Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer

UK Atomic Energy Authority; Culham; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 74,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Relocation allowance

Bonus up to 7%

Flexible working

Employee Assistance Programme

Mental Health First Aiders

25 days annual leave + 3 days Xmas + 2

Job summary

UK Atomic Energy Authority at Culham, Oxfordshire, is seeking a Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer to lead complex C&I projects across fusion facilities. The role focuses on delivering safe, reliable control systems and informing future technology roadmaps.

You will apply expert knowledge of PLC/SCADA systems, Siemens S7/PCS7, LabVIEW and ABB 800xA, and guide safety‑critical software development, design reviews, and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Electrical/Electronic Engineering with professional experience.
• Extensive PLC/SCADA knowledge and safety documentation experience.
• Experience with design, installation and testing of C&I software and hardware systems.

Responsibilities

• 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, solving novel technical issues and guiding project direction.
• Develop control system architectures, specifications, and documentation with innovative solutions.
• Provide technical leadership for control and safety systems including architecture design, software development, installation, commissioning, and lifecycle management.
• Lead and deliver software development using industrial control platforms (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 to ensure safe, high‑quality delivery.

Skills

PLC and SCADA expertise

Technical leadership

Safety documentation experience

Education

Degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering

HND in Electrical/Electronic

Tools

Siemens S7/PCS7

LabVIEW

ABB 800xA

Python

C++

Job 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 realizing 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.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• 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.

What to expect in our 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.

Are 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).

This role is based at the following site: Culham, Oxfordshire.

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.

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 unprecedented 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.

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.

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, isolation 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.

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.