Senior Control System 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 

RACE aims to establish an internationally recognised centre of technical excellence in Remote Applications in Challenging Environments, delivering complex engineering solutions, advancing robotics and emerging technologies, and supporting the growth and innovation of UK industry.

As a Control Systems Engineer, you will provide senior technical leadership, planning, coordinating and delivering significant engineering projects across the full lifecycle, from concept development and specification through design, implementation, commissioning and operational handover.

You will act as a technical authority, lead and influence multidisciplinary teams, ensure compliance with relevant standards, and make critical engineering and project decisions. The role also involves shaping organisational direction, contributing to strategic decision-making and multi-year planning, and driving the development of innovative robotics and control systems to address complex technical challenges.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead complex control systems and robotics projects across the full engineering lifecycle, from concept to commissioning and handover.

• Act as a senior technical authority, developing technical strategies and standards, guiding key engineering decisions, and ensuring compliance with operational, regulatory and technical requirements.

• Define control system requirements and interfaces for robotics and remote handling applications, coordinating multidisciplinary teams to deliver safe and effective solutions.

• Manage technical work packages, budgets, resources and project delivery, including procurement, technical specifications, tender documentation and contract oversight.

• Build strong relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and research organisations, while improving engineering processes, developing technical capability and mentoring early-career engineers.

What You’ll Bring

• Degree, Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, STEM or a related discipline, or equivalent qualification and experience.
• Chartered Engineer status or equivalent professional registration, or the ability to demonstrate an equivalent level of professional competence.
• Extensive experience in control systems, robotics and/or software engineering, including associated development processes.
• Significant experience designing and delivering control systems within a regulated engineering or national laboratory environment.
• Proven experience leading technical work packages, project planning activities and engineering delivery teams.
• Strong knowledge of configuration control, engineering design standards and relevant safety legislation within a regulated industry.

UKAEA is an onsite organisation, and this role requires regular onsite presence (usually between 3-5 days in any given week) in line with business needs. 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 £64,820 (inclusive of a £6,500 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.