Head of Engineering – Materials Division

Fusion Energy Base; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 104,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent pension

Job summary

UK Atomic Energy Authority is seeking a Head of Engineering for the Materials Division to provide strategic engineering leadership for expanding facilities across MRF I–III at Culham, Oxfordshire. You will lead cross-disciplinary design, build, and commissioning while ensuring robust governance and safety compliance.

The role requires Chartered Engineer level capability, experience in managing large teams, and a proven track record in project delivery and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree and professional standing; Chartered Engineer preferred.
• Proven experience leading large multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience in project management with delivery-focused mindset.
• Strong strategic planning and risk management capabilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Flexible to adapting to evolving project requirements and uncertainty.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic engineering leadership for the Materials Division.
• Lead design, build, commissioning and maintenance planning for facilities across MRF I–III.
• Act as Design Authority for new engineering within the division.
• Manage senior engineering resources and foster high-quality delivery.
• Engage with senior stakeholders to align and deliver on UKAEA’s mission.
• Champion governance, safety standards and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Strategic planning

Communication

Flexibility

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Head of Engineering – Materials Division

Overview of ResponsibilitiesThe salary for this role is £94,758 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 5 days each week. This role can be based at any of the following sites; 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 Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As Head of Engineering – Materials Division, you will provide strategic engineering leadership for an expanding Materials Division, shaping the future of its world-class research infrastructure. You will lead the design, build, installation and commissioning of existing and planned facilities across MRF I–III, while developing long-term strategies for their maintenance, repair and expansion. As Design Authority for new engineering within the Division, you will provide technical leadership across major investments and lead the growth and development of a high-performing engineering team.

Additional Responsibilities

• Scope and deliver new engineering capability across the Materials Division, delivering the engineering content for approximately £60m of new facilities, aligned with the UK Fusion Materials Roadmap and in collaboration with teams across UKAEA and external partners.
• Provide strategic engineering input to major business cases, defining the engineering approach, capability, resources and delivery requirements for new facilities.
• Align Divisional engineering plans with internal and external senior stakeholders to support delivery of UKAEA’s mission and goals.
• Develop and implement engineering policies, standards and governance, ensuring compliance with Culham site QSHERA requirements while adapting and extending these frameworks to support new site environments, including the University of Durham’s NETPARK campus.
• Report on engineering progress, activities, risks and resource requirements to UKAEA ExCo, key funders including NNUF, the Henry Royce Institute and EPSRC, and other senior external stakeholders.
• Build and lead a resilient, inclusive and appropriately scaled engineering function, combining UKAEA expertise with specialist external capability where required.
• Line manage and develop senior engineering resources across MRF I–III, fostering collaboration, innovation, accountability and high-quality delivery.
• Provide technical leadership to strengthen engineering capability and support the Division’s ambition to become a leading UK centre for experimental research on irradiated materials.
• Lead the completion and commissioning of engineering systems across MRF I, including plant, utilities, robotics, remote handling and control and instrumentation systems.
• Deliver a fully operational suite of hot cells, including completion of the Hot Cell Extension and integration of the original MRF hot cells.
• Lead the delivery of MRF II and MRF III, establishing and overseeing multidisciplinary civils, engineering and science teams.
• Leverage engineering capability and expertise across UKAEA to maximise delivery capacity and efficiency across the Materials Division.
• Implement effective engineering management and Systems Engineering processes, ensuring robust governance, assurance and legislative compliance.
• Oversee relevant machine certification and engineering assurance activities in collaboration with the UKAEA Office of the Chief Engineer.

Salary

£94,758 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension

View benefits

Programme

• Department: Materials (MRF)
• Discipline: Engineering
• Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire
• Type of Employment: Full-time
• Reference Number: REF4461Z

Qualifications

• Degree in engineering discipline with a proven track record of delivering in research environments - preferably Chartered Engineer, skilled enough to be able to be creative in combining system engineering implementation, and to lead design activities across several engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, electronic)
• Experience in requirements for CE/UKCA certification (preferably with machine certification qualification)
• Experience in large team management
• Experience in project management - Ability to estimate resource requirements and focus on delivery to an agreed timeline, clear understanding of, and adherence to, scope
• Experience of high hazard plant in a safety management or technical management capacity
• Ability to demonstrate strategic planning and leadership to support business goals
• Good oral and written communication ability
• Ability to deal with uncertainty - Flexibility in responding to unforeseen changes with a view to minimising impact on technical delivery
• Desirable: Experience in a hot-cell facilities or nuclear engineering

Additional Information

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 [e-mail] 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.