Principal Civil Engineer

NUVIA; Retford; Hybrid; GBP 52,500 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

NUVIA UK is seeking a Principal Civil Engineer at West Burton (Hybrid) to lead civil and structural design authority activities for the STEP Prototype Plant, ensuring safe, compliant and integrated civil designs within a first‑of‑a‑kind program.

You will define the design basis, govern interfaces with fusion plant systems, manage risks, and drive readiness for design maturity, DCO progression and construction.

Qualifications

• Lead civil and structural engineering capabilities for STEP Prototype Plant.
• Define and control civil design basis and governance.
• Identify and manage civil design risks and interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the civil plant design vision and high-level requirements.
• Provide authoritative civil/structural engineering leadership within the Design Authority framework.
• Manage integration across civil facilities, fusion plant systems and site infrastructure.
• Support design maturity assessments and readiness for lifecycle progression (DCO/construction).

Job description

Location: West Burton (Hybrid)

Salary Banding: £52,500-£75,000 (Dependant on experience)

About the Role: Provision of a Civil & Structural Engineering Design Authority capability to define, integrate and assure the design of buildings, civil structures, groundworks and site-wide infrastructure for the STEP Prototype Plant (SPP). The service shall ensure that civil and facilities designs are safe, compliant, integrated with the fusion plant, and delivered to the required programme maturity, operating effectively in a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) context with evolving requirements and incomplete design definition.

Job Title: Principal Civil Engineer

Location: West Burton (Hybrid)

Salary Banding: £52,500-£75,000 (Dependant on experience)

About the Role: Provision of a Civil & Structural Engineering Design Authority capability to define, integrate and assure the design of buildings, civil structures, groundworks and site-wide infrastructure for the STEP Prototype Plant (SPP). The service shall ensure that civil and facilities designs are safe, compliant, integrated with the fusion plant, and delivered to the required programme maturity, operating effectively in a first-of-a-kind (FOAK) context with evolving requirements and incomplete design definition.

Required Outcomes

• A coherent civil and facilities design vision aligned with STEP requirements, safety expectations and target maturity, including a clearly defined and controlled civil design basis.
• Integrated civil designs that enable safe construction, operation and maintenance of the fusion plant. Clear governance, standards and design controls for civil, structural and infrastructure engineering.
• Visibility of civil design risks, interfaces, assumptions and dependencies, with explicit capture and progressive validation of assumptions under conditions of uncertainty.
• Design artefacts suitable for internal governance, DCO progression and regulatory scrutiny, including support to safety case development and substantiation in a novel regulatory context.

Scope of Services The service shall cover civil engineering, buildings, structures, groundworks and site-wide infrastructure required to support the STEP fusion plant, including systems interfaces and facilities integration. It applies across concept, definition and delivery phases and includes support to DCO development and construction readiness. The service will operate at the interface between plant design, site development, safety and programme delivery, ensuring alignment across highly coupled and evolving system boundaries.

Key Service Requirements

• Define and maintain the civil plant design vision, principles, objectives and high-level requirements.
• Provide authoritative civil and structural engineering leadership within the Design Authority framework, acting as the technical authority for acceptance of civil and structural design outputs.
• Establish and operate civil engineering governance, standards and review arrangements.
• Ensure integration and design integrity between civil facilities, fusion plant systems and site infrastructure.
• Identify, manage and advise on civil and structural technical risk, safety and compliance matters, including risks arising from incomplete or evolving design inputs.
• Lead early-stage concept development in areas of low design maturity and translate outcomes into requirements.
• Support design maturity assessments and readiness for lifecycle progression, including DCO and construction, ensuring alignment with programme decision points and readiness criteria.

Capability Expectations The service provider shall demonstrate experience delivering civil and structural engineering leadership in complex, safety-critical or highly regulated environments, with strong systems integration capability, an understanding of CDM and statutory obligations, and the ability to operate effectively in novel, first-of-a-kind engineering programmes, including experience working with immature design baselines, managing high levels of uncertainty, and making robust engineering decisions in highly coupled, multi-disciplinary environments. If you can demonstrate experience in approximately 60% of the roles and responsibilities outlined, we would still encourage you to apply. We recognise that the right candidate may not meet every requirement and can bring transferable skills and behaviours, with the potential to develop further in the role.

There has never been a more exciting time to join NUVIA UK. As a result of significant growth and major contract awards, including the STEP fusion programme and major frameworks supporting the UK's defence and nuclear infrastructure, we are expanding our capability and delivering some of the UK's most innovative and strategically important programmes. Operating across the nuclear, defence and energy sectors, our work supports critical national infrastructure, strengthens energy security and contributes to the UK's long-term resilience.

From helping to deliver the UK's ambitious fusion energy programme to supporting major defence and nuclear infrastructure projects, our teams work at the forefront of complex, safety-critical challenges. Our diverse portfolio offers the opportunity to develop specialist expertise, work alongside industry-leading professionals and build a rewarding career while contributing to projects of national significance.

Join NUVIA and be part of a growing organisation where you can make a lasting impact on society, industry and future generations, while benefiting from meaningful career development.