Principal Civil & Structural Engineer

NUVIA; Retford; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Scheme

Employee Share Scheme

Cycle to Work scheme

Maternity Pay

Holiday entitlement 25 days (28/31 by/

Job summary

NUVIA is recruiting for a Principal Civil & Structural Engineer to define and assure civil and facilities design for the STEP Prototype Plant, embedded in the STEP Design Authority, with governance under UKFE. The role supports nuclear, defence and energy programmes with a focus on safety, compliance and timely delivery.

Based in the UK at Retford-area sites, the role offers hybrid working with minimum site/office presence.

Qualifications

• Experience leading civil/structural design within high-integrity projects.
• Ability to define civil design basis and governance.

Responsibilities

• Define civil plant design vision, principles and high-level requirements.
• Provide authoritative civil/structural leadership within the Design Authority framework.
• Establish and operate civil engineering governance, standards and review arrangements.
• Ensure integration between civil facilities, fusion plant systems and site infrastructure.
• Identify and advise on civil/structural risk, safety and compliance matters.
• Lead early-stage concept development for low maturity designs.
• Support design maturity assessments and lifecycle progression readiness.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Design Authority

Risk management

Independent judgement

Job description

Role: Principal Civil & Structural Engineer

Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday

Location: Candidates can be based at either of the below sites on a hybrid basis - 3 days per week site/office presence as a minimum.

• West Burton Power Station, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 9BL

We are actively recruiting on either a permanent or contract basis. If contract, in initial duration will be 12 months.

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.

Objective:

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 context with evolving requirements and incomplete design definition.

The service shall be delivered by individual(s) fully embedded within the STEP Design Authority, operating under UKFE governance, policies and behaviours. The individual(s) providing this service shall be required to formally declare and manage any actual or perceived conflicts of interest, noting that they will be assuring work produced by their employing organisation. The individual shall sign a conflict-of-interest declaration and operate in accordance with agreed conflict management arrangements, ensuring transparent and proportionate management of any conflicts while maintaining independent technical judgement.

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.

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.
• Exercise independent engineering judgement, including providing challenge to design outputs and holding the line on design integrity under conditions of uncertainty.

Employee Staff Benefits:

• Private Medical Scheme*
• Employee Share Scheme
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes: Electrical Vehicles, Technology and Cycle to Work
• 18 Weeks Full Maternity Pay* (+21w SMP)
• 25 days holiday (increasing to 28 days after 5 years’ service, 31 days after 10 years’ service)
• Option to buy, sell and carry over up to 5 days annual leave per year
• In partnership with trade unions
• Personal Development & Further Education Support