Plasma Control Engineer

Women's Engineering Society; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 39,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Relocation

Flexible working

Employee support

Job summary

UK Atomic Energy Authority is seeking a Plasma Control Engineer to develop and operate Plasma Control Systems for fusion experiments, primarily MAST-U and STEP, with support across other tokamaks worldwide.

Responsibilities span requirements, modelling, implementation, commissioning and operation, plus tool development for plasma operations and potential publications in journals and conferences.

Qualifications

• Degree in a scientific, engineering or technical subject (e.g. Plasma Physics, Control Engineering, Robotics, Software Engineering).
• Demonstrable experience of developing working, understandable software in at least one language used in scientific or engineering applications (particularly Python, C/C++, Fortran).
• Knowledge and experience of real-time control systems.
• Appetite and ability to learn and apply new technologies.
• Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate well on projects.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to development, operation and maintenance of software, tools and models for MAST-U Plasma Control System and STEP programme.
• Collaborate with external organisations within the European Fusion community in the development of software related to plasma control and operations.
• Undertake software/control system development for other projects for internal and external customers.
• Manage own tasks with attention to quality and timescales; submit progress reports on time.
• Prepare and deliver technical presentations for internal and external forums.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Fortran

Real-time control

Education

Physics/Engineering degree

Tools

FPGA design

Real-time software tools

Job description

Company Description

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 realising 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.

Benefits

• 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.

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

Job Description

The salary for this role is £43,702 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits, including outstanding pension. Onsite working is expected for 3 days each 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.

Role

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As a Plasma Control Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in the development and operation of Plasma Control Systems (PCS) to ensure that experiments can be conducted on fusion devices. Primarily focused on MAST-U and STEP, the role will also support other tokamaks around the world.

This role covers the full lifecycle of control systems development—from defining requirements and system specification to modelling, implementation, commissioning, operation, and eventual decommissioning. Provide software support to maintain and develop tools and models to support plasma operations for national and international fusion programmes. Expected to contribute towards publications in technical journals and international conferences. Depending on their knowledge, experience, and interest, the successful candidate will be encouraged to train for a role within the MAST-U control room, working with the operational team to configure and safely operate the MAST-U device to achieve experimental goals.

Additional Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development, operation and maintenance of software, tools and models for MAST-U Plasma Control System and for the STEP programme. This involves evaluation, testing and refining software as well as maintaining suitable documentation of both the physical hardware and software configuration of systems.
• Collaborate with, and provide advice to, external organisations within the European Fusion community in the development of software related to plasma control and operations.
• Undertake software/control system development for other (non- MAST-U) projects for internal and external customers. This involves working with scientists and engineers to understand project requirements, architect solutions and discuss potential areas for future collaboration.
• Manage own tasks over days or weeks with attention to quality, timescales and communication. Ensure progress reports are submitted to task managers/project leads on time.
• Prepare and deliver technical presentations for internal and external forums.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in a scientific, engineering or technical subject (e.g. Plasma Physics, Control Engineering, Robotics, Software Engineering).
• Demonstrable experience of developing working, understandable software in at least one language used in scientific or engineering applications (particularly Python, C/C++, Fortran).
• Knowledge and experience of real-time control systems.
• Appetite and ability to learn and apply new technologies.
• Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate well on projects.

Desirable

• PhD or equivalent research experience working in an academic or industrial research environment.
• Knowledge of plasma physics or fusion fundamentals.
• Experience in plasma physics or experimental experience at a fusion research institution.
• Knowledge and experience of developing FPGA solutions for real-time applications.

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 who want to help us achieve our mission. We are under‑represented from some groups and so want to encourage applications in particular from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African backgrounds and from Pakistani and Bangladeshi British backgrounds. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) and Wellbeing, and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and take steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

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.

Hours: Full Time

Working Terms: Permanent

Location: Culham, Oxfordshire

Salary: £43,702 Per Year, Excellent benefits, including outstanding pension