Mechanical Design Engineer (Nuclear Industry) in Manchester

At Quest Global, it’s not just what we do but how and why we do it that makes us different. With over 25 years as an engineering services provider, we believe in the power of doing things differently to make the impossible possible. Our people are driven by the desire to make the world a better place—to make a positive difference that contributes to a brighter future. We bring together technologies and industries, alongside the contributions of diverse individuals who are empowered by an intentional workplace culture, to solve problems better and faster.

Fuel Handling Engineer Responsibilities:

• Research fuel handling methods and techniques, future innovations, regulatory guidance and other relevant content.
• Design components including fuel racks, RPV internals storage stands, pool structures, gates, and dry storage casks to meet the customer requirements in respect of quality, time and cost.
• Design to enable rapid build to meet UK SMR build schedule goals, including factory manufacture and on-site assembly.
• Design systems including sizes, layouts, and other attributes that meet the customer requirements in respect of quality, time and cost.
• Create different design options, conduct trade-off studies and select the optimum solution.
• Complete preliminary calculations for assessment of designs.
• Provide inputs to specialist assessments such as Shielding, Criticality, Stress and Thermal.
• Engage with manufacturers and suppliers to mature designs.
• Communicate with other teams such as Fluid systems, Mechanical Handling, Electrical Controls and Instrumentation to develop designs.
• Work with the Computer Aided Design team to define the design models.
• Produce and manage Requirements at the system level.
• Produce Mechanical Sequence Diagrams, design schemes and component definitions.
• Author reports, including nuclear regulatory submissions.
• Present work at technical reviews and provide the required inputs to the main project technical review gates.

Experience / Qualifications:

• Experience in the design of mechanical components.
• Experience of design of fuel handling components beneficial.
• Minimum of a bachelor's engineering degree and 3 years of relevant engineering experience.

Project Engineer (Turbine Island) Responsibilities:

• Delivery of accurate, high-quality engineering outputs supporting Turbine Island design progress and programme milestones.
• Effective support of workstream coordination, ensuring engineering activities remain on schedule and align to project objectives.
• Contribution to the preparation and review of technical documentation and design deliverables to support Definition Review (DR) gates.
• Identification and communication of technical risks and issues in a timely manner, supporting their resolution in collaboration with senior engineers.
• Active participation in cross-functional collaboration, promoting clear communication and integration within the Conventional Island, wider Rolls-Royce SMR programme, and with the Turbine Systems partner.

Experience / Qualifications:

• Experience in the nuclear or conventional power generation industry, or related heavy engineering sectors.
• Exposure to design development from concept to detailed design, with some involvement in optioneering or trade-off studies preferred.
• Understanding of international design codes and standards relevant to Class 3 (or lower) systems, including familiarity with pressure system design requirements.
• Awareness of rotating mechanical equipment including pumps and turbines.
• Awareness of Design for through-life operation, inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, and replacement of mechanical and fabricated systems.
• Basic understanding of systems engineering and requirements management principles applied to system design.
• Knowledge of structural integrity assessment methods and materials behaviour, including considerations for through-life degradation, would be advantageous.
• Awareness of UK regulatory expectations and safety case development, ideally within a nuclear or safety-critical environment, is desirable but not essential.
• Clearly communicates technical information in design reviews, technical discussions, gated reviews, and cross-functional meetings.
• Confidently presents at design reviews and safety moments, ensuring clear rationale and alignment on design decisions.
• Produces clear, structured, technical reports and presentations suitable for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Engages effectively with project stakeholders and subject matter experts, supporting technical discussions and cross-functional teamwork.
• Assists in coordinating workstream activities, helping to track progress, elevate issues, and maintain alignment with project schedules and priorities.
• Identifies and raises technical risks or issues within the Turbine Island scope and supports senior engineers in developing mitigation plans.
• Liaises with the Project Manager and Design Manager to ensure any identified risks are appropriately captured in ARM.
• Prepares and reviews technical documentation such as P&IDs, System Design Descriptions, and other documentation to support design maturity.
• Participates in technical reviews and provides constructive feedback.
• Supports reviews of supplier documentation, where required, and helps compile comment & feedback sheets.

RI Mechanical Handling Engineer / Principal Engineer Responsibilities:

• Responsible for delivering 2025 DR3 phase activities for fuel route mechanical handling equipment.
• Responsible for delivering 2025 & 2026 DR1 & DR3 phase activities for the RCP Removal mechanical handling equipment.

Experience / Qualifications:

• Experience of mechanical design & assessment.
• Experience of producing mechanical design documentation including requirements, optioneering records, hand calculations etc.
• Experience in the nuclear industry.
• Experienced in robotic and automated mechanical handling equipment.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Employment type: Temporary

Job function: Engineering and Information Technology