Control and Instrumentation Engineer

Overview of Responsibilities

About us  

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 organisations to achieve ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.  

About the job 

Join UKAEA as a Control and Instrumentation Engineer, supporting the systems that power and control the MAST Upgrade fusion experiment. Working within the Tokamak Systems Unit, you will help design, develop, commission and maintain control and instrumentation systems that enable plasma heating and current drive operations. This is an opportunity to apply your engineering expertise to cutting-edge fusion technology while contributing directly to the development of sustainable fusion energy. 

What You’ll be Doing

• Support the design, development and commissioning of control and instrumentation systems for Tokamak heating and current drive facilities. 
• Develop, maintain and upgrade hardware and software used for plant control, interlocks, instrumentation and data acquisition. 
• Collaborate with engineering, design and chief engineering teams to ensure systems meet operational and technical requirements.
• Configure, programme and integrate PLC, SCADA and embedded control systems. 
• Manage subsystem documentation, commissioning procedures and configuration control activities. 
• Monitor system performance, identify improvements and deliver upgrade projects including procurement and installation activities.
• Act as Responsible Officer for allocated subsystems, ensuring safe and reliable operation. 
• Operate Tokamak subsystems during commissioning and experimental campaigns, investigating alarms, diagnosing faults and implementing corrective actions.
• Support contractors, apprentices, students and less experienced engineers on technical activities. 
• Work to UKAEA safety, quality and engineering standards while contributing to a safe, inclusive working environment.

What You’ll Bring

• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Control Engineering or a related discipline, with experience in process control and instrumentation. 
• Experience delivering control and instrumentation solutions for complex systems involving areas such as high-speed data acquisition, timing and trigger systems, high-voltage electrical systems, vacuum systems, gas systems or water cooling systems. 
• Experience programming and integrating PLC, SCADA and embedded control systems across hardware and software environments. 
• Working knowledge of industrial control software and platforms, with experience of tools such as LabVIEW, LabVIEW FPGA, iFIX or GX Works. 
• Experience producing technical documentation, commissioning procedures and system configuration records. 
• Ability to participate in operational commissioning activities, including fault diagnosis and system support within regulated engineering environments.

Please be aware that this role requires a 5 days on site presence. We actively support flexible working arrangements where this is compatible with the role.

Benefits 

We have a generous range of benefits (see the full list here) and highlights include:   

• A salary of £43,702 (inclusive of a £3,300 specialist allowance)   
• Up to 7% corporate performance bonus
• Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution  
• 25 days annual leave plus 2.5 ‘privilege’ days; 8 Bank Holidays
• Additional 3 days of site closure over Christmas break  
• Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions  

Our commitment to ED&I 

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, inclusion and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. 

Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require adjustments to help you participate fairly in our recruitment process, for example changes to the way we interview or share information. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates. 

We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit and further information can be found here.