Senior Engineer - Chemistry

At Rolls‑Royce SMR, our mission is simple and ambitious: to deliver clean, affordable and sustainable energy for all. Our Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is a pioneering British solution to the global energy challenge, designed to support net‑zero, strengthen energy security and create a world‑leading green export technology. We are uniquely positioned to shape the next era of nuclear innovation — combining advanced engineering, meaningful purpose and long‑term societal impact.

You’ll join our Materials & Chemistry function — a diverse, growing team of over 20 engineers responsible for supporting the full SMR lifecycle from concept through to decommissioning. The chemistry team plays a critical role in water‑chemistry strategy, impurity management, corrosion behaviour and technical inputs into regulatory submissions, ensuring the safety, performance and maturity of our SMR design. Your work will directly influence system behaviour, regulatory acceptance and customer confidence.

Senior Engineer – Chemistry

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the chemistry foundations of a next‑generation SMR design. You will help deliver a safe, efficient and future‑ready product by owning technical justifications, supporting GDA Step 3, and embedding chemistry considerations across multidisciplinary engineering teams. This role is central to ensuring our SMR meets stringent regulatory expectations while enabling future customer deployment.

• You will be developing and finalising chemistry‑related technical justifications for GDA Step 3 submissions.
• You will engage cross‑functionally with systems engineering, design teams and technical specialists to ensure chemistry requirements are integrated across the product.
• You will collaborate with regulators and external stakeholders, preparing high‑quality technical documentation.
• You will contribute to site‑specific chemistry work, supporting early customer discussions and future deployments.

In this role, you will directly influence the UK’s most advanced nuclear new‑build programme. Your expertise will help demonstrate safety, reduce operational risk, optimise chemistry performance and shape the regulatory acceptance of the SMR. Your work will enable cleaner energy, global export potential and the long‑term growth of the UK nuclear sector.

To be successful, you will need:

• A degree in Chemistry or closely related discipline.
• Strong understanding of water chemistry, impurity management and corrosion mechanisms.
• Practical experience in nuclear or power‑generation chemistry within regulated environments.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multi‑disciplinary engineering teams.
• Excellent technical writing and analytical skills.

We offer flexible, hybrid working. You can be based in Derby, Warrington or Manchester, with office attendance discussed during the recruitment process.

We anticipate paying a salary of between £50,650 - £66,500 DOE plus:

• Bonus - Performance related target opportunity 12.5%
• Benefits Allowance – £2,200 per annum, enabling you to create a bespoke package
• Pension - 12% employer and 6% employee contributions.
• Holidays - 28 days holiday (+ public holidays) and the ability to buy or sell up to 4 days.
• Private Medical Insurance - BUPA single cover health care
• Life Assurance - 6x pensionable pay
• £250 - One‑off payment for new starters for home office purchases

You’ll be joining a forward‑thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness, and innovation. We offer:

• A flexible, inclusive, and supportive working environment.
• Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business.
• A culture that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we’ll let you in on a secret: there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you.

Also, if you are considering a career move or a sector‑jump, please get in touch – we welcome applications from people with transferable skills.

Due to the safety regulations within the nuclear industry, applicants will be required to participate in additional screening. These are:

• Obtaining Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance
• Satisfactory completion of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Satisfactory completion of a basic financial probity check