Senior Engineer Pipework Component Design

At Rolls‑Royce SMR, our mission is simple and ambitious: to deliver clean, affordable, sustainable energy for all. Our Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is a British solution to a global energy challenge, designed to provide reliable low‑carbon power that helps communities and industries transition to a greener future.

You will join our Pipework Component Design team — a collaborative and growing group responsible for designing high‑integrity pipework components across our SMR power station. The team ensures designs meet stringent ASME III/B31, EN 13480, PED and nuclear safety standards while working closely with manufacturing, supply chain, and installation teams to deliver components that are safe, buildable, compliant and future‑proof.

This work is critical to the SMR programme; the team’s outputs directly support safe operation, regulatory approvals, and the overall performance of the plant.

Role Summary

In this role, you will shape the design of safety‑critical pipework components that sit at the heart of our SMR technology. Your technical depth, engineering judgement and ability to guide others will influence how our systems are built, validated and delivered. This is a pivotal role within the team — bringing experience, rigour, and a proactive mindset to uplift design quality, mentor engineers, and ensure our SMR design is robust, manufacturable and regulatory‑ready.

Key Responsibilities – What You Will Be Doing

• Designing pipework components in line with ASME III / ASME B31.x / EN 13480 / PED and internal safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
• Producing design substantiation, technical specifications, calculations and justifications.
• Reviewing drawings, isometrics, materials selections and supplier documentation.
• Working closely with suppliers to resolve technical queries and ensure manufacturability, material traceability and compliance.
• Supporting audits, inspections, and assurance activities across the programme.
• Contributing to FMEA, ALARP assessments and option‑selection activities.
• Providing technical oversight, coaching and peer reviews to uplift capability within the team.

The Impact

What you deliver will directly influence the safety, regulatory acceptance, constructability and long‑term reliability of our SMR power station. You will help shape a first‑of‑a‑kind UK product that has global potential — enabling clean energy generation for future generations. Your work will also support the team’s development, helping engineers grow and contributing to a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.

Essential Qualifications & Skills

We are looking for someone who brings:

• Proven experience in pipework component design
• Strong understanding of ASME III, ASME B31.x, EN 13480, PED or similar high‑integrity industry codes.
• Experience producing design substantiation/justification and safety‑critical technical documentation.
• Exposure to fabrication, installation or field engineering.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers, manufacturing and regulatory/inspection bodies.
• HNC/Degree in Mechanical Engineering or similar; Chartered (or working towards) is desirable.

Location & Hybrid Working

We offer flexible, hybrid working with office hubs in Derby, Manchester and Warrington. Typical attendance is around 1–2 days per week, with exact arrangements discussed during the recruitment process.

Pay and Benefits

We anticipate paying a salary of between £48,000 - £62,500 DOE plus:

• Bonus - Performance related target opportunity 12.5%
• Benefits Allowance – £2,200 per annum, enabling you to create a bespoke package
• Pension - 12% employer and 6% employee contributions.
• Holidays - 28 days holiday (+ public holidays) and the ability to buy or sell up to 4 days.
• Private Medical Insurance - BUPA single cover health care
• Life Assurance - 6x pensionable pay
• £250 - One-off payment for new starters for home office purchases

You’ll be joining a forward-thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness, and innovation. We offer:

• A flexible, inclusive, and supportive working environment.
• Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business.
• A culture that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we'll let you in on a secret: there's no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you. Also, if you are considering a career move or a sector-jump, please get in touch – we welcome applications from people with transferable skills.

Our Application Process

Due to the safety regulations within the nuclear industry, applicants will be required to participate in additional screening. These are:

• Obtaining Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance
• Satisfactory completion of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Satisfactory completion of a basic financial probity check

We are Rolls-Royce SMR. A career with Rolls-Royce SMR offers a unique opportunity to contribute to an exciting organisation delivering a transformational mission. Rolls-Royce SMR is a radically different approach to proven nuclear technology. Each Rolls-Royce SMR power station will generate 470MW of low-carbon energy - equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines and enough to power a million homes for over 60 years. With its Rolls-Royce SMRs will play a vital role in supporting renewable energy by helping to overcome intermittency and ensure a stable, sustainable energy future.

We’re proud to be one of the few employers that can genuinely say we’re a strengths-based organisation. Our people are here because of what makes them exceptional - and our role is to help them make the most meaningful contribution of their careers, doing work they love. We offer opportunities that go beyond traditional career paths. At Rolls-Royce SMR you can develop your career by exploring roles and challenges that align with your unique talents.

Our culture

At Rolls-Royce SMR, we are committed to ensuring that our teams reflect the communities we serve and that everyone can be themselves at work. We know that diverse teams are more innovative and get better results, and that our people can thrive and be more successful in truly inclusive cultures. Join us and help shape our culture.