Senior Structural Engineer

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 organisations to achieve ground breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

Job Description

You will support UKAEA projects and programmes by defining and delivering Structural Integrity Management frameworks from design through to implementation and operation, helping ensure the safe and cost-effective delivery of activities involving heavy plant and demanding maintenance requirements. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineer who enjoys taking responsibility, guiding others, and contributing to the success of complex, high-profile projects.

Core responsibilities

• Carry out site inspections, review layouts, and engage with clients, suppliers, and internal teams to define requirements, manage expectations, and ensure the feasibility of structural solutions.
• Develop and manage design concepts for both standard and complex structures, perform structural calculations, and use computational tools for analysis in line with relevant codes and best practice.
• Provide technical leadership for design activities across projects, ensuring implementation aligns with approved designs, standards, and contractual requirements, and compile complete handover documentation.
• Act as a subject matter expert in structural engineering, supervise team members, oversee checking and review processes, and support the development of colleagues through mentoring and knowledge sharing.
• Maintain accurate design and assessment documentation, support continuous technical improvement, and ensure compliance with management systems, policies, and procedures.

Qualifications

• Recognised degree in Civil or Structural Engineering, with Chartered Engineer status (or sufficient experience to achieve chartership within a reasonable timeframe).
• Extensive experience applying numerical analysis methods in structural engineering from first principles, in accordance with relevant design codes and regulations such as the Eurocodes.
• Experience in the design and analysis of nuclear shielded facilities.
• Experience in the design and analysis of facilities incorporating remote handling or similar systems.
• Proven technical leadership experience, working in close collaboration with certified project managers.

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here but highlights include:

• £57,000 base salary
• Final salary defined benefit scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave, plus 3 days Christmas closure, 2.5 privilege day and 8 bank holidays
• Flexible and hybrid working options

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, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit. Further information can be found here.