Job Description
The salary for this role is £91,173 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working.
This role is based at the following site: Culham, Oxfordshire.
This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.
Join the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) as Head of Engineering
Are you ready to lead one of the most technically advanced and strategically vital engineering programmes in the UK?
UKAEA is seeking an exceptional engineering leader to take on the role of Head of Engineering within our Tritium Fuel Cycle division. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of fusion energy by overseeing the engineering design and delivery of first-of-a-kind tritium facilities and other tritium projects including glovebox experimental delivery and facility upgrades and refurbishments. You’ll be at the forefront of innovation, guiding multi-million-pound projects that are critical to enabling the delivery of sustainable fusion energy.
As Head of Engineering for the Tritium Fuel Cycle division, you will provide technical leadership across UKAEA’s tritium programme, including the H3AT project and other cutting-edge experimental and infrastructure initiatives. You’ll be responsible for setting and owning UKAEA’s tritium design standards, ensuring safe, timely, and high-quality delivery of engineering solutions.
About the Role:
This senior leadership role reports directly to the Director of Tritium Fuel Cycle Division and sits at the heart of UKAEA’s fusion mission. You’ll work across divisions and functions, collaborating with scientists, engineers, operators and regulatory bodies to deliver pioneering tritium systems. You’ll also represent UKAEA as a recognised technical authority both nationally and internationally.
Key Responsibilities:
* Lead technical strategy and delivery for tritium engineering projects across UKAEA
* Own and develop UKAEA’s tritium plant design standards
* Provide expert guidance and approval across the full lifecycle of tritium systems
* Mentor and support engineering teams, ensuring competency and capability
* Drive innovation and continuous improvement in engineering processes
* Represent UKAEA externally, influencing the future of fusion regulation and design
What We’re Looking For:
* Extensive experience in plant design for tritium or other highly regulated nuclear/radiological environments.
* Proven track record of delivering complex, high-tech engineering projects
* Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills
* Experience in technical risk management and continuous improvement
* Ability to influence across organisational boundaries and drive strategic outcomes
* Chartered status with a recognised professional body.
Why Join Us?
This is a high-impact role at the cutting edge of fusion energy development. You’ll be part of a vibrant, mission-driven organisation committed to clean energy for all. UKAEA offers a collaborative culture, outstanding benefits, and the chance to make a lasting contribution to one of the most transformative scientific endeavours of our time.
Qualifications
Essential experience
* Degree or equivalent in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering.
* Chartered status with a professional body (or equivalent demonstrable endorsement from peers).
* Substantial experience in tritium plant design and operation and fusion fuel cycle technologies or other regulated nuclear/radiological plant design.
* Proven success in delivering complex, high-tech engineering projects within a regulated environment.
* Experience of use of continuous improvement techniques to innovate and drive improvement in process and procedures.
* Proven success in managing technical risks and delivering innovative solutions.
* Experience in building and leading technical teams, mentoring and coaching engineers and scientists.
* Experience of working across divisions and functions as part of a matrix organisation to drive technical project delivery.
Desirable experience:
* Safety Cases and high hazard risk assessment including Layers of Protection Analysis.
* Commercial awareness.
Personal Skills:
* Ability to be both detail-oriented & consider ‘bigger’ picture, dependent on the situation.
* Delivery focused but with high standards with respect to delivering with quality and compliance.
* Clear drive for personal growth, organisational learning and continuous improvement.
* Comfortable with decision making and effective in delegation.
* Personal resilience (determination, able to work under pressure, comfortable with differences of opinion and able to mediate conflict).
* Ability to influence and persuade others to alternative views on complex issues.
* Strong communication skills with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
Additional Information
A full list of our benefits can be found here
UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We are under-represented from some groups and so want to encourage applications in particular from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African backgrounds and from Pakistani and Bangladeshi British backgrounds. 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 organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.
UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.
Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.