Lead Manufacturing Engineer

Tokamak Energy Ltd.; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Discretionary bonus

Share options

Pension and protections

Health and wellbeing support

Career progression

Job summary

Tokamak Energy Ltd. is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to drive development and automation of HTS coil manufacturing within MBU, ensuring efficient production and high quality.

You will collaborate with R&D, design and safety teams to build a robust, scalable manufacturing model. We are looking for someone with a degree in Manufacturing/Mechanical Engineering, proven leadership, and experience with coil winding tooling.

Qualifications

• Degree in Manufacturing / Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• Experience in manufacturing tooling design, build and commissioning.
• Proven leadership in engineering environment.
• Experience with superconducting materials and coil winding tooling.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to report status clearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of HTS coil manufacturing and assembly processes from design to manufacture.
• Oversee tooling and machinery design from concept to commissioning.
• Drive continuous improvement for repeatable, scalable production.
• Collaborate with R&D, design and modelling to transition innovations to production.
• Manage day-to-day manufacturing team workflow and ensure traceability and risk assessments.

Skills

Process development

Leadership

Coil winding tooling

Communication

Problem solving

Adaptable

Education

Degree in Manufacturing/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Tooling design

Job description

Overview

Tokamak Energy is a global leader in fusion energy and HTS technologies. We work with governments and industry to develop and bring fusion and HTS solutions to market through innovation and strategic partnerships, with end-to-end capability in HTS systems from design to manufacturing. We are the Magnet Systems Partner for the UK Government's STEP Fusion programme, under a £70 million contract running to 2029, delivering HTS magnet systems for the STEP prototype power plant and contributing to tokamak systems and plasma integration. Founded in 2009 as a spin-out from the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Tokamak Energy is headquartered in Oxfordshire, with subsidiaries in the United States and Japan. Today, we employ over 300 people and have secured more than £280 million in investment.

We operate through three divisions: Fusion - Fusion energy technologies, expertise and testbeds for government and private fusion programmes, including ST40, the world’s highest field spherical tokamak. TE Magnetics - HTS systems for commercial applications including fusion energy, power distribution, life sciences, and propulsion. Ridgway Machines - Manufacturing equipment for the superconducting, electrical and wider energy sectors, enabling the rapid industrialisation of HTS products.

Role overview

The TEM is a new structure within Tokamak Energy. We want to usher in the HTS era. As a Lead manufacturing engineer, you will lead development, implementation, improvement and automation of magnets manufacturing processes within MBU. You will play a pivotal role in our manufacturing operations, ensuring efficient production processes, adherence to quality standards, and timely project completion. You will work closely with the R&D, technical, design, safety and quality teams with a focus on achieving a robust, reliable and scalable manufacturing model.

In this role, you will:

• Lead development of new HTS coil manufacturing and assembly processes focusing on design to manufacture
• Support design and development of new manufacturing tooling and machinery from concept to commissioning
• Lead continuous improvement of existing manufacturing processes to ensure it can accommodate both custom and scalable production as well as achieve required repeatability and reproducibility
• Collaborate with the R&D, Design and modelling teams to transition innovations into production-ready processes
• Oversee and assess new and existing processes and workflows
• Organise and oversee manufacturing team day-to-day workflow
• Transition R&D concept design and manufacturing processes into repeatable production-ready state
• Ensure risk assessments are in place and being followed
• Ensure process and material traceability is in place and relative procedures are being followed
• Analyse and interpret data to drive decision making and continuous improvement
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues during development and manufacturing phases

• Degree in Manufacturing / Mechanical Engineering or appropriate experience and proven track record of manufacturing process development
• Experience in manufacturing tooling design, build and commissioning
• Proven leadership experience in an engineering environment (e.g., Team Leader or Supervisor)
• Experience of working with superconducting materials and coil winding tooling
• Mentor, coach and develop more junior members of the team in order to develop overall capability
• Great communication skills (both oral and written) with the ability report project status, issues and plans concisely and effectively in different forums
• Adaptable and resilient, with the ability to deal with ambiguity
• Proactive, energetic and delivery focused, with good problem-solving skills

• Salary range up to £60,000 dependent on skills and experience and will be discussed from the outset

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays, plus discretionary festive shutdown
• Performance-led rewards including discretionary bonus, innovation and merit schemes
• Share options – a stake in our future success
• Pension and comprehensive financial protection package including death in service and critical illness cover
• Health and wellbeing support, including cash plan and 24/7 assistance
• Ongoing investment in your growth with training and career progression
• Be part of world-changing innovation in Fusion Energy

Important information for candidates

No terminology in the advert or job description is intended to discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Every candidate will be assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and abilities to perform the duties of the job.

Pre-employment screening

Please note that the appointment of the successful candidate will be subject to standard pre-employment screening, as applicable to the post. This will include right-to-work, proof of identity and references.

Data privacy

Please note that any personal data submitted to Tokamak Energy as part of the job application process will be processed in accordance with the GDPR and related UK data protection legislation. For more information regarding GDPR please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation

Equality of opportunity

Entry into employment with Tokamak Energy and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. No applicant or member of staff shall be discriminated against because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.