Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer

Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer

• Full‑time
• Salary: £64,820 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance)
• Division:
  Integrated Engineering
• Department:
  Electrical Engineering

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, 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

This role is based at the following site:
Culham, Oxfordshire
.

The Control & Instrumentation Group provides organisation‑wide expertise, support and services for UKAEA projects, with strong capability in the design, delivery, installation and commissioning of electrical, control and instrumentation systems. Our work underpins major operational facilities today while helping shape future fusion technologies.

As Senior Control & Instrumentation Engineer
, you will provide and apply key technical skills related to Control and Instrumentation systems to enable the successful delivery of projects and programmes across UKAEA.

The role holder will act as a subject‑matter expert in control and instrumentation, leading and owning large, high‑risk work packages involving complex systems and technical studies.

Lead medium‑to‑large scale fusion C&I projects from concept through to detailed design for facility upgrades and future technologies.

Act as Subject‑Matter Expert for control and instrumentation systems across projects and programmes.

Produce or contribute to technical decision papers, involving innovative problem solving of novel situations, analysing unprecedented technical issues and influencing strategic project direction and approaches.

Develop control system architectures and solutions, specifications, and documentation, applying innovative solutions to complex technical challenges.

Provide technical leadership for control and safety systems, covering architecture design, software development, installation, commissioning, and lifecycle management.

Lead and deliver software development using industrial control platforms (e.g. Siemens S7/PCS7, LabVIEW, ABB 800xA, Python, C++).

• Manage project delivery, including requirements capture, design reviews, HAZOPs, risk management, budgets, and stakeholder engagement.
• Coordinate and mentor multidisciplinary teams and contractors, ensuring safe, high‑quality, and cost‑effective delivery in line with organisational and regulatory standards.

This role is primarily onsite due to the nature of the work and the facilities involved. However, hybrid working can be discussed where possible, depending on business needs.

A degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering or equivalent, and relevant professional experience in an engineering role. Or a minimum of a HND in Electrical/Electronic discipline, or equivalent qualification level, with a greater breadth and depth of experience/knowledge.

Excellent knowledge and significant experience of PLC and SCADA systems.

• Demonstrable experience with Siemens, ABB 800
  
  Xa or similar control system applications.
• Deep understanding of EC&I documents (SLDs,…