Principal Technologist

ukatomicenergyauthority

Whitehaven, Cumbria, United Kingdom · Whitehaven · United Kingdom

Posted May 29, 2026

Full-time
Hybrid
Operations and Technology
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 a minimum of 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working. This role is based at the following site: Whitehaven, Cumbria 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 We are looking for a Principal Technologist to act as a technical expert, providing leadership on complex tooling and equipment for remotely operated robotic systems used in nuclear decommissioning. You will work across the full lifecycle, including research, development, design, demonstration, and deployment. You will support RAICo (Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Collaboration) by contributing to strategic development and leading the technical delivery of the Tooling and Equipment Focus area within RAICo. This includes managing engineering projects delivered by multidisciplinary teams and supply chain partners. If you have strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a proven ability to lead and work effectively as part of a team, and a genuine appetite to learn and apply new technologies, we would like to hear from you. Key Accountabilities: Develop, improve, and extend the design of tooling and equipment for nuclear decommissioning projects such as size reduction, decontamination, and contamination prevention, while ensuring quality engineering outputs and knowledge transfer across work packages. Provide expert-level design knowledge and technical leadership for robotic systems, coordinating integration with robotic and intelligent systems. Contribute to and implement the strategy for the Tooling and Equipment focus area within RAICo, managing procurement, commissioning, and system integration activities. Plan and deliver engineering projects, estimating effort, costs, and timescales, and ensuring outputs meet time, quality, cost, and risk performance criteria. Act as a key technical interface and representative with internal and external stakeholders, providing mentorship, and guidance to technologists, engineers, and project teams. Lead safe project delivery through the production of Work Control Packs and other safe systems of work, maintaining high standards across the tooling and equipment portfolio. Qualifications Essential: A Master’s degree in Mechanical Design Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent demonstrable knowledge and industry experience. Strong expertise in the design and development of tooling and equipment, ideally with applications in robotics or remote handling systems. Proven experience delivering engineering solutions in complex environments. Demonstrable experience in producing Work Control Packs and implementing safe systems of work to support safe project delivery. Significant industry experience in engineering or a closely related field, including responsibility for planning and delivering projects to time, cost, quality, and risk requirements. Experience engaging and managing a range of internal and external stakeholders, acting as a technical interface and trusted advisor. Solid understanding of robotics and/or remote handling technologies, including their integration into engineered systems. Desirable: Experience designing or deploying tooling and robotic solutions for size reduction, decontamination, or operations in challenging or constrained environments. Knowledge or experience of robotic applications within the nuclear sector or similarly regulated industries. Understanding of the technical and operational challenges associated with nuclear decommissioning. Membership of a relevant Professional Engineering Institution and/or Chartered Engineer status (or working towards it). 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.