Senior Maintenance Design Engineer

Proxima Fusion; Oxford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Proxima Fusion is seeking a Maintenance Engineer to lead the maintenance strategy for their stellarator, Alpha. You'll work on innovative solutions, ensuring the machine's operational efficiency by integrating maintenance requirements into its design. This role demands excellent problem-solving skills and engineering expertise in a pioneering energy technology context.

Qualifications

• Experienced engineer with expertise in maintenance systems for mechanical systems.
• Comfortable in ambiguous environments, making informed decisions.
• Proficient in identifying failure mechanisms for complex systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the maintenance strategy for Alpha and oversee system changes.
• Develop mechanical designs for the maintenance system of Alpha.
• Manage external contracts for maintenance system design, ensuring regulatory compliance.

Skills

Communication

Problem-Solving

Design Skills

Education

Engineering Degree

Tools

CAD

CATIA

Job description

WHO WE ARE

At Proxima Fusion, we're driven by a bold mission – to redefine the future of sustainable energy. Our unique concept, built upon the groundbreaking W7-X stellarator and the latest advances in technology, paves the way for commercially viable fusion power plants.

What’s more, our work in stellarator optimization, powered by cutting-edge computation and machine learning, is propelling us into uncharted territories of fusion technology. New higher performance design points are unlocked by high temperature superconducting magnets.

To fully grasp this huge opportunity, we’re building a team of extremely dedicated and passionate people who come together driving something extraordinary, radically transforming technology in the world.

WHY JOIN PROXIMA FUSION

- You will get to work on some of the most complex tech challenges to bring abundant, safe, clean energy to the world.

- You'll get to join and learn from an exceptional selection of accomplished and driven individuals.

- Do your life’s best work and enjoy the journey.

- Get to show that big things are possible in Europe when you assemble the best talent.

YOUR IMPACT

You will lead the maintenance strategy for Proxima’s net energy stellarator, Alpha. Designing how the machine will be accessed and repaired during both planned and unplanned maintenance events.

You will integrate the maintenance requirements into the Alpha design, using engineering processes and judgement to ensure that the Alpha performance can be demonstrated within the ambitious Proxima timescales. To achieve this goal you will build both internal and contracted teams to deliver the strategy through detailed design, prototyping, testing and demonstration.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

- Deliver the planned and unplanned maintenance strategy for Alpha. This will require a detailed understanding of the required system changes and most likely failures during the operational life of Alpha, so that the methods of repair and replacement can be designed.

- Develop concepts and detailed mechanical designs for the Alpha maintenance system, generating innovative solutions to the complex engineering challenges inherent in stellarator fusion machines.

- Own the identification of the Alpha failure mechanisms and effects analysis and the use of this information to drive the Alpha maintenance, operations and design strategies.

- Manage and act as an expert customer for external contracts to develop, test and deliver the Alpha maintenance system design taking full account of the regulatory and safety requirements for Alpha.

- Collaborate closely across the Alpha design, delivery and manufacturing teams to integrate the Alpha maintenance requirements into the stellarator design.

WHO YOU ARE

- High performers with excellent communication and problem-solving skills, who love challenges and are not afraid to experiment, take risks and learn from mistakes.

- Experienced engineers with recognized expertise in designing maintenance systems for complex mechanical systems with proficiency in CAD (experience with CATIA beneficial but not essential).

- Experience in the identification of failure mechanisms for complex mechanical systems at an early stage of development

- Knowledge of thermal, mechanical and safety engineering principles relevant to high-energy physics environments.

- Comfortable operating in ambiguous environments, making informed decisions with limited data, and managing trade-offs among competing requirements.

- Demonstrated ability to manage contracted external work packages within multidisciplinary technical teams in fast-paced, dynamic settings.

INTERVIEW PROCESS

• Recruiter Interview (30-60 min).
• Technical Screening (30 min).
• Technical Panel (3x60 min).
• CEO call (30 min).

At Proxima Fusion, our mission is bold: making limitless clean energy a reality. To get there, we need a high-performing, diverse team that brings different perspectives, challenges assumptions, and builds together with purpose. We know that diversity of thought and experience leads to better ideas, stronger execution, and a more resilient team. We don’t look at how you identify, what you look like, who you choose to worship or what ethnicity you are. We care about what you can bring to the table.