Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 71,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent pension

Job summary

UK Atomic Energy Authority is seeking a Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer to lead fusion C&I projects from concept to detailed design. You will act as the SME for control and instrumentation, guiding architecture, software development and lifecycle management across multiple programmes.

The role is primarily onsite at Culham, with potential hybrid discussions. A degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or equivalent is essential, along with extensive PLC/SCADA and safety-document

Qualifications

• Essential: degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or equivalent.
• Or HND in Electrical/Electronic with broader experience.
• Excellent knowledge and significant experience of PLC and SCADA systems.
• Demonstrable experience with Siemens, ABB 800xA or similar control systems.
• Deep understanding of EC&I documents (SLDs, P&IDs, C&Es, schematics).
• Strong safety culture with experience producing risk assessments and permits.

Responsibilities

• Lead medium-to-large fusion C&I projects from concept through detailed design.
• Act as Subject Matter Expert for control and instrumentation across projects.
• Produce technical papers and solve novel technical issues.
• Develop control system architectures, specifications and documentation.
• Provide technical leadership for control and safety systems lifecycle management.
• Lead software development using industrial control platforms; manage delivery and reviews.
• Coordinate and mentor multidisciplinary teams and contractors to ensure safe, compliant delivery.

Skills

PLC/SCADA systems

Siemens S7/PCS7

ABB 800xA

LabVIEW

Python

C++

Education

Electrical/Electronic Engineering degree

HND in Electrical/Electronic discipline

Tools

Siemens S7/PCS7

ABB 800xA

Job description

Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer

Overview of ResponsibilitiesAre you an experienced Control & Instrumentation Engineer looking to work on some of the most advanced and complex engineering challenges in the UK? The salary for this role is £64,820 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance).

The Role

The Control & Instrumentation Group provides organisation-wide expertise, support and services for UKAEA projects, with strong capability in the design, delivery, installation and commissioning of electrical, control and instrumentation systems. Our work underpins major operational facilities today while helping shape future fusion technologies. As Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer, you will provide and apply key technical skills related to Control and Instrumentation systems to enable the successful delivery of projects and programmes across UKAEA. The role holder will act as a subject matter expert in control and instrumentation, leading and owning large, high-risk work packages involving complex systems and technical studies. This role is primarily onsite due to the nature of the work and the facilities involved. However, hybrid working can be discussed where possible, depending on business needs.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead medium-to-large scale fusion C&I projects from concept through to detailed design for facility upgrades and future technologies.
• Act as Subject Matter Expert for control and instrumentation systems across projects and programmes.
• Produce or contribute to technical decision papers, involving innovative problem solving of novel situations, analysing unprecedent technical issues and influencing strategic project direction and approaches.
• Develop control system architectures and solutions, specifications, and documentation, applying innovative solutions to complex technical challenges.
• Provide technical leadership for control and safety systems, covering architecture design, software development, installation, commissioning, and lifecycle management.
• Lead and deliver software development using industrial control platforms (e.g. Siemens S7/PCS7, LabVIEW, ABB 800xA, Python, C++).
• Manage project delivery, including requirements capture, design reviews, HAZOPs, risk management, budgets, and stakeholder engagement.
• Coordinate and mentor multidisciplinary teams and contractors, ensuring safe, high-quality, and cost-effective delivery in line with organisational and regulatory standards.

Salary

£64,820 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension

Programme Details

• Department: Electrical Engineering
• Discipline: Engineering
• Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire
• Type of Employment: Full-time
• Reference Number: REF4210T

Qualifications

• Essential: A degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or equivalent, and relevant professional experience in an engineering role.
• Or a minimum of a HND in Electrical/Electronic discipline, or equivalent qualification level, with a greater breadth and depth of experience/knowledge.
• Excellent knowledge and significant experience of PLC and SCADA systems
• Demonstrable experience with Siemens, ABB 800Xa or similar control system applications.
• Deep understanding of EC&I documents (SLDs, P&IDs, C&Es, schematics etc.)
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of safe working practices and procedures, with substantial experience of preparing safety documentation (i.e. risk assessments, method statements, permits, isolations etc).
• Demonstrable experience in design, installation and testing of Control and Instrumentation software and hardware systems.
• Identify policy/process improvements in C&I engineering and contribute to proposals that influence organisational standards and governance.
• Experience working in a scientific / engineering environment following strict safety processes, collaborating with a broad variety of stakeholders
• 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.

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 to help us achieve this goal.

We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce.

We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit.

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.