Principal Electrical Safety Engineer

ukatomicenergyauthority

Culham, England, United Kingdom · Culham · United Kingdom

Posted May 18, 2026

Full-time
Hybrid
Electrical Engineering
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 £71,815 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance) . Onsite working is expected for 5 days each week, however, we support requests for flexible working. This role is based at the following site: 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 The Electrical Safety Group leads electrical safety management and engineering across UKAEA, ensuring compliance with legislation and supporting continuous improvement. This role acts as a senior subject matter expert in electrical, machinery, and functional safety, providing technical authority and consultancy to projects, programmes, and the Office of the Chief Engineer. It includes advising on designs, technical solutions, and critical operational safety issues, while supporting the Lead SAP(E) in delivering safety management in line with UKAEA procedures. You will undertake Senior Authorised Person Electrical (ToR004) duties following development and competency assessment, while acting as a subject matter expert advising major projects on electrical safety across the full lifecycle from design to decommissioning. Are you interested in advising projects and programmes on the consistent application of UKAEA engineering processes and standards, and contributing as a subject matter expert in technical reviews and formal investigations? If so, we would like to hear from you. Key Accountabilities: Contribute to the authoring of electrical safety strategies, policies and standards. Support the Lead SAP(E) in the delivery and monitoring of UKAEA’s electrical safety management plan, contributing effectively to the organisational standards related to electrical safety. Lead in the delivery of electrical safety continuous improvement plans. Identify improvements and be proactive to see them implemented. Develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders, support development of consultancy services and input into work forecasting. Refer upwards to management where consultancy work highlights significant risk to UKAEA operations. Conduct incident investigations, determine root cause, and develop corrective actions and provide services to the Office of the Chief Engineer as a technical authority for electrical safety and related engineering aspects. Qualifications Essential: Honours degree (or equivalent) in Electrical Engineering or a closely related discipline, or equivalent level of qualification supported by extensive experience and knowledge Significant, demonstrable experience working with industrial electrical power systems Extensive experience of safety and maintenance processes in high-hazard environments (e.g. permit to work, risk assessments, safety cases), ideally with responsibility for major plant assets Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels and work collaboratively within teams Relevant safety qualification or certification (e.g. IOSH, NEBOSH) Machinery or process safety qualification or certification (e.g. CMSE, FSCP) Chartered Engineer status or working towards Chartered Engineer registration 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.