Director, Decommissioning and Waste Management
About The Position
AECL is seeking a Director, Decommissioning and Waste Management who is motivated by responsible environmental stewardship, disciplined owner-side oversight, and the opportunity to help shape work that reduces Canada’s radioactive waste liabilities and enables AECL’s broader mission delivery. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, Integrated Mission Delivery, this role provides owner-side oversight of decommissioning, waste management, fuel-related activities, and environmental remediation programs delivered through AECL's contractor-operated model. The Director will lead a team responsible for monitoring performance across these portfolios, ensuring priorities, risks, funding, milestones, closure evidence, field observations, and outcomes are assessed through a disciplined, risk-informed, and evidence-based oversight approach. As AECL's senior authority for oversight in these areas, the Director will provide assurance related to liability reduction, environmental outcomes, contractor performance, and value-for-money. This work supports governance, risk management, executive decision-making, and accountability to Canadians, while also helping AECL contribute to sound radioactive waste management approaches in Canada and internationally. This is a dynamic opportunity to collaborate with executives, technical specialists, government partners, regulators, Indigenous communities, CNL, and other vested parties. The Director will work closely with other IMD Directors to connect decommissioning and waste management oversight with capital and enabling infrastructure, field-informed evidence, site operations, risk assurance, due diligence, and integrated mission priorities. The role requires strategic thinking, technical judgment, and leadership to address complex issues, ensuring AECL maintains its role as an informed owner focused on transparency, accountability, and long-term outcomes. AECL values strong relationships, evidence-based decision-making, continuous improvement, and responsible stewardship. This role offers an opportunity to reduce long-term liabilities, strengthen radioactive waste management outcomes, enable AECL’s broader mission, and deliver lasting public value for Canada.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Environmental Management, or a related discipline.
- Extensive experience in nuclear decommissioning, radioactive waste management, environmental remediation, legacy site management, or similarly complex regulated technical environments.
- Demonstrated experience assessing complex engineering, environmental, operational, field, regulatory, and program delivery information.
- Experience overseeing large-scale, multi-site programs involving technical, environmental, funding, schedule, regulatory, and stakeholder considerations.
- Knowledge of liability management approaches, lifecycle planning, end-state strategy, closure evidence, and long-term environmental remediation or stewardship strategies.
- Demonstrated ability to use evidence, risk information, performance trends, field observations, and program data to challenge assumptions, identify emerging issues, and support executive decision-making.
- Demonstrated ability to connect portfolio-level technical, environmental, and program information to broader enterprise priorities, including integrated planning, risk assurance, infrastructure readiness, field evidence, government reporting, and long-term mission delivery outcomes.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical, environmental, and risk-based information to executive, government, Indigenous, community, and external audiences.
- Proven leadership, relationship management, decision-making, change leadership, and risk management capabilities.
Nice To Haves
- Professional designation such as P.Eng. or certification in project, program, environmental, or risk management.
- Experience working within a Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated (GoCo) model, owner-side oversight model, major contractor delivery environment, or comparable assurance and governance model.
Responsibilities
- Provide owner-side oversight of decommissioning, waste management, fuel-related activities, and environmental remediation programs delivered through AECL's contractor-operated model.
- Lead a team responsible for monitoring performance across these portfolios.
- Ensure priorities, risks, funding, milestones, closure evidence, field observations, and outcomes are assessed through a disciplined, risk-informed, and evidence-based oversight approach.
- Provide assurance related to liability reduction, environmental outcomes, contractor performance, and value-for-money.
- Support governance, risk management, executive decision-making, and accountability to Canadians.
- Contribute to sound radioactive waste management approaches in Canada and internationally.
- Collaborate with executives, technical specialists, government partners, regulators, Indigenous communities, CNL, and other vested parties.
- Connect decommissioning and waste management oversight with capital and enabling infrastructure, field-informed evidence, site operations, risk assurance, due diligence, and integrated mission priorities.
- Apply strategic thinking, technical judgment, and leadership to complex issues.
- Ensure AECL maintains its role as an informed owner focused on transparency, accountability, and long-term outcomes.
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical and dental benefits through the Government of Canada
- Participation in the Public Service Pension Plan
- Vacation, personal and floating days
- A confidential Employee & Family Assistance Program
- A flexible hybrid work model
- Paid time off during the year-end holiday period
- Performance-based incentives
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
