk assessments, and establish robust surveillance programmes.
- Technical Review & Verification: Coordinate the review of safety‑critical contractor documentation, including Inspection and Test Plans (ITPs), End of Erection Status Reports (EESRs), welding books, and NDT procedures.
- Issue Escalation & Reporting: Track contractor progress via project surveillance tools and compile performance metrics for weekly quality reports, escalating any risks to cost, quality, or schedule to the Quality Delivery Manager.
- Constructability & Process Improvement: Participate in project risk workshops and constructability reviews to identify welding and NDT efficiency opportunities. Author formal closure reports upon package completion to capture operational experience (OPEX).
- Nuclear Safety Advocacy: Champion a world‑class nuclear safety culture, embedding it across your team's processes and all contractor interfaces.
What We're Looking For
- Proven Experience: Significant experience (10+ years) in metallurgy, industrial welding fabrication, and NDT inspection within a highly regulated, safety‑critical sector.
- Core Certifications: A valid welding inspector qualification (e.g., CSWIP 3.1 or equivalent) alongside formal appreciation of NDT techniques.
- Codes & Standards: Strong working knowledge of international design and construction codes, specifically RCC‑M and ASME.
- Project Delivery: Demonstrated success in managing contractor performance, resolving conflicting priorities, and delivering large, complex project scopes under tight deadline constraints.
- Leadership Capability: Strong background in direct team management, including objective setting, performance appraisal, and managing specialist contract staff.
- Desirable Attributes:
- Higher-level technical credentials such as CSWIP 3.2, International Welding Specialist (IWS), or PCN NDT certifications.
- Deep understanding of quality management practices relating to the fabrication and installation of high-pressure systems or structural steelwork.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills. A working knowledge of the French language is advantageous but not essential.
