Commissioning & Operations Manager - UKIFS

Brightvision Capital Partners, LLC; West Burton; Hybrid; GBP 71,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fusion energy company in the UK is looking for a Commissioning & Operations Manager. This role involves developing operational capabilities, leading engineering teams, and ensuring project delivery in a regulated environment. Ideal candidates should have relevant engineering qualifications and experience in managing complex technical projects. Competitive salary of £70,505 plus excellent benefits offered.

Benefits

Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme

Corporate bonus scheme up to 7%

Flexible working options

Generous annual leave allowance

Qualifications

• Experience as an engineering manager, leading a team.
• Ability to communicate with multi-functional teams.
• Experience in delivering complex projects in regulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of Commissioning and Operations capability.
• Generate strategy for operational capability development.
• Establish relationships with organizations to enable strategy.

Skills

Leadership

Engineering

Communication

Problem-solving

Education

Relevant engineering degree or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Commissioning & Operations Manager - UKIFS

Division: UKIFS - Technical • Site Location: West Burton, Nottinghamshire • Confirmed Grade: Level 6 • Department: UKIFS - Design Authority

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) Ltd, a subsidiary of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), is at the forefront of developing fusion sustainable energy. Through the design and delivery of STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme we aim to build a prototype fusion plant, targeting first operations around 2040. UKIFS will lead delivery, collaborating with industrial partners and building a fusion supply chain with an estimated global sector value of £7tn per year.

Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for Flexible Working.

As an employee of UKIFS 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.
• 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.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

The salary for this role is £70,505 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension.

Closing date to apply: 21 October.

This UKIFS vacancy can be based at either of our sites: West Burton, Nottinghamshire or Culham, Oxfordshire.

Fusion energy offers the potential for significant quantities of low-carbon, inherently safe, abundantly fuelled, baseload energy, supporting sustainable climate action and energy independence. STEP is the UK’s flagship national programme to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant, targeting 2040, and a path to commercial viability of fusion. STEP is led by UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd. (UKIFS), a company within the UKAEA group.

Main duties

• Lead the development Commissioning and Operations capability:
• Generate a strategy for development of the Commissioning and Operations capability.
• Develop and lead a team that enables delivery of this capability.
• Develop suitable relationships and partnerships with other organisations to further enable the strategy.
• Identify critical skills and hence long term training and development requirements.
• Promote a culture of safety, agility, and continuous improvement.

• Develop and deliver an adaptive Commissioning and Operational Strategy:
• Lead the development of the Commissioning plan for the STEP Programme, delivering a plant ready for operations.
• Lead the development of the Concept of Operations for the STEP Programme, ensuring delivery of the programme objectives through operation of the plant.
• Develop suitable systems and processes to enable the Commissioning and Operations to be integrated across the programme and managed effectively.
• Manage the integration of the Commissioning strategy and Concept of Operations with the Engineering Delivery teams.
• Establish mechanisms for lessons-learned capture and rapid dissemination for programme benefit.

• Drive the incorporation of transverse requirements associated with commissioning and operations into the design:
• Lead the development of requirements for Commissioning and Operations for the prototype plant, ensuring the driving requirements from each mode of operation are captured by the relevant systems.
• Lead development of transverse requirements associated with Commissioning and Operations (e.g. Plant availability, Asset protection).
• Lead activities such as FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) assessments and Human Factors integration into requirement definition and verification for the whole plant.
• Act as discipline lead for Commissioning and Operations providing oversight and review of all associated requirements across all plant systems.

• Promote and integrate Commissioning and Operations across the STEP Programme:
• Act as the point of contact for Commissioning & Operations and its workstreams within the STEP programme.
• Ensure delivery of Plant Operations workstreams on time and within budget.
• Act as champion for Commissioning and Operations – in support of integration activities.
• Lead progress reviews against Commissioning & Operations requirements, including readiness reviews.
• Champion public understanding of operational objectives and risk management strategies, building community and political trust.

• Embody a Leadership Mindset:
• Demonstrate curiosity, creative problem-solving, and comfort with ambiguity.
• Regardless of your formal position, you embody a leadership mindset and a set of leadership behaviours. You embrace and embody our organisation's culture, values, and mission in all aspects of your work.
• Foster a positive and inclusive team environment that aligns with our cultural values.
• Contribute to maintaining a respectful and collaborative workplace, valuing diversity, and promoting teamwork.
• Act as a cultural ambassador, representing our organisation's values and professionalism in interactions with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
• Demonstrate integrity, professionalism, and ethical behaviour.
• Make informed decisions and solve problems effectively, considering diverse perspectives and organisational goals.

The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of activities and you may be required to undertake other reasonable tasks or duties requested.

• A relevant engineering degree or equivalent.
• Experience as an engineering manager, and leading a team to deliver.
• Ability to communicate and engage with multi-functional teams, and manage both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience in delivering complex technical projects in a high-hazard and regulated environment.

Beneficial:

• Experience of plant commissioning and operations – ideally for complex plants (e.g. process/chemical plants, power plants).
• Knowledge and experience of hazard assessment and mitigation processes and technologies.
• Experience in delivery of major infrastructure programmes.

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.

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants . If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.

We have a number of exceptional opportunities available at the moment, to view them all please visit Careers - STEP.