Principal Technologist

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 ground-breaking 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

The salary for this role is £71,815 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for a minimum of 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working.

This role is based at the following site: Whitehaven, Cumbria

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.

Some of the hardest engineering problems in the UK sit inside nuclear facilities: cutting up contaminated assets, decontaminating surfaces, and working in places no person can safely go. We're looking for an experienced mechanical design engineer with a robotics background to lead how we solve them.

As Principal Technologist, you'll lead the Tooling and Equipment focus area within RAICo (Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration). RAICo is a joint programme bringing together UKAEA, the NDA, Sellafield, AWE and the University of Manchester to accelerate nuclear decommissioning through robotics and AI. You'll design and develop end effectors, tooling and equipment for remotely operated robotic systems, and take them from concept and R&D through prototyping and trials to deployment on real sites.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You'll shape the technical and strategic direction of the focus area, lead projects delivered with multidisciplinary teams and supply chain partners, and mentor engineers and technologists. If you come from an R&D, research or advanced engineering background and want your designs to leave the lab and make a real-world difference, we'd like to hear from you. Nuclear experience is not required; we'll support you in learning the sector's safety and regulatory processes.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead the mechanical design and development of tooling and equipment for remotely operated robotic systems, covering size reduction, decontamination and contamination prevention. Work from concept through detailed design, prototyping, testing and deployment.

• Provide expert technical leadership on the integration of tooling with robotic platforms and intelligent systems, including manipulators, mobile robots and remote handling systems, making sound design decisions on performance, reliability and maintainability.

• Shape and deliver the technical strategy for the Tooling and Equipment focus area within RAICo, identifying emerging technologies and opportunities to move them towards deployment.

• Plan and lead engineering projects delivered by internal teams and supply chain partners, including specification, procurement, commissioning and trials, to agreed time, cost, quality and risk targets.

• Act as the technical lead and point of contact for the focus area with partner organisations and suppliers, and mentor and develop engineers and technologists.

• Ensure safe delivery of trials and project activities through safe systems of work, including Work Control Packs, with training and support provided where needed.

Qualifications

Essential:

• A degree (ideally a Master's) in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics or a related discipline, or equivalent knowledge gained through experience.

• Substantial experience in the mechanical design and development of tooling, mechanisms or equipment, taken from concept through to manufacture and test, in industry or applied R&D.

• Experience designing for or integrating with robotic, automated or remote handling systems.

• Experience leading technical projects or workstreams, including planning, budgets, suppliers and working with a range of stakeholders.

• Proficiency with 3D CAD and core design analysis methods (for example tolerance analysis, FEA, design for manufacture).

Desirable:

• Experience designing tooling for cutting, size reduction, decontamination or material handling.

• Experience working in harsh, hazardous or constrained environments, such as nuclear, subsea, offshore, space or defence.

• Knowledge of the nuclear sector or other highly regulated industries, including safe systems of work such as Work Control Packs.

• Chartered Engineer status, or working towards it, with a relevant professional institution.

Our commitment to ED&I

UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce.

Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require adjustments to help you participate fairly in our recruitment process, for example changes to the way we interview or share information. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates.

We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit and further information can be found here.