Senior Methods Engineer

KBR, Inc; Burton upon Trent; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

25 days holiday

Company pension

Flexible working

Professional development

Job summary

Frazer-Nash Consultancy seeks a Senior Methods Engineer to design, develop and maintain robust physics-based software for nuclear safety applications. You will translate complex mathematical methods into reliable code, deploy test frameworks and collaborate with clients and SMEs on site as needed.

You will join the Nuclear Software team, mentoring junior developers, shaping software architecture, and contributing to proposals.

Qualifications

• Degree or PhD in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
• Experience translating mathematical methods into software.
• Proficient in Python, MATLAB or Fortran.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high quality software components.
• Translate mathematical methods into software requirements and code.
• Collaborate with clients and experts, often on site, to define solutions.
• Contribute to software architecture and code reviews.

Skills

Python

MATLAB

Fortran

Git

CI/CD

Education

STEM degree

Tools

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

Senior Methods Engineer

Salary range: £55,000 to £70,000 per annum

Location: Burton upon Trent

Working Pattern: We operate a flexible hybrid working pattern at Frazer-Nash, with time split between the office, client sites and working from home. This role would require the applicant to be available to work at a client sites in the Derby area when required.

Closing date: 25th October 2026

We encourage early applications, as vacancies may close once we receive sufficient applications.

INTEREST

Are you an engineer, scientist or software developer who enjoys solving complex problems and wants to grow into a technical leadership role? This position sits within the Nuclear Software team in Frazer-Nash Consultancy’s Software and Digital Architecture capability, where our safety-related software enables the safe design, analysis, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants. You will be part of a multidisciplinary team working at the intersection of software engineering, physical sciences, and safety case. You will be involved in all stages of the software development lifecycle including implementing and deploying new applications, improving and advancing in-service software, user experience and graphical user interface design. This role has a particular focus on physics-based software in domains such as structural analysis and assessment, thermal analysis, fluid dynamics and core physics, where both domain knowledge and software development skills are required to deliver robust software applications. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to deepen their software development and physics-based analysis expertise while developing the skills needed to mentor others, influence technical direction, and lead work packages or projects. This role will provide the successful candidate with exposure to nationally significant projects, contributing to the UK’s national security, energy security and net zero ambitions.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• You will be expected to:
• Design, develop, and maintain high quality software components, with a focus on robustness, performance, and maintainability.
• Translate mathematical methods into software requirements, implement robust solutions in code, and develop test frameworks to verify correctness.
• Work closely with clients and subject matter experts, often on site, to understand requirements and translate them into effective software solutions.
• Contribute to defining and evolving software architecture, balancing performance, scalability, and long term maintainability.
• Participate actively in code reviews, debugging sessions, and performance profiling to improve code quality across the team.
• Support and mentor junior developers through technical guidance, constructive review, and knowledge sharing.
• Over time, take responsibility guiding technical direction and contributing to the planning, delivery and management of project work.
• Help develop client relationships and contribute to development of new business, such as through writing winning proposals.
• Thrive in a consultancy environment solving real-world, high-consequence challenges.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

• Proficient professional experience in an engineering, scientific or software development role.
• A degree or PhD in a STEM (Science, technology, engineering or mathematics) subject.
• Experience with programming in a least one of Python, MATLAB or Fortran.
• Experience in physics-based analysis such as structural analysis, thermal analysis, fluid dynamics, multi-physics, material modelling or core neutronics.
• Experience of translating mathematical methods into robust computer code.
• Familiarity with collaborative development practices, including Git and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience working across the full software development lifecycle, including design, implementation, testing, and maintenance.
• Knowledge of software testing techniques and a commitment to writing reliable, maintainable code.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• The confidence and communication skills to work directly with clients and technical stakeholders.
• Sole UK nationality, due to the nature of the work.

Desirable experience includes:

• Experience working in the nuclear sector.
• Experience in a technical consultancy environment.
• Practical experience applying object oriented design principles and modular software architectures.
• Experience of safety-related software development against relevant industry standards.
• Experience in development with Fortran 90.
• Experience in using high performance computing.

Due to the nature of the work that Frazer-Nash Consultancy undertake, candidates will be required to undergo pre-employment screening and must be able to satisfy clearance criteria for UK National Security Vetting.

BENEFITS

• Competitive salary with yearly reviews
• 25 days holiday + the opportunity to buy 5 days.
• A company that has its heart in the right place and a welcoming work culture.
• Happy to talk flexible working
• Enhanced parental benefits
• Company pension scheme
• Targeted professional development
• Life assurance
• Private healthcare membership
• Bonus scheme linked into company performance
• Paid membership fees to a professional institution
• Support in attaining professional membership
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season rail ticket loan
• And further optional benefits you can tailor to your personal requirements

Frazer-Nash is a leading systems, engineering and technology company.

We help organisations deliver innovative engineering and technology solutions to make lives safe, secure, sustainable, and affordable.

With over 1000 employees, we work from a network of nine UK and four Australian locations.

Our people apply their expertise to develop, enhance and protect our clients' critical assets, systems and processes.

We use our skills and talents to ensure a sustainable future for society.

Our work helps deliver a safe and secure world, where natural resources are conserved, and clean energy is available to all.

And we focus on actions to reduce climate change; supporting rapid and far-reaching transformations in the delivery of energy, security, industry and transport.

At the heart of our business are a set of self-defined core values. These are part of our DNA and we're committed to upholding them - internally as part of our Frazer-Nash family - in the way we work with our customers - and when we engage with the wider world.

We care At Frazer-Nash, we care about each other; always looking to collaborate and see things from the other person's point of view.

We offer mutual support, learn from one another, and work as a team to deliver the best results.

Everyone has a voice, and we all make the time to listen.

We will work with openness and collaborate effectively – thinking about our clients and our people and responding to their needs.

We care about the difference we make to the wider world.

We are trusted.

Effective collaboration is founded upon trust.

We earn the trust of our customers and colleagues by delivering on the commitments we have made to them.

We deliver success.

We deliver value and success to our customers and **/business.

We continually strive th...