Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer

About The Job

Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer

Abingdon Rd, Culham, UK

Full-time

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

Division: Integrated Engineering

Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire

Confirmed Grade: Level 5

Department: Electrical Engineering

Company Description

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.
  
  

Job Description

The salary for this role is £56,596 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected, however, we can also discuss hybrid working where possible, depending on business needs.

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.

The Role

We’re looking for a Senior Control & Instrumentation (C&I) Engineer to join our team driving the future of fusion energy. In this exciting role, you’ll lead the design, development, and delivery of advanced control and safety systems that power some of the UK’s most innovative and high-tech facilities.

From initial concepts to commissioning, you’ll take full ownership of complex work packages, solving technical challenges, responding to plant faults, and ensuring robust, safe solutions. You’ll also lead technical studies, produce key documentation, and oversee the work of staff and contractors on major installations and upgrades.

In this role, you will use strong communication and influencing skills to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and stakeholders, effectively manage your time and workload to meet targets and independently identify and solve complex technical problems.

If you're ready to make a real impact and apply your expertise in a fast-paced, high-tech, research-driven environment, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and be part of the future of clean energy.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead and deliver C&I projects from concept to detailed design, including enhancement programmes and future fusion systems, ensuring timely, safe, and cost-effective execution.
• Take technical ownership of multiple control and safety systems, covering installation, software development, testing, commissioning, and maintenance across UKAEA facilities.
• Develop technical documentation and software, including system architecture, control philosophies, and coding in platforms such as Siemens TIA S7, PCS7, LabVIEW, ABB 800xA, Python, and C++.
• Collaborate across disciplines to capture requirements, perform HAZOP assessments, chair design reviews, and guide solutions through the full lifecycle with end users and stakeholders.
• Supervise teams and ensure compliance, overseeing contractors, authorising electrical work, managing project milestones, and maintaining adherence to safety, quality, and technical standards.
  
  

Qualifications

Essential:

• A degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or equivalent, and relevant professional experience in an engineering role. Or HND in Electrical/Electronic discipline, or equivalent qualification level, with a greater breadth and depth of experience/knowledge.
• Strong practical knowledge of PLC and SCADA systems, along with a solid understanding of EC&I documents such as SLDs, P&IDs, C&Es, and schematics.
• Experienced in safe working practices and procedures, including preparing safety documentation like risk assessments, method statements, permits, and isolations.
• Must demonstrate a high level of experience in the design, installation, and testing of Control and Instrumentation software and hardware systems.
  
  

Desirable

• Chartered Engineer status with a suitable professional institution.
• Functional Safety qualifications (e.g. TÜV Rheinland FSEng).
• Experience with Siemens, LabVIEW, ABB 800Xa or similar control system applications.
• Experience working in a scientific / engineering environment following strict safety processes.
• Supervisory experience.
  
  

Additional Information

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 the talent 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.