Cooling Water and Air Systems Engineer

ukatomicenergyauthority

Abingdon, OXFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom · Abingdon · United Kingdom

Posted Jun 5, 2026

Full-time
On-site
Tokamak Systems
Mid-Senior Level

Job description

Company Description By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on. Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for ground breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative. As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from: Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert. Corporate bonus scheme up to 7 % and a Relocation allowance (if eligible). Flexible working options including family friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment. Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders, Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays Wide range of career development opportunities A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive What to expect in our recruitment process: For a step-by-step overview of how we hire from application to offer please see our Recruitment Process page: careers.ukaea.uk/join-us/recruitment-process Job Description The salary for this role is £57,117 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance) . Onsite working is expected for 5 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working. This role can be based at any of the following sites: Culham, Oxfordshire. This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) , including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data. The Role MAST-U is currently the largest operating spherical tokamak in the world, providing a facility on which to perform experiments to provide the answer to key questions for fusion power to be delivered to the grid. We are looking for a Cooling Water and Air Systems Engineer , who will be contributing to the project management, design, procurement, development, installation and subsequent commissioning of new/enhanced cooling water and compressed air systems on UKAEA facilities, such as the MAST-U tokamak. Maintenance, refurbishment and/or replacement of the currently installed MAST-U plant and infrastructure will also be within the remit of the job holder. A specialised role, trained in both cooling water and compressed air systems, the job holder will work within a team of engineers and technicians under the management of the Cryogenics & Services Team Leader. Key Responsibilities: Ensure the continuing maintenance, refurbishment, enhancement and safe operation of the MAST-U cooling water and compressed air plants. Ensure legal compliance of MAST-U cooling water system to Legionella control HSG274 Lead projects and work packages for cooling water and air systems, including design, procurement, development, installation and commissioning. Proactively improve the reliability & efficiency of existing MAST-U cooling and compressed air systems by proposing, designing and implementing solutions. Responsible for the authoring, production, maintenance and revision control of technical documentation, reports, drawings and P&ID's. Preparation of risk assessments, method statements and other safety documentation. Supervise junior team members and other personnel working in the MAST-U cooling water and air plant areas. Manage plant maintenance contracts with external parties. Qualifications Essential Requirements: Relevant engineering apprenticeship or degree, or equivalent experience. Demonstrable experience of Pressurized systems. Water cooling systems, including softened water and demineralization systems. Compressed air systems. Water hygiene, testing, cleaning and disinfection, for legionella control. Additional Information A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/ UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit. UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information. Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.