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

The salary for this role is £52,293 (inclusive of a Market Premium Payment (MPP))

This role can be 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.

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 Materials Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in undertaking materials science/engineering projects within this Materials Business Unit as part of UKAEA’s fusion research programme collaborating with universities, industrial partners and/or overseas research organisations.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Organising and coordinating short- and long-term projects, arranging specimen/data procurement, scope of work, funding and resources for sample preparation, testing, modelling.
• Delivering high quality, novel research or engineering in the field of nuclear materials through own endeavour and creative input.
• Compiling and present results within technical reports, at scientific conferences and through publication of high-quality research articles.
• Building, and provide management to, a small team of material scientists and engineers, providing research direction and allocating them to projects as required. This may also include leading teams during experiments or modelling exercises, to ensure that data is collected and reported in a robust and timely manner.
• Completing all aspects of line management and support recruitment activities, where relevant. Leading in the definition of the materials requirements for operation in a fusion power plant, collaborating closely and building a network not just with internal stakeholders but with other fusion and GenIV partners in both academia and industry

Essential Requirements:

• A degree or equivalent experience in materials science, engineering, metallurgy or related and relevant subject
• Technical expertise in Metallics (steels, alloys).
• Materials fabrication / processing.
• Previous experience of working in a laboratory environment / materials research group / experimental campaign.
• Ability to work well within a team and able to readily articulate complex technical information to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Desirable Requirements:

• Alloy design experience, particularly around ferritic-martensitic steels.
• Experience using thermodynamic modelling software such as ThermoCalc and JMatPro. 
• Project management experience, managing timelines, budgets and delivery of objectives within a multi-disciplinary team.

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly individuals from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and women. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.