Senior Stress Engineer

Westlakes Recruit; Ringway; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A nuclear solutions company is seeking a Senior Stress Engineer to lead project teams and deliver high-quality stress analysis. Based in various UK locations, the successful candidate will engage with clients, mentor junior engineers, and define strategic roadmaps for stress capability development. Candidates should have a degree in engineering, experience in stress assessments within the nuclear sector, and expertise in tools like ABAQUS. This role offers an opportunity to significantly impact the industry's critical objectives.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Expert FE analysis capability and strong communicator.
• Experience in stress assessments in highly regulated sectors.
• Desirable experience in CFD, dynamics, fatigue, and degradation mechanisms.

Responsibilities

• Lead project teams and deliver high-quality stress analysis.
• Define strategic development roadmap for stress capability.
• Support recruitment campaigns and mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Technical Delivery

Stress Capability Lead

Team Growth

Business Development

Internal Leadership

Education

Degree in engineering + Chartered Engineer (CEng)

Tools

ABAQUS

ANSYS

LS-Dyna

Altair Hyperworks

Python

Job description

Senior Stress Engineer

Westlakes Recruit is currently recruiting for a Senior Stress Engineer. Candidates can be based in either Derby, Warrington, Bolton, Sunderland, Glasgow, or Bristol and will be engaged on a permanent basis.

Responsibilities

• Technical Delivery
  • Lead project teams and technical work in client-facing roles, delivering high-quality stress analysis and structural integrity assessments.
  • Act as a technical lead for stress and structural integrity, providing expert advice, troubleshooting and technical oversight.
  • Serve as an Independent Technical Approver to ensure the highest engineering standards.
  • Use finite element analysis and traditional hand calculations to justify strength, fatigue, defect tolerance and structural performance to international codes and standards (including pressure vessel and defect-tolerance codes).
  • Collaborate closely with safety case authors, design engineers and multidisciplinary delivery teams.
  • Mentor junior engineers, offering technical guidance and helping shape our next generation of stress specialists.
• Stress Capability Lead
  • A portion of your time will be dedicated to leading, developing and growing clients internal stress capability.
• Capability Development & Governance
  • Define the strategic development roadmap for stress engineering capability.
  • Maintain and improve technical processes, methods, best‑practice guides and quality frameworks.
  • Monitor workload, skill gaps and training needs across the stress discipline.
  • Lead technical upskilling initiatives, coaching frameworks and internal training pathways.
• Team Growth, Recruitment & Retention
  • Work with the Engineering Directors and Business Management teams to forecast demand, plan workforce requirements and shape the long‑term capability pipeline.
  • Support recruitment campaigns, interview and select high‑quality stress engineers.
  • Ensure strong retention by fostering a supportive culture, mentoring talent and providing growth opportunities.
• Sales, Bidding & Business Development
  • Collaborate with Sales and Business Development teams to identify opportunities where stress capability adds value.
  • Contribute to bids, proposals, client presentations and technical sales materials.
  • Represent stress capability during strategic planning, major pursuits and innovation initiatives.
• Internal & External Leadership
  • Act as a visible leader and ambassador for stress engineering across the team and with clients.
  • Build and maintain relationships with key technical stakeholders, partners and industry bodies.

Qualifications

• Build high-performing teams supporting a range of customers and industry sectors.
• Lead stress and structural integrity assessments using modern techniques.
• Deliver and review high-quality technical assessments to recognised standards.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers while acting as a senior technical reference point.
• Work directly with clients to tackle complex stress and integrity challenges.
• Demonstrate expert FE analysis capability (strength, fatigue, defects, lifetime assessments).
• Apply ASME III / ASME VIII, API‑579, BS7910, BS7608, R4/R5/R6 codes.
• Desirable – experience in CFD, dynamics, fatigue and degradation mechanisms.
• Must have experience in the nuclear sector or a comparable highly regulated sector.

Your Toolbox Should Include

• Degree in engineering + Chartered Engineer (CEng).
• Experience in stress assessments in the nuclear sector.
• Strong communicator with excellent commercial awareness.
• Expert in ABAQUS (or ANSYS, LS‑Dyna, etc.).
• Experience with Altair Hyperworks or similar tools.
• Familiarity with code assessments (ASME, PD5500, BS2573, BS EN 13001, R6).
• Coding and scripting using languages such as Python.
• Knowledge of manufacturing methods, materials and inspection techniques.

Why We’re Different

Westlakes Recruit is a people solutions business that understands the complexities of nuclear and the importance of our clients’ mission‑critical objectives.

Smarter, faster, more agile – we have a laser focus on nuclear, with deep sectoral knowledge.

Powering a diverse nuclear future.

As an equal opportunities business, we value applications.