VACANCY - Principal Magnets R & D Engineer - Closing Date 4 July 2025

Principal Magnets R & D Engineer

Abingdon Rd, Culham, UK

Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £67,023 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension

Division: Fusion Technology

Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire

Confirmed Grade: Level 6

Department: Technology Department

Company Description

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.
• 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 and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
• Wide range of career development opportunities.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

Job Description

The salary for this role is £67,023 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working. This role is based at 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

As Principal Magnet R&D Engineer, you will be a subject matter expert in HTS magnets, acting as a technical lead within the Magnet Technology Group, working closely with the Magnet Technology Group Leader to develop a coherent and deployable strategic plan for Magnet Technology, identifying opportunities for innovation, securing funding, and creating a roadmap for the R&D programme. You will also play a key role in growing the group's contribution and influence by collaborating and engaging with internal stakeholders, academia, and national and international industry, as well as identifying and securing new grant funding.

Key Accountabilities:

• Act as a subject matter expert in magnet technology, providing technical and programmatic leadership for high-value projects.
• Develop a magnet technology research programme and secure the necessary funding from internal and external sources.
• Provide technical expertise in the development of exploitation plans for existing and future UKAEA magnet test facilities, engaging with external industry.
• Act as a key stakeholder for the development/delivery of new magnet test facilities, defining test programme requirements and influencing trade-off decisions.
• Work with the Magnet Technology Group Leader to build strategic partnerships with relevant industry, academia, and research institutes to further the aims of the R&D programme and utilisation of test facilities.
• Actively coach, mentor, and train team members in HTS magnet technology to enable a skills pipeline.

Qualifications

• Recognised superconducting magnet technical expertise.
• PhD or equivalent level of experience.
• Extensive experience of leading in an R&D environment.
• Chartered engineer of a professional body (or commensurate evidencable experience).
• Excellent communication skills and ability to build effective relationships internally, externally and in a multinational community.
• HTS magnet expertise.
• Experience supervising technical individuals.
• Fusion magnet knowledge.
• Commercial awareness and evidence of delivering innovative solutions.
• Experience in setting up magnet labs for measurement of tapes, coils and cables and test facilities to test tapes, coils and cables.
• Background in sizing cryogenic infrastructure.

Additional Information

For a full list of benefits and to apply, select the apply button to be taken through to the UKAEA careers pages. We welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We encourage applications from under-represented groups, particularly from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi British, and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and neurotypical individuals. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and take steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications. For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the UK Government website for information on criminal records checks. If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.