Claire Riley is a Senior Engineering Leader at Sellafield Ltd, currently serving as Technical Assurance Lead & Process and Compliance Requirements Owner for Technology & Science. Claire began her career at 16 as a Craft Apprentice Instrument Mechanic, gaining NVQ Level 3, ONC, and HNC qualifications before progressing into Control Systems Engineering. She later achieved a BEng (Hons) in Electronic Engineering from UCLAN and completed Sellafield’s Graduate Scheme, gaining broad engineering experience.
At 27, she became Team Manager for 17 Control Systems Engineers in Magnox East River. In 2004, Claire was a finalist for Young Woman Engineer of the Year and winner of the WES Prize.
Claire has held senior leadership roles including Engineering & Maintenance Capability Lead, Head of Outage Management & Site Integration, and Head of Asset Management Delivery.
Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Claire actively supports STEM outreach, early careers recruitment, and mentoring. She is a STEM Ambassador and a founding member of Sellafield WEST (Women in Engineering, Science and Technology), introducing initiatives such as the WES Lottie Tour to inspire future generations.
Outside work, Claire enjoys crafting—especially knitting and crochet—and spending time with her family and pets.