Principal Stress Engineer/Technical Lead

Scantec Personnel Limited; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering firm in Derby is seeking a Principal Stress Engineer to lead structural integrity for nuclear projects. This full-time position offers a competitive salary and benefits package. The role includes mentoring engineers and resolving complex engineering issues, requiring experience in Finite Element Analysis and international codes. This opportunity allows for significant career growth within a collaborative environment.

Benefits

Generous benefits package

Life assurance

Pension contributions

Employee support programs

Qualifications

• Chartered Engineer status or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience in structural integrity within the nuclear sector.
• Advanced proficiency in Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership on structural integrity for nuclear projects.
• Guide and mentor engineering teams on quality and compliance.
• Oversee assessments using Finite Element Analysis and traditional methods.

Skills

Chartered Engineer (CEng)

Experience in structural integrity

Advanced proficiency in Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Leadership experience

Knowledge of international codes

Experience with pressure vessel assessments

Customer interface experience

Familiarity with Altair Hyperworks

Tools

ABAQUS

ANSYS

Dyna

Job description

Overview

Principal Stress Engineer/Technical Lead – Derby, United Kingdom. Permanent, full time on site with some hybrid flexibility. Sector: Defence, MOD & Aerospace. Salary: £70k - £75k per year + competitive salary and package. Job Reference: JOB-89907. Published: 08-10-2025. Expiry Date: 05-11-2025.

Introduction

A Global Engineering client is seeking Principal Stress Engineer to join their expanding team in Derby. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of nuclear infrastructure and to contribute to critical defence projects and next-generation energy systems.

Role

As a Principal Stress Engineer, you’ll take the lead in shaping and delivering high-profile nuclear projects, acting as the go-to technical expert for all aspects of structural integrity. You’ll guide and support a talented engineering team, providing technical direction, mentoring, and ensuring every project meets the highest standards of quality, safety, and compliance.

You’ll oversee and sign off detailed assessments using both finite element analysis and traditional calculation methods, applying recognised international codes such as ASME, API-579, and BS7910. As the Independent Technical Approver, you’ll represent the business in client meetings, providing trusted advice, solving challenges, and building strong relationships.

Collaboration will be key, as you’ll work closely with safety case engineers and other specialists to ensure each project is backed by solid technical evidence. You’ll also play a hands-on role in resolving complex engineering issues, improving processes, and driving continuous improvement across the team.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced engineer who enjoys combining technical leadership with practical problem-solving, someone who thrives in a collaborative environment and wants to make a genuine impact on major UK nuclear programmes.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership on structural integrity for high-profile nuclear projects; act as the technical expert for all structural integrity aspects.
• Guide and mentor engineering teams; deliver technical direction and ensure quality, safety, and compliance across projects.
• Oversee and sign off detailed assessments using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and traditional calculation methods; apply codes including ASME (Sections III or VIII Div 2), API-579, BS7910, BS7608, and others.
• Act as Independent Technical Approver; represent the business in client meetings and provide trusted advice.
• Collaborate with safety case engineers and other specialists to ensure projects are underpinned by solid technical evidence.
• Resolve complex engineering issues; drive process improvements and continuous improvement within the team.

Skills / Qualifications

• Chartered Engineer (CEng) or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience in structural integrity, ideally within the nuclear sector.
• Advanced proficiency in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using tools such as ABAQUS (other tools like ANSYS or Dyna also considered).
• Experience leading technical teams and mentoring engineers.
• Experience with international codes: ASME (Sections III or VIII Div 2), API-579, BS7910, BS7608, and others.
• Knowledge of pressure vessel and defect tolerance assessments.
• Experience interfacing directly with customers in technical discussions.
• Familiarity with Altair Hyperworks or similar pre/post processing tools.
• Experience with customer-specific methodologies (R3, R5, R6) advantageous.

What’s on Offer

In this role you will work alongside some of the greatest minds in the Nuclear industry. You will have access to the tools and support to develop your career, pathways that will allow you to grow, support for qualifications and certificates and ongoing access to world class engineering expertise.

This role comes with a competitive salary, generous benefits package including life assurance and pension contributions and a wider benefits offering including employee support and development programmes.

If this sounds like an opportunity you’d like to explore simply click apply to learn more.