Prototype and Testing Principal Engineer – Test Programme – UKIFS

STEP Fusion; Retford; Hybrid; GBP 71,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fusion energy company in Nottinghamshire is seeking a Prototype and Testing Principal Engineer to lead essential technology demonstration activities for its STEP Programme. The ideal candidate will have a degree in a STEM field, demonstrate leadership in multidisciplinary projects, and possess effective communication skills. This full-time role offers a salary of £70,505 plus excellent benefits, including a defined benefit pension scheme and flexible working options.

Benefits

Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme

Corporate bonus scheme up to 7%

Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days

Qualifications

• Experience working in a business that holds design authority.
• Ability to articulate ideas clearly and listen actively.
• Experience leading large, distributed engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead a matrix of technical staff across three partner organisations.
• Ensure the programme has the right people, tools, and infrastructure.
• Drive continuous improvement and set a culture of excellence.

Skills

Leadership of complex multidisciplinary engineering or testing programmes

Effective communication skills

Ability to adapt to change

Proven ability to inspire and motivate technical teams

Strategic and innovative thinker

Education

Degree in a STEM related field

Tools

Dassault Systemes 3D Experience platform

Job description

Prototype and Testing Principal Engineer - Test Programme - UKIFS

• Full-time
• Division: UKIFS - Technical
• Site Location: West Burton, Nottinghamshire
• Confirmed Grade: Level 6

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) Ltd, a subsidiary of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), is at the forefront of developing fusion sustainable energy. Through the design and delivery of STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme we aim to build a prototype fusion plant, targeting first operations around 2040.

UKIFS will lead delivery, collaborating with industrial partners and building a fusion supply chain with an estimated global sector value of £7tn per year.

Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for Flexible Working.

As an employee of UKIFS 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.
• 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.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

The salary for this role is £70,505 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension.

The closing date to apply for this position is the 5th of January.

This UKIFS vacancy will be based at our site in West Burton, Nottinghamshire however frequent travel to Culham, Oxfordshire will be required.

The Engineering Manager Role within Prototype and Testing is a core role in the leadership of Technology Demonstration activities for the STEP Programme. You will be leading a matrix of technical staff across three partner organisations, providing a significant contribution to all Prototype and Testing (P&T) and Technology Demonstration activities undertaken on the STEP programme. Alongside the P&T Programme Manager, and other members of the leadership team, you will have both direct and indirect control of a proportion of a total £300m budget allocated for Prototyping and Testing over the next 4 years.

Within the framework of a systems engineering approach, you will collectively own and contribute to the overall P&T delivery strategy and direction for a complex and evolving technical programme. You'll drive continuous improvement and set a culture of excellence within the organisation, promoting organised work practices without stifling innovation.

Reporting to the Head of Engineering - Prototype & Testing, and leading a particular element of the Technology Demonstration lifecycle (from Test Programme Management, Engineering Design, Assembly, Operation & Testing or Development, Decommissioning & Exploitation), you will be part of the leadership team responsible for implementation of the broader strategy, enabling efficient planning and delivery of STEP Test Programmes. As UKIFS is Design Authority for STEP, you will support mitigation of a significant portfolio of technical risk, ensuring the right capabilities are available at the right time to deliver the prototyping and testing elements of the Technology Demonstration programme. You will lead teams working to continuously build confidence in the development and delivery of a first of a kind fusion power plant, across a variety of different disciplines. As many systems currently have low technical readiness, you must evolve the prototype and testing approach as the design evolves, ensuring Engineering needs are met and risks are mitigated proportionate to the phase of the engineering and test programme lifecycle. This can involve working with significant uncertainty and/or novelty, requiring flexibility in both strategic approach and delivery.

One of the key outcomes of the STEP programme is the creation of a virtual, or digital, twin. Therefore, you will work very closely with counterparts in the Modelling and Simulation team to ensure virtual analogues of physical testing are developed, accurate, and accredited/validated. Finally, you will work with the Project and Programme Management team to oversee and validate progress to schedule and cost. Establishing a fusion company in the UK is pioneering work. You'll thrive in this role if you can embrace uncertainty and ambiguity, both in an organisational and technical context, as we build UKIFS and its team. You'll shape functional standards and ways of working as we grow, whilst also seeking new technologies, efficiencies, and leadership opportunities in nuclear fusion.

