Lead Environmental Engineer in Retford

The UK Government has established UK Fusion Energy (UKFE) Ltd, a subsidiary of UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), to lead the charge in delivering fusion energy through design and delivery of the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) prototype fusion plant. Fusion energy, crucial for combating climate change and ensuring energy independence, is expected to be commercially viable by mid-century. The UK, led by UKFE, aims for a prototype fusion plant, targeting first operations around 2040.

As an employee of UKFE, 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.
• 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 being fully inclusive.

The salary for this role is £50,311 plus a Specialist Allowance which is non-contractual and non-pensionable + excellent benefits including outstanding pension.

This position is to be based at West Burton, Nottinghamshire and onsite working is expected for 3 days each week.

Fusion energy offers the potential for significant quantities of low-carbon, inherently safe, abundantly fuelled, baseload energy, supporting sustainable climate action and energy independence. The UK is currently a world leader in fusion research and development and in the drive to realise commercially viable energy from fusion.

What you will be doing:

• Reporting to the Head of Engineering Assurance, the Lead Environmental Engineer will provide specialist support to ensure the STEP prototype plant meets all environmental, regulatory, and best-practice requirements.
• Responsibilities include supporting Best Available Technique (BAT) assessments, delivering BAT training across project teams, maintaining the plant-wide waste and emissions inventories, and facilitating Environmental Impact Identification (ENVID) workshops and updates.
• The Lead Environmental Engineer will work closely with the safety and engineering teams to integrate design for environment, support regulatory and permitting submissions, and drive continuous improvement in environmental protection and sustainability performance.

In this role you will:

• Develop the STEP Environment Case.
• Lead the development of the Environment Case for the design of the STEP prototype plant.
• Act as the Technical Expert for the environmental discipline on STEP.
• Define the Environmental and Sustainability Strategy for programmes and communicate it to senior leadership.
• Ensure that environmental requirements are integrated into the engineering design.
• Manage consultants and Agency Supplied Workers that work on environmental deliverables within these programmes.
• Build stakeholder engagement across programmes, facilitate knowledge sharing.
• Lead the integration of environmental work within programmes with the UKAEA corporate ISO14001 Environmental Management System.

Qualifications:

• Degree or equivalent in a relevant subject, environmental and/or engineering qualifications preferred.
• Proven extensive experience in the environmental discipline, having worked with large programmes of similar complexity.
• Expert understanding of environmental and sustainability.