Senior Engineer - Nuclear Support Equipment

About Rolls‑Royce SMR

At Rolls‑Royce SMR, our mission is simple yet ambitious: to deliver clean, affordable and secure energy for all. Our Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme is a British solution to a global energy challenge, placing us in pole position to become a world leader in SMRs and the UK’s premier green export technology.

The Team

You’ll be joining our Plant Support Equipment (PSE) function a newly established, rapidly growing team responsible for all tooling and equipment that enables installation, commissioning, inspection, maintenance, outage support, through‑life management and eventual decommissioning of SMR plant equipment. This includes critical interfaces with reactor island components, mechanical equipment, electrical & instrumentation systems, and supplier‑developed solutions.

Role Summary – Senior Engineer - Nuclear Support Equipment

As a Senior Engineer, you will play a central role in shaping and delivering the technical definition, design, development and substantiation of Plant Support Equipment across the full lifecycle of our SMRs.

This role is vital to the business your expertise ensures that every piece of equipment we deploy is safe, high‑quality, compliant with ONR expectations, digitally traceable, and ready to support the first‑of‑a‑kind SMR sites. You will help define how PSE is designed, delivered and integrated into the wider power‑station ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will be doing the following:

• Developing and delivering PSE designs from requirements capture through detailed design, CAD models, mechanical sequences and technical substantiation.
• Acting as an intelligent customer reviewing, challenging and validating supplier‑developed solutions to ensure they meet safety, quality and performance standards.
• Collaborating across multiple disciplines, including stress, thermal, shielding, layout, components, systems, supply chain and procurement.
• Preparing clear, evidence‑based technical documentation, including ONR‑ready substantiation aligned to ALARP principles and SAPs.
• Maintaining requirements & configuration management using tools such as DOORS, ensuring end‑to‑end traceability.
• Supporting risk management, identifying innovations, improvements and opportunities for cost/schedule optimisation.
• Mentoring junior colleagues, supporting their technical development and fostering a high‑support, high‑performance team environment.
  
  

The Impact You Will Make

Your work ensures that every SMR site worldwide receives safe, compliant, effective and fully traceable PSE, enabling construction, commissioning, maintenance and long‑term operation of next‑generation nuclear plants.

Essential Qualifications & Skills

To succeed in this role, you will need:

• Strong experience in mechanical or nuclear engineering, delivering design and analysis across the engineering lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience producing technical documentation, safety evidence and substantiation aligned to ALARP and ONR expectations.
• Proven ability to work with suppliers and cross‑functional teams.
• Strong understanding of requirements management (e.g., DOORS).
• Awareness of through‑life engineering (installation → commissioