Collinson Grant supported Sellafield in its Organisation Design and Grading Project.

Sellafield Limited (Sellafield) recycles fuel and manages nuclear waste on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).  It is also responsible for safely decommissioning the majority of the UK’s nuclear legacy.  Its main site is at Sellafield in West Cumbria and engineering, design and functional support capabilities are provided at a second site in Risley.  It has approximately 12,000 employees.

In 2014, anticipating significant business changes, Sellafield launched the ‘Organisation Design and Grading Project’ that would determine the right size, shape and structure of the organisation and create appropriate job evaluation and grading systems.  A Programme Board was established with executive representation to oversee this project.  Collinson Grant was asked to manage the project and to lead the work through three distinct phases.

The first phase of the project analysed the ‘as-is’ situation, defined options for the future organisation, and agreed a high-level approach and implementation plan.

In the second phase the detailed plan for the organisational design and the pay and grade structures was created.  An implementation plan was developed while the finer points of the preferred options were worked out.

The third phase included work:

• to complete the design stages and evaluate a significant number of job profiles within job families, define new grades and job sizes, and develop appropriate pay progression and promotion criteria
• to develop a new environment with matching executive and senior management structures, and to implement the relevant changes
• to engage with the stakeholders, including the Sellafield Board and the Company Executive, trade unions and employees.

Throughout the three phases of the project Collinson Grant:

• led the work on behalf of the Programme Board
• managed and held accountable the principal external supplier (Hay Group)
• led the work on organisation design and stakeholder engagement
• transferred knowledge to and developed the capabilities of Sellafield personnel
• planned and executed the handover of the project to Sellafield personnel.

Colin Reed, HR Director said:

‘We have a very good and effective relationship with Collinson Grant. They led this challenging programme drawing on their considerable experience and helped us develop our thinking and make excellent progress. They remained impartial and highly professional throughout. Their ability to quickly assimilate our requirements and, more importantly, adapt quickly to the changing circumstances and complexity of the exercise was seamless. Throughout the assignment they demonstrated commitment, endeavour and a positive demeanour.  We could not have done it without them.’