Criticality Physicist - Submarines

Job Description

Job Title: Criticality Physicist – Submarines

Working location: Raynesway, Derby

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Criticality Physicist to join Rolls‑Royce Submarines in Derby. At Rolls‑Royce Submarines, we are the sole provider and technical authority for propulsion system design and development for the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet.

This position offers you an exciting opportunity to work in a pivotal role within the Rolls‑Royce Submarines business.Based in the Reactor Engineering business unit, you will work within the Criticality team to support the design, manufacture, transport, commissioning, maintenance, and disposal of submarine reactor cores.

Why Rolls‑Royce?

Rolls‑Royce is one of the most enduring and iconic brands in the world and has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century. We design, build and service systems that provide critical power to customers where safety and reliability are paramount.

We are proud to be a force for progress, powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.

We want to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that has shaped our history continues into our future and we need people like you to come and join us on this journey.

We’ll provide an environment of caring and belonging where you can be yourself. An inclusive, innovative culture that invests in you, gives you access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities where you can grow your career and make a difference.

What we offer:

We offer excellent development opportunities, a competitive salary, and exceptional benefits. These include bonus, employee support assistance and employee discounts.

Your needs are as unique as you are. Hybrid working is a way in which our people can balance their time between the office, home, or another remote location. It’s a locally managed and flexed informal discretionary arrangement. As a minimum we’re all expected to attend the workplace for collaboration and other specific reasons, on average three days per week.

What you’ll be doing :

You will be accountable for the delivery of delegated major technical work packages to agreed time, quality, and cost. This will include criticality safety analysis to underpin safe operation across the reactor core lifecycle, and to undertake Research & Technology projects to ensure that Rolls‑Royce stays at the forefront of the industry.

• Being directly responsible for the delivery of highly specialised technical work packages in support of the submarine programme using cutting edge tools and methods, collaborating with other technical areas to deliver successful outcomes.
• Monitoring of progress on task activities and reporting against the baseline plan.
• Identifying and managing risks and opportunities within the scope of technical work packages.
• To work with the Group Leader to establish commitments, budgets and targets for the delegated projects and to provide regular updates on progress in line with business requirements.

Who we are looking for :

At Rolls‑Royce we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. These principles form the behaviours that guide us and are an essential component of our assessment process. They are the fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles.

• An academic background with degree in relevant engineering or scientific subject (MPhys, MSc, PTNR, NTEC, and/or Chartered Physicist or Engineer – Desirable)
• Knowledge of the fission process and neutron transport theory.
• Understanding of reactivity control parameters and how they impact fissile systems.
• Independent and collaborative problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to plan, organise and deliver quality work packages to budget and schedule.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders via verbal and written forms of communication.

We are an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive working environment. We believe that people from different backgrounds and cultures give us different perspectives which are crucial to innovation and problem solving. We believe the more diverse perspectives we have, the more successful we’ll be. By building a culture of caring and belonging, we give everyone who works here the opportunity to realise their full potential.

You can learn more about our global Inclusion strategy at Our people | Rolls‑Royce

To work for the Rolls‑Royce Submarines business an individual has to hold a Security Check clearance. Rolls‑Royce will support the application for Security Clearance if you do not currently already have this in place.

Due to the nature of work the business conducts and the protection of certain assets we can only progress applications from individualswho are a UK national or, in MoD approved cases, a dual national.

As part of our selection process, candidates in certain locations may be asked to complete an online assessment, which can include cognitive and behavioural aptitude testing relevant to the role. If required, full instructions for the next steps will be provided.

Job Category Nuclear Engineering Posting Date 23 Jan 2026; 00:01 Posting End Date 27 Feb 2026

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