Tokamak Operations Manager in Abingdon

Overview of Responsibilities

The salary for this role is £81,090 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 5 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working. This role can be based at any of the following sites: Culham, Oxfordshire. This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & DBS checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.

The Role

MAST-U is currently the largest operating spherical tokamak in the world, providing a facility on which to perform experiments to answer key questions for fusion power to be delivered to the grid. We are looking for a Tokamak Operations Manager for MAST‑U who is responsible for the day‑to‑day delivery of operations periods, including the commissioning and restart of new plant. The Tokamak Operations Manager is a key senior role responsible for the safe, reliable, efficient delivery of facility operations to meet the needs of the UK, international and commercial programmes that use the multimillion‑pound facility. The post holder will guide the commissioning and integration of new plant and equipment into the facility to deliver the new capabilities required of the device through the coordination and management of many expert teams. The Operations Manager will provide insight and innovative solutions to problems to help ensure that operational milestones are met and provide consultancy on machine operations matters externally to other programmes (e.g. STEP), other laboratories or commercial partners. The post holder will report to & influence key stakeholder groups.

Additional Responsibilities

• Be responsible for the delivery of effective, reliable, day‑to‑day operations of the facility: chairing the Operations/Commissioning Coordination Meeting, coordinating the tasks needed to ensure reliable operation of the facility and delivering the operating periods agreed with the Head of the programme; flexing the staffing as required.
• Guide the operations team in the delivery of machine operations and tasks to meet the safety, regulatory and procedural requirements of operating the machine, through the development and maintenance of operating procedures.
• Provide clear, measurable goals to define successful operation of the machine and deliver against them; initiate action as required to maximise the availability of the facility.
• Evaluate and recommend to the Head of the programme areas of expenditure that would benefit efficient operations to manage the risk to loss of operations on the facility.
• Act as the senior point of approval on operations matters for all plant modifications.
• Ensure there is effective communication of the operating schedule and status for the facility to all relevant stakeholders.
• Act as a member of the Protection Working Group to contribute to the safe operation of the machine.
• Steer the process of commissioning and integrating new plant and equipment into the facility: review technical aspects of new plant/diagnostics/systems to ensure fitness of operational use.
• Oversee the commissioning activities to ensure work is carried out in a safe, effective and efficient manner.
• Act as restart manager after shutdowns to deliver the experimental campaign as required by the programme.
• Monitor progress of activities affecting operations to ensure interventions are timed to minimise the impact on operations.
• Additional duties: deputise for other key staff within the Operations programme, including the Head of the programme and/or the Engineering manager on an ad‑hoc basis; represent UKAEA internationally at conferences, committees and fusion workshops; act as a (MAST‑U) facility Engineer in Charge to staff operational shifts.

Salary

£81,090 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension.

Qualifications

Essential Requirements

• MSc or PhD in physics or engineering subject, or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• Relevant experience of commissioning and operating a large facility.
• Significant & demonstrable experience of leading multi‑disciplinary technical teams at a national or multinational facility.
• Proven excellent interpersonal skills; including communication skills; experience of presenting information persuasively and succinctly; negotiating effectively with others and establishing & maintaining effective working relationships at all levels across a range of disciplines (e.g. engineering and science).
• Significant safety management experience.
• Proven excellent organisational skills, including the ability to manage changing and/or conflicting priorities and time optimally.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguous, evolving and uncertain situations by showing initiative and judgement in a changing environment.
• Demonstrable analytical and problem‑solving skills to maximise machine availability for users.

Desirable

• Experience & knowledge of fusion research facilities.
• Experience of experimental plasma physics through engineering, science or operation of a facility.

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/. 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, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit. UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information. Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.