Jobs at United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

Develops high-performance, performance-portable particle simulation software for fusion reactor modeling. Responsibilities include applying numerical methods, writing and testing maintainable code, deploying models on supercomputers and GPUs, documenting results, collaborating with plasma physics specialists, contributing to publications, and presenting technical work. The role may also involve mentoring graduates, apprentices, or doctoral students.

Own cost control for large-scale R&D and engineering projects, including budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, cost reporting, invoice validation, risk assessment, and contingency planning. Partner with project managers, finance, commercial teams, suppliers, and governance boards to maintain budget performance. Mentor junior cost controllers, support resource planning, and drive continuous improvement in project delivery. The role requires regular onsite presence, typically three to five days per week.

Provides strategic financial support to a major programme or business unit, including budgeting, forecasting, performance analysis, management reporting, grant and contract audits, financial controls, revenue recognition, and project financial leadership. The role advises senior leaders, coaches project teams, leads finance colleagues, and improves finance processes and reporting systems.

Coordinate recruitment administration for UKAEA’s 10-month fixed-term role, including setting up vacancies in SmartRecruiters, publishing inclusive adverts, scheduling interviews and assessments, supporting candidates, tracking approvals, and raising requisitions and purchase orders. The role requires accurate recordkeeping, competent IT skills, recruitment administration experience, and regular onsite presence three to five days per week.

Lead complex engineering and decommissioning projects within the JET Tokamak programme, managing scope, schedule, cost, quality, budgets, risks, governance, change control, and multidisciplinary teams. The role involves stakeholder management, project controls, business cases, benefits realization, safety leadership, and compliance with UKAEA and regulatory standards in a regulated scientific and industrial environment.

Develop and deliver the People Plan, advise managers on employee relations and performance management, lead HR policies and projects, support talent and leadership development, manage engagement and wellbeing initiatives, and oversee operational HR activities including onboarding, recruitment support, analytics, and compliance.

Designs and delivers end-to-end onboarding and integration experiences for UKFE employees, secondees, contractors, and partner-organisation staff. Responsibilities include creating onboarding pathways and playbooks, coordinating pre-boarding through the first 90 days, facilitating inductions and workshops, maintaining content, collaborating with People and partner stakeholders, tracking engagement metrics, and driving continuous improvement in a complex fusion-energy programme.

Leads UKFE’s enterprise talent development and capability strategy, including career pathways, succession planning, onboarding, leadership development, engagement, employee experience, EVP, inclusion, and culture-building. Partners with senior leaders and People teams to attract, develop, retain, and future-proof the workforce supporting the STEP fusion programme. The role also advises on cultural change, supports Talent Acquisition capability, and promotes an inclusive, high-performance environment.

Leads marketing and communications for UKAEA’s Culham Campus Estates function. Develops strategies, plans, budgets, integrated campaigns, stakeholder engagement, public communications, and campus branding. Advises senior Estates leaders, manages agencies, suppliers, and contractors, supports redevelopment and sustainability initiatives, builds external relationships, and monitors campaign performance. The role requires regular onsite presence, typically three to five days per week, and is initially a two-year contract.

Assistant Accountant responsible for producing financial reports, analyzing financial data, supporting budgeting and forecasting, maintaining finance system project structures, responding to finance queries, and assisting with audits, year-end reporting, system upgrades, and process improvements. The role also supports finance apprentices and promotes Excel and reporting best practices.

Supports equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing programmes, including annual wellbeing campaigns, events, communications, benchmarking, stakeholder engagement and governance. The role coordinates initiatives, facilitates meetings, analyses data, maintains records and provides guidance on best practices. It requires strong planning, communication, relationship management and Microsoft Office skills, with regular onsite attendance.

Leads complex public-sector procurement, particularly IT sourcing, from strategy through tendering, negotiation, contract award and supplier management. Provides commercial guidance to senior stakeholders, ensures compliance with UK procurement legislation, improves procurement processes, manages supplier performance, and mentors commercial team members. The role requires regular onsite presence, typically three days per week.

Develop and maintain FreeGSNKE, a Python-based tool for tokamak plasma modelling. Apply numerical and scientific computing methods to fusion research, improve performance and scalability using JAX, GPUs and supercomputing, and support plasma scenario design for MAST Upgrade and STEP. Validate simulations against experimental data, contribute to reduced-order and AI-assisted modelling, produce technical publications and reports, collaborate with researchers, and mentor junior staff.

Coordinates workforce planning, resource allocation, recruitment support, meetings, documentation, reporting, dashboards, and operational processes for an Electrical Engineering Unit. Provides business and secretariat support to senior leaders, maintains SharePoint information systems, tracks actions and performance metrics, and identifies process improvements while managing stakeholder relationships and competing priorities.

Leads UKAEA’s early careers programmes, including work experience, summer placements, and year-in-industry schemes. Responsibilities include managing the delivery team, budgets, KPIs, funding compliance, professional accreditation, external partnerships, contracts, entry pathways, and performance dashboards. The role contributes to early careers and skills strategies while promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion across the fusion sector.

Leads UKAEA’s business development, innovation, communications, strategic partnerships, intellectual property commercialization, and international collaborations in the fusion sector. Works with the executive team to shape organizational strategy, build relationships across government, industry, academia, and private fusion companies, and maximize commercial opportunities. Oversees approximately 60 employees, six direct reports, and a £60 million annual budget while representing UKAEA with senior external stakeholders.

Leads computational engineering research and software development for fusion, nuclear, and multiphysics applications on high-performance computing systems. Manages distributed research teams, projects, budgets, funding, partnerships, and technical collaborations. Develops numerical methods, parallel codes, testing and validation strategies, and simulation workflows for peta- and exa-scale systems. Represents UKAEA internationally and contributes to publications, research direction, and technology adoption.

Lead the design, delivery, and improvement of secure, resilient platforms and infrastructure across cloud, DevSecOps, MLOps, software delivery, and data workflows. Collaborate with scientists and engineers, drive automation and operational excellence, mentor colleagues, manage technical projects, and help establish modern software engineering practices. The role requires substantial production systems experience, programming proficiency, lifecycle management, and regular onsite presence.

Senior commercial lead accountable for commercial strategy across Integrated Project Teams. Responsibilities include procurement and contracting strategy, cost management, contract negotiation and administration, change control, dispute resolution, stakeholder engagement with government and executives, commercial risk management, and leading/mentoring commercial teams to deliver major construction and infrastructure portfolios.

Leads procurement, negotiation, execution, and lifecycle management of complex, high-value engineering and service contracts for the STEP fusion programme. Oversees commercial teams, contract performance, risk mitigation, supplier relationships, compliance, dispute resolution, and continuous improvement. Collaborates with legal, technical, sourcing, and industry partners while developing strategic commercial frameworks and mentoring team members.