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Senior Cryogenics Engineer

Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

Full-time

Salary: £56,596 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits, including outstanding pension

Division: Plasma Science and Fusion Operations

Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire

Confirmed Grade: Level 5

Department: Tokamak Systems

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 realising 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 on our website.

The salary for this role is £56,596 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days a week; we actively support requests for flexible working.

This role can be based at any of the following sites: Culham, Oxfordshire.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.

The Role

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As Senior Cryogenics Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in providing expertise to a small team working on significant projects, such as the STEP cryoplant and cryodistribution system, engaging with both commercial suppliers and cryogenics users across STEP to define the system requirements. The STEP Cryogenic System will be among the largest in the world, comparable to those at ITER and CERN.

• Process and equipment design and selection
• Design of P&IDs, heat and mass balances, and supporting documentation
• The planning and performing of simulation analysis and validating analysis carried out by others
• Presenting strategic reports to senior management; contributing to negotiations for resources and budget
• Selection of design standards and the validation of designs against those standards, by computation or experimentation
• Vendor management, including managing significant contracts
• Engaging with industry and the wider cryogenics sector to drive innovative developments
• Supervising and directing the work of junior engineers or students
• Preparing papers for journals and conferences, presenting at seminars and conferences
• Ensuring safety requirements are met

Other duties that are reasonable and commensurate with this role may not be specifically referred to in this document.

• Degree or equivalent in Cryogenic, Mechanical, or Process Engineering, or an equivalent STEM subject
• Extensive experience in cryogenics; this experience could be from a laboratory or an industrial setting
• Modelling and simulation experience using CFD and thermal analysis with software, such as MATLAB Simulink, MATLAB coding, ANSYS, and/or COMSOL
• Process engineering design of cryogenic systems using simulation tools like ASPEN HYSYS/PLUS, MATLAB, MATLAB Simulink
• A good working knowledge of engineering materials and their properties
• Excellent collaboration skills, including written, verbal, and interpersonal communication
• Demonstrable ability to work and communicate with a multi‑disciplinary team
• Demonstrable understanding of modern project management tools and methodology

• Design, development, and construction of cryogenic distribution systems (cold boxes, valve boxes, transfer lines, heat exchangers) or equivalent
• Design, specification, and selection of cryogenic/pneumatic/hydraulic system components (valves, compressors, pipes, instrumentation, pumps, turbines) or equivalent
• Comprehensive understanding of process automation, instrumentation and control
• Experience with relevant environmental factors such as plasmas, vacuum and transient magnetic fields
• A solid understanding of modern standards in Quality Assurance, Safety, Health and the Environment

For a full list of benefits and to apply, select the apply button to be taken through to the UKAEA careers pages.

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 take steps to increase diversity within our organisation. 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 our team 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.