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

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: careers.ukaea.uk/join-us/recruitment-process

The salary for this role is £38,500 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance) . Onsite working is expected for 5 days a week, however, 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) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data. 

The Role

MAST Upgrade is currently the largest operating spherical tokamak in the world, providing a facility on which to perform experiments to provide the answer to key questions for fusion power to be delivered to the grid. We are looking for an Electromechanical Technician who will be part of the Tokamak Systems Unit which carries out the operation, upgrading, commissioning and maintenance of a wide range of systems in support to the MAST Upgrade facility, including plasma heating and current drive systems.

The purpose of this role is to provide electromechanical support to subsystem responsible officers primarily of the MAST Upgrade Neutral Beam Injectors (NBI) and of other systems when required. Mechanical subsystems include vacuum, cooling, gas, electromagnetic and pressurised systems as well as beamline components.

The jobholder will also contribute to operations during commissioning and campaigns to deliver power to tokamak plasmas.

It is essential that the jobholder adopts outstanding safe working practices.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to routine maintenance, repair, improvement and upgrading of the electromechanical components of the MAST Upgrade plasma heating and current drive systems.
• Participate in the design, manufacturing, assembly and commissioning of various components of the plasma heating and current drive systems.
• Propose improvements that increase reliability and performance or simplify maintenance and/or operations.
• Act as Operator of the plasma heating and current drive systems on MAST Upgrade during commissioning and routine operations.
• Participate in fault-finding activities under the supervision of plant responsible officers and produce reports.

Essential Requirements:

• HNC level in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline or lower level qualification and extensive relevant experience.
• Good knowledge of electrical systems, control and instrumentation and computer systems.
• Ability to read engineering drawings and information.
• Experience in working on activities where there are safety hazards (e.g. high voltage) and in producing and applying safe systems of work (e.g. risk assessments, operating instructions).

Desirable Requirements: 

• Some experience in working in operational teams on large experimental or high-technology systems would be an advantage.
• Experience in vacuum, pressurised and cooling systems and understanding of electrical work.

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

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.

UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email [email protected] 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.