Senior Mechanical Engineer

Company Description

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world's energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for ground breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporate bonus scheme up to 7% and a Relocation allowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working options including family friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment.
• Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders.
• Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
• Wide range of career development opportunities.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

What to expect in our recruitment process:
For a step-by-step overview of how we hire from application to offer please see our Recruitment Process page: careers.ukaea.uk/join-us/recruitment-process

Job Description

The salary for this role is £56,596 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working.

This role is based at the following site:Culham, Oxfordshire

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.

The Role

We are seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and development of major fusion subsystems and research facilities, from initial concept through to detailed design. In this role, you'll plan and manage projects that support enhancement programs and future fusion devices, applying your expertise in engineering calculations to guide key design decisions.

You'll oversee activities such as system and component integration, installation, repair, and upgrades, while producing high-quality technical reports and ensuring all work meets rigorous design and safety standards.

If you have experience working to design standards (especially pressure vessel standards), proven ability to lead teams and supervise staff, strong communication and technical writing skills, and excellent interpersonal abilities, we'd love to hear from you.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead the design and delivery of major fusion sub-systems and enhancement programs for UKAEA facilities and future fusion devices, from concept through detailed design.

• Oversee engineering activities for assigned systems and components, including analysis, repair, replacement, upgrade, and validation against international and fusion-specific design standards.

• Manage multi-disciplinary project teams, including designers and drawing office staff, ensuring effective coordination, adherence to design requirements, and high-quality technical output.

• Provide technical leadership and decision-making on complex or critical engineering issues, influencing senior stakeholders and acting as a technical reference within the organisation.

• Plan and deliver engineering projects from specification to handover, including on-site repair and upgrade programs, procurement, contract management, and value engineering implementation.

• Promote excellence and development by supervising and mentoring junior engineers, improving group competencies, maintaining strong communication, and enhancing productivity through new systems and processes.

Qualifications

Essential:

• A relevant engineering degree or equivalent
• Ability to perform exploratory design calculations using first principles
• Good working knowledge of structural and thermal engineering, solid mechanics and engineering materials

Desirable:

• Proven capability in engineering analysis and a good working knowledge of engineering materials and their properties
• Experience with relevant environmental factors such as vacuum and transient magnetic fields

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here

UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We are under-represented from some groups and so want to encourage applications in particular from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African backgrounds and from Pakistani and Bangladeshi British backgrounds. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.