Principal Testing Rigs & Labs Technician
Overview of Responsibilities
The salary for this role is £57,117 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 5 days each week.
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
We are recruiting a Principal Testing Rigs & Labs Technician to provide senior‑level technical leadership within our experimental laboratories.
This is a highly practical role, combining deep hands‑on expertise with day‑to‑day operational responsibility for testing rigs, laboratory equipment and experimental activities. You will be the principal technical authority for laboratory operations, ensuring experiments are built, commissioned and run safely, efficiently and to a high technical standard.
Working closely with engineers, scientists and programme teams, you will translate experimental designs into robust, real‑world test setups, mentor technicians and apprentices, and help evolve laboratory capability to meet the needs of novel and emerging technologies.
Key Accountabilities:
- Take day‑to‑day ownership of the safe and effective operation of testing rigs and laboratory facilities
- Act as the technical lead for experimental build, commissioning, operation and decommissioning activities
- Translate experimental designs into safe, buildable and high‑quality physical test setups
- Provide hands‑on leadership during complex or novel experimental work, troubleshooting issues and reducing technical risk
- Ensure laboratory assets, tooling and equipment are maintained, organised, calibrated and fit for purpose
- Lead risk assessment, safe systems of work and incident investigation within laboratory environments
- Generate and maintain technical procedures, experimental documentation and high‑quality test data records
- Support continuous improvement of laboratory processes, workflows, tooling and instrumentation
- Supervise, mentor and develop technicians and apprentices, setting high standards of professionalism and safety
- Engage with internal and external stakeholders to clarify requirements, provide expert guidance and manage expectations
- Deputise for the Testing Rigs and Labs Operations Manager when required
Qualifications
Essential Requirements:
- A relevant technical qualification in a STEM discipline, or equivalent practical experience
- Extensive hands‑on experience in laboratory, prototype or experimental test environments
- Strong mechanical and/or electrical technical capability
- Experience delivering and operating complex experimental setups (e.g. pressure, vacuum, cryogenic or high‑voltage systems)
- Proven ability to take ownership of laboratory operations and experimental delivery
- Ability to interpret and produce engineering and technical documentation
- Experience supervising, mentoring or coaching technical staff or apprentices
- Strong organisational and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to work autonomously
Desirable Requirements:
- Degree in engineering or a related discipline
- Knowledge of manufacturing machining (e.g. milling & turning)
- Experience working in R&D or novel technology environments
- Familiarity with laboratory compliance frameworks (e.g. COSHH, PUWER, LOLER or similar)
- Experience integrating instrumentation, control systems or data acquisition into experimental rigs
- Involvement in laboratory upgrades, facility fit‑out or new capability introduction
Additional Information:
- This role requires regular hands‑on work in laboratory and workshop environments
Additional Information
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 talent@ukaea.uk 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.
