Senior Process Engineer

-; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fusion energy organization in the UK is seeking a Senior Process Engineer to lead the design and development of major fusion sub-systems. This role involves project management, team leadership, and ensuring compliance with engineering standards. Candidates should have a relevant engineering degree and experience in process engineering. The position requires strong interpersonal and communication skills, with support for flexible working arrangements. This innovative organization is committed to inclusivity and development opportunities.

Benefits

Defined benefit pension scheme

Corporate bonus scheme up to 7%

Flexible working options

Generous annual leave allowance

Career development opportunities

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams and supervising staff.
• Proven capability in process engineering analysis.
• Good working knowledge of engineering materials and their properties.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of major fusion sub-systems.
• Manage multidisciplinary project teams.
• Develop and validate process designs using modelling.

Skills

Leadership

Technical writing

Interpersonal skills

Engineering analysis

Education

Relevant engineering degree

Chartered status or actively working towards

Job description

Company 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 groundbreaking 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

Job Description

The salary for this role is £56,596 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however we actively support requests for flexible working (including part-time, reduced hours).

This role can be based at the following site: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire or Rotherham, Yorkshire.

Travel to another site may be required.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions.

The Role

As a Senior Process Engineer, you will lead the design and development of major fusion sub‑systems, driving projects from concept through to detailed design. This role requires engineering analysis understanding to inform key design decisions. You'll also oversee system or component repair, replacement, and upgrade activities, produce high‑quality technical documentation, and ensure all work aligns with relevant design standards.

If you have experience leading teams and supervising staff, along with strong communication and technical writing skills, we would like to hear from you.

Additional Responsibilities

• Lead the end‑to‑end design of major fusion sub‑systems, including enhancements for UKAEA facilities and future fusion devices, ensuring compliance with engineering standards.
• Manage multidisciplinary project teams, oversee system/component repair and upgrade activities, and collaborate with systems engineers on design requirements, risk analysis, and interface management.
• Develop and validate process designs using modelling, mass and energy balances, PFDs, and P&IDs, and create supporting technical documentation for major equipment.
• Supervise detailed design, manufacturing, tender preparation, and contract management, applying principles of value engineering and design for manufacture.
• Support and mentor junior engineers and students, promoting team development, effective communication, and technical excellence across the organisation.
• Act as a technical authority, contribute to publications, ensure adherence to organisational systems, and drive improvements in group processes and competencies.
• Manage projects or oversee contracts, leading teams of up to 10 staff and supervising the training and development of junior team members.

Qualifications

Essential Requirements:

• A relevant engineering degree or equivalent.
• Attained or actively working towards Chartered status with a suitable professional institution.
• Ability to perform exploratory design calculations using first principles.
• Proven capability in process engineering analysis and a good working knowledge of engineering materials and their properties.
• Experience with relevant factors such as vacuum, pressure, high temperature.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/.

We welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We encourage applications from under‑represented groups, particularly from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi British, and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and neurotypical individuals. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants. If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.

Videos To Watch

https://youtu.be/9ycme04durI