Senior Design Engineer - Hazard Protection in London

Role Title: Senior Design Engineer – Hazard Protection We are Rolls‑Royce SMR and we’re doing something that’s never been done before. We’re revolutionising an industry. That’s a once‑in‑a‑career opportunity for those excited by such a challenge. This is more than just a job; this is a legacy. The Reactor Plant Systems team is responsible for delivering the integrated design of the SMR power station, ensuring that all systems operate safely and effectively under normal and faulted conditions. Within this, Hazard Protection plays a critical role in ensuring the plant is resilient to internal and external hazards across its full lifecycle.
About the Role As a Senior Design Engineer – Hazard Protection, you will support the development and delivery of design solutions that protect the power station against internal and external hazards. You will contribute to the definition, integration and maturation of hazard protection measures and Service Condition Control Measures (SCCMs), ensuring that hazard‑informed design requirements are effectively incorporated across the plant. This will involve working across a broad range of engineering disciplines, including civil, structural, architectural, systems, C&I, human factors and safety analysis. You will play a key role in developing robust hazard‑informed design concepts, supporting engineering optioneering and integrating requirements across the design. The role involves strong collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that hazard protection arrangements meet programme, regulatory and E3S expectations.
We’ll Need You To Support development and delivery of hazard protection and SCCM design solutions
Lead and contribute to engineering optioneering and hazard‑informed decision making
Develop and allocate design requirements across multiple engineering disciplines
Manage interfaces between systems, structures and supporting functions
Lead and support technical workshops and cross‑discipline integration activities
Produce high‑quality engineering outputs, including design definitions, requirement sets and substantiation documentation
Support verification, validation and design assurance activities
Identify and manage risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies
Apply governance, configuration control and design decision processes
Support engagement with regulators and licensing activities
Provide technical leadership, guidance and mentoring to other engineers
Deliver work packages in line with programme timelines and quality requirements
Key Skills Required We know there’s no such thing as the ‘perfect’ candidate. If you meet around 75% of the criteria below, we’d love to hear from you:
Experience working in the nuclear sector or another highly regulated or high‑hazard industry
Understanding of hazard protection principles and design in complex engineering systems
Knowledge of E3S principles, including ALARP and BAT
Awareness of internal and external hazards and their impact on plant design
Experience of systems engineering approaches, including requirements development, optioneering and interface management
Experience integrating cross‑discipline requirements into coherent design solutions
Understanding of design substantiation, verification and assurance processes
Experience producing engineering outputs such as design reports, requirement specifications and substantiation documentation
Strong technical problem‑solving and analytical skills
Ability to manage technical work and deliver to agreed milestones
Strong communication and stakeholder‑engagement skills
Experience supporting or leading small technical teams and mentoring engineers
Qualifications Degree‑qualified in Engineering or a related technical discipline (or equivalent experience)
Experience delivering complex design or engineering work in a regulated environment
Strong understanding of engineering design principles and systems integration
Location Hybrid working with one of the following as your primary site: Derby, Manchester or Warrington.
Salary and Package The salary band for this role will be between £50,650 – £66,500 dependent on the skills, values and knowledge you bring. There may be flexibility in exceptional cases, reflecting the technical depth and responsibility of the role.
Benefits Bonus – Performance‑related target opportunity up to 12.5%
Benefits Allowance – £2,200 per annum for a bespoke package
Pension – 12% employer and 6% employee contributions
Holidays – 28 days (+ public holidays) with the ability to buy or sell up to 4 days
Private Medical Insurance – BUPA single cover
Life Assurance – 6× pensionable pay
Home Office Support – £250 one‑off