Senior Manager – C&I Protection Systems

Rolls-Royce SMR; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 71,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus – up to 12.5%

Benefits Allowance £2,200 per year

Pension – 12% employer / 6% employee

Holidays 28 days + 8 bank holidays (UK

Private Medical Insurance

Home Office Support £250

Job summary

Rolls-Royce SMR is recruiting a Senior Manager for Control & Instrumentation (Protection & Safety Systems) to provide strategic and technical leadership across the design, verification and delivery of plant protection systems for the SMR programme. You will oversee safety architectures, ensure compliance with nuclear safety requirements, and guide safety integration with engineering leadership.

You will champion governance, lead large multidisciplinary teams, manage suppliers and engage

Qualifications

• Degree in Control, Electrical, Electronic, Instrumentation, Systems Engineering or similar.
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) or equivalent professional registration.
• Significant experience delivering protection and safety systems in safety‑critical environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead specification, design and delivery of nuclear protection and safety systems.
• Define and maintain protection system architectures and safety functions.
• Ensure alignment with nuclear safety requirements, safety cases and regulatory expectations.
• Lead verification, validation and qualification strategies.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams delivering safety‑related system functionality.
• Support regulatory engagement and independent assessment activities.
• Drive technical governance and safety assurance across all protection systems.
• Develop strategic supplier relationships and oversee delivery of safety‑significant solutions.
• Lead programme planning, risk management and capability development.

Skills

Safety‑related C&I systems

Functional safety principles

Protection architectures

Reactor protection systems

Safety automation

Verification & validation

Leadership of multidisciplinary teams

Supplier management

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Engineering degree (Control/Electrical/Electronic/Instrumentation/Systems)

Chartered Engineer (CEng) or equivalent

Job description

We are Rolls‑Royce SMR and we’re doing something that’s never been done before. We’re revolutionising an industry. That’s a once‑in‑a‑career opportunity for those excited by such a challenge. This is more than just a job; this is a legacy.

The Electrical, Control & Instrumentation (EC&I) function is responsible for delivering the systems that protect and control the power station under all operating conditions. Protection and Safety Systems are among the most safety-significant systems within the plant and form a fundamental part of the nuclear safety case.

About the Role:

As a Senior Manager – C&I (Protection & Safety Systems), you will provide strategic and technical leadership for the specification, design, integration, verification and delivery of plant protection systems across the SMR programme.

You will lead the development of safety‑related architectures, ensuring that protection systems satisfy nuclear safety requirements, regulatory expectations and operational objectives. This includes oversight of protection logic, reactor protection systems, safety automation and supporting safety system integration.

You will work closely with safety case teams, regulators, system architects and engineering leadership to ensure that protection systems remain compliant, verifiable and fully integrated within the overall plant design.

This is a senior technical leadership role with responsibility for organisational capability, programme delivery and strategic direction across one of the most important engineering domains within the power station.

We’ll Need You To:

• Lead the specification, design and delivery of nuclear protection and safety systems
• Define and maintain protection system architectures and safety functions
• Ensure alignment with nuclear safety requirements, safety cases and regulatory expectations
• Lead system verification, validation and qualification strategies
• Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams delivering safety‑related system functionality
• Support regulatory engagement and independent assessment activities
• Drive technical governance and safety assurance across all protection systems
• Develop strategic supplier relationships and oversee delivery of safety‑significant solutions
• Lead programme planning, risk management and organisation capability development
• Mentor, coach and develop engineering leaders and specialists within the function

Key Skills Required:

We know there’s no such thing as the ‘perfect’ candidate. If you meet around 75% of the criteria below, we’d love to hear from you:

• Extensive experience delivering safety‑related C&I systems within nuclear or other highly regulated sectors
• Strong understanding of functional safety principles and protection system design
• Experience with safety classification, safety case development and regulatory assurance
• Knowledge of protection architectures, reactor protection systems and safety automation
• Experience leading verification, validation and qualification activities
• Strong systems engineering and requirements management capability
• Proven leadership of large multidisciplinary engineering organisations
• Experience managing technical suppliers and strategic delivery partners
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to influence engineering and programme decisions at a strategic level

Qualifications:

• Degree qualified in Control Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering, Systems Engineering or another relevant STEM discipline
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) or equivalent professional registration
• Significant experience delivering protection and safety systems within a safety‑critical environment

Location:

Hybrid working with one of the following as your primary site:

Derby, Manchester or Warrington.

Salary and Package:

The salary band for this role will be between £71,000 – £93,200 dependent on the skills, values and knowledge you bring. There may be flexibility in exceptional cases.

Benefits include:

• Bonus – Performance‑related target opportunity up to 12.5%
• Benefits Allowance – £2,200 per annum for a bespoke package
• Pension – 12% employer and 6% employee contributions
• Holidays – 28 days (+ public holidays) with the ability to buy or sell up to 5 days
• Private Medical Insurance – BUPA personal cover
• Home Office Support – £250 one‑off payment for new starters

You’ll be joining a forward‑thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness and innovation. We offer a flexible, inclusive and supportive working environment, opportunities for growth in a rapidly scaling business, and a culture that values diversity, continuous learning and engineering excellence.

Selection Process:

The closing date for this role is 30th October 2026. The process will begin with an introductory call with the Talent Acquisition Partner, with interviews being able to take place straight away.

You’ll be joining a forward‑thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness, and innovation. We offer:

• A flexible, inclusive, and supportive working environment.
• Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business.
• A culture that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we’ll let you in on a secret: there’s no such thing as a ’perfect’ candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you.

Also, if you are considering a career move or a sector‑jump, please get in touch – we welcome applications from people with transferable skills.

Our Application Process

Due to the safety regulations within the nuclear industry, applicants will be required to participate in additional screening. These are:

• Obtaining Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance
• Satisfactory completion of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Satisfactory completion of a basic financial probity check