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.
The Role
Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As Senior Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in undertaking materials engineering projects within the Materials Division as part of the UKAEA’s fusion research programme. Depending on the project, you may be working alone or in a team, often as part of collaborations with universities, industrial partners and/or overseas research organisations.
In this exciting role, you will determine the scope of work, recruit team or project members where relevant, delivering high quality engineering projects, reporting and presenting back to key stakeholders.
Key Accountabilities:
- Lead and coordinate short- and long-term multidisciplinary engineering projects, managing procurement, scope of work, funding, resources, and technical delivery across mechanical, electrical, electronic, and integrated engineering disciplines.
- Produce and present high-quality technical reports, stakeholder presentations, user documentation, and TDMS/legal compliance documentation to support engineering delivery, design approval, and certification.
- Lead, develop, and line manage a small team of engineers, providing technical direction, allocating resources, overseeing subcontractors where required, and supporting recruitment activities.
- Work closely with UKAEA Central Engineering to ensure compliance with engineering standards, legal requirements, and UKCA certification, while contributing to the development of engineering knowledge, design standards, and best practice.
- Represent UKAEA at internal and external meetings, technical forums, and national and international events, and deputise for the MRF Lead Engineer as required, supporting engineering management, technical governance, and document review.
The salary for this role is £57,117 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 5 days each week.
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.
QualificationsEssential:
- Previous demonstrable engineering experience delivering projects in a project-oriented environment.
- A degree or equivalent engineering experience ideally within electrical / C&I / electronics engineering (applications from experienced mechanical engineering backgrounds also welcomed)
- Experience articulating complex technical information to both specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, or demonstrable progress towards achieving
Desirable:
- Demonstrable electrical / C&I engineering design experience
- Experience in requirements for CE/UKCA certification
A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/
UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit.
UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email [email protected] 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.


