Senior Fuel Performance Engineer

Rolls‑Royce SMR is pioneering a new generation of clean, affordable nuclear energy through its Small Modular Reactor technology. As the UK’s preferred SMR vendor, Rolls‑Royce SMR is driving innovation to support global net-zero goals, energy security, and industrial decarbonisation. Joining the team means working at the forefront of advanced engineering, shaping sustainable energy solutions with real‑world impact.

Our Core Design department is responsible for ensuring that the RR SMR reactor core meets all relevant design and safety limits while delivering the performance, capability and economic objectives expected from a world‑class small modular reactor. The team’s work ensures the reactor core meets all design and safety limits, optimises core performance for capability, fuel efficiency and load‑following, and assesses both steady‑state and transient behaviour. They also analyse and model core‑related fault sequences to maintain a robust and safe reactor design.

The Senior Fuel Performance Engineer is a key member of the Core Design team, responsible for ensuring the integrity and safe performance of fuel rods throughout their lifecycle. The role supports the design, licensing, and operation of RR SMR reactors by analysing fuel behaviour under normal and faulted conditions. It involves developing fuel performance methodologies, overseeing supplier analysis, contributing to the safety case, and providing expert technical input to internal teams, clients, and regulators. The position also helps shape future research and development to advance fuel performance capability.

Your Responsibilities Will Include:

• Define fuel performance work package requirements for fuel vendors and review, assess, and approve supplier technical deliverables.
• Develop fuel performance models, methodologies, and analyses, including establishing verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification requirements.
• Contribute to the development of the fuel performance safety case.
• Provide expert technical support in response to queries from clients and regulators.
• Identify future R&D needs and collaborate with academic partners to address technical knowledge gaps.

Key Role Criteria:

• Technical Background: Demonstrable knowledge of fundamental principles relevant to fuel performance and experience of assessments relating to mechanical performance phenomena, chemical interactions, thermo‑mechanical effects on material stability and performance, nuclear/irradiation effects on materials, reactor physics and to apply fundamental principles to assessments of nuclear fuel performance.
• Analytical Modelling: Analytical methodologies and models for mechanical and materials performance, using recognised performance analysis tools—ideally those applied to nuclear fuel such as FALCON, BISON, or TRANSURANUS. It also involves defining verification, validation and uncertainty quantification requirements, creating pre‑ and post‑processing scripts (e.g., in Python).
• Nuclear industry domain: Understanding of Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) design, plant and behaviour including core component design.
• Technical task delivery: Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks and deliver work reliably within agreed timescales. It also involves identifying and mitigating risks to successful delivery, providing clear progress updates, and producing high‑quality technical documentation and communication.

This role directly safeguards the integrity of the RR SMR reactor core by ensuring nuclear fuel performs safely and reliably. Your work underpins the safety case, supports regulatory approval, and enables the delivery of clean, secure, low‑carbon energy.

Essential Skills:

• Masters degree in Materials Science, Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

We anticipate a salary of £48,000- £62,500 dependent on the skills, values, and knowledge you bring.

Benefits:

• Bonus - Performance related bonus of up to 12.5%
• Benefits Allowance - £2200, 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 join a forward‑thinking organisation that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning, with opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business.

We offer hybrid working but will expect that you attend an office in either Manchester, Warrington or Derby regularly.

The process includes an introductory call with our Talent Acquisition Partner, followed by two interview stages. Due to nuclear industry regulations, additional screening will apply (BPSS, DBS, financial probity).

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 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.

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.