Lead Control and Instrumentation Engineer

Fusion Energy Base; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent pension

Job summary

UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Culham is seeking a Lead Control and Instrumentation Engineer to guide the design, development, and commissioning of tokamak heating and current drive C&I systems. You will lead interlocks, PASS, and data acquisition components and coordinate with design teams to ensure robust, safe operation.

The role requires hands-on experience with PLCs, embedded systems, SCADA, and fast timing electronics, with responsibilities including commissioning and shift leadership

Qualifications

• A degree in Electrical/Electronic/Control Engineering or a related discipline.
• Extensive professional experience with C&I for complex systems including high-power/HV electrical systems, motion control, vacuum, water cooling, fast data acquisition, fast timing, science instrumentation, interlocks.
• Experience in integrating and programming PLCs, embedded systems and SCADA systems in hardware and software (LabView, TIA-Portal, FPGA coding environments).

Responsibilities

• Guide the design, development, and commissioning of tokamak heating and current drive C&I systems, protection systems/interlock systems, PASS systems, or subsystems.
• Liaise with the engineering and design teams and Office of Chief Engineering to ensure designs meet requirements.
• Responsible Officer for systems or sub-systems, continuously assess performance and propose improvements and upgrades.
• Guide fault finding and repair, both on power circuits and on control circuits down to electronic board level.
• Supervise engineers, technicians and electricians on projects, repair and maintenance work ensuring Written Safe Systems of Work and UKAEA safety requirements.
• Ensure activities of the team are carried out safely and in compliance with relevant statutory and UKAEA rules and procedures including Written Safe Systems of Work.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Control systems

C&I for complex systems

High power HV systems

Motion control

Interlocks

Education

Electrical/Electronic/Control Engineering degree

Tools

LabVIEW

TIA Portal

FPGA coding

Job description

Lead Control and Instrumentation Engineer

Overview of Responsibilities

The salary for this role is £57,117 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 5 days a week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working. 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 Additional multi-megawatt heating and current drive systems (Electron Bernstein Wave-EBW and a double beamline for Neutral Beam Injection) are being installed on the MAST Upgrade tokamak. The Lead Control and Instrumentation Engineer will be a member of the Tokamak Systems Unit and in a team responsible for providing control and instrumentation (C&I), interlocks and data acquisition units serving the heating and current drive systems on MAST Upgrade. In this role the job holder will guide and/or participate in the design, development and maintenance of control and instrumentation hardware and software required for operating the heating and current drive plants and will be responsible for the commissioning and operations of the control and instrumentation for such systems, and upgrade projects (including design, procurement, installation). The systems incorporate instrumentation (e.g. microwave instrumentation, water systems, HVDC Power Supplies, gas, vacuum, thermo-couples, optical systems), PLCs and SCADA systems, Electrical Modules and Assemblies, fast intelligent systems based on FPGAs, interlocks, and a Personnel Access Safety System (PASS). The post holder will also be required to act as an operator and/or shift leader during commissioning and operational campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

• Guide the design, development, and commissioning of tokamak heating and current drive Control and Instrumentation systems, protection systems/ interlock systems, PASS systems, or subsystems.
• Liaise with the engineering and design teams and Office of Chief Engineering to ensure designs meet requirements.
• Responsible Officer for systems or sub-systems, the jobholder continuously assesses system performance and proposes improvements and upgrades.
• Guide fault finding and repair, both on power circuits and on control circuits down to electronic board level.
• Supervise engineers, technicians and electricians on projects, repair and maintenance work ensuring the creation and adherence to Written Safe Systems of Work and general UKAEA safety requirements.
• Ensure that activities of the team are carried out safely and effectively and in compliance with relevant statutory and UKAEA rules and procedures including the preparation of Written Safe Systems of Work.

Salary

• £57,117 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension
• View benefits

Programme

Tokamak Systems

Department

Engineering

Discipline

Engineering.

Site Location

UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire

Type of Employment

Full-time

Reference Number

REF4420N

Qualifications

Essential Requirements

• A degree in Electrical/Electronic/Control Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Extensive professional experience with C&I for complex systems for example involving high-power/HV electrical systems, motion control, vacuum, water cooling, fast data acquisition, fast timing, science instrumentation, interlocks.
• Experience in integrating and programming PLC’s, embedded systems and SCADA systems in both hardware and software (LabView, TIA-portal, FPGA coding environments).

Desirable Requirements

• Chartered Engineer status and membership to the IET.

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/UKAEA

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.