Prototype and Testing Strategy & Approach

• Advising and consulting on strategic direction, and taking responsibility for a significant element of the Technology Demonstration programme, ensuring alignment with STEP goals and objectives.
• Identify new advancements, new efficiencies, and new ways for UKIFS to be leaders within Nuclear Fusion.
• Exploit digital opportunities to increase technical delivery performance and optimise process. Drive long term economic value via contribution to siting strategies and create additional long-term value from STEP investment in rigs and facilities.
• Identify synergies to exploit testing opportunities, leveraging existing rigs and facilities to the maximum extent possible.

Prototype and Testing Programme Delivery

• Ensure that the programme has the right people, tools, infrastructure and data to run efficiently and effectively across all phases of the Technology Demonstration lifecycle.
• Contribute to strategic workforce planning for an extended team comprised of strategic partners and suppliers, including the facilitation of significant early careers involvement (apprentices and graduates) and the skills pipeline within P&T.
• Focusing on digital enablement and our journey towards a digital twin/Virtual STEP, identify opportunities and implement the integration of P&T activities within the PLM system.
• Contribute to a robust make/buy strategy for P&T, taking advantage of existing hardware capabilities but balancing that against STEP’s long-term needs over the entirety of the Product Lifecycle (concept through to disposal).
• Develop and enact methods for effective prioritisation of P&T activities, and drive consistent implementation of the rigs lifecycle/rigs realisation process to drive efficiency.
• With the relevant lead PM for your lifecycle area maintain and deliver to cost, schedule and quality.

Leadership & Delivery

• Provide oversight of test programme delivery within P&T.
• Employ robust stakeholder management to ensure all parties are engaged and informed both within the team and external to STEP.
• Act as the primary Point of Contact for your lifecycle area within P&T.
• Deputise for the Head of Prototyping & Testing, as required.
• Regardless of your formal position, embody a leadership mindset and a set of ‘best for enterprise’ behaviours.
• Contribute to maintaining a respectful and collaborative workplace, valuing diversity, and promoting teamwork.
• Act as a cultural ambassador, representing our organization's values and professionalism in interactions with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
• Lead by example, demonstrating integrity, professionalism, and ethical behaviour. Make informed decisions and solve problems effectively, considering diverse perspectives and organisational goals.
• Collation and funneling of test programme requirements from IPT’s.
• Tools and criteria development for decision making and prioritisation within Prototyping & Testing.
• Horizon scanning and strategic approach to external testing, and support engagement with external testing capability.
• Ownership and implementation of the test programme process.

Embody a Leadership Mindset

• Regardless of your formal position, you embody a leadership mindset and a set of leadership behaviours. You embrace and embody our organisation's culture, values, and mission in all aspects of your work.
• Foster a positive and inclusive team environment that aligns with our cultural values.
• Contribute to maintaining a respectful and collaborative workplace, valuing diversity, and promoting teamwork.
• Act as a cultural ambassador, representing our organisation's values and professionalism in interactions with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
• Lead by example, demonstrating integrity, professionalism, and ethical behaviour.
• Make informed decisions and solve problems effectively, considering diverse perspectives and organisational goals.

The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of activities, and you may be required to undertake other reasonable tasks or duties requested.

Qualifications

• Degree in a STEM related field.
• Programme or Engineering Management experience.
• Leadership of complex multidisciplinary engineering or testing programmes.
• Strategic and innovative thinker in a novel technology context.
• Experience of working in a business that holds design authority.
• Effective communication skills: Ability to articulate ideas clearly, listen actively, adapt communication style to diverse audiences, and resolve conflicts effectively.
• Ability to adapt to change and uncertainty, and embrace the evolving nature of the job.
• Ability to upskill quickly and have an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Proven ability to inspire and motivate technical teams.

Beneficial

• Experience working in an emergent tech or scientific environment.
• Experience with Dassault Systemes 3D Experience platform.
• Experience with virtual analogues of physical systems, including accreditation of such models.
• Commercial experience in contracting and negotiating, especially with respect to protection of Intellectual Property (IP).
• Experience leading large, distributed Engineering teams, including multiple partners and businesses.

For more information on UKIFS visit : https://careers.ukaea.uk/wp-content/uploads/download/UKIFS_CandidateRecruitmentPack.pdf

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, ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and neurotypical individuals. Our Executive team, 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.

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.

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.

We have a number of exceptional opportunities available at the moment, to view them all please visit Careers - STEP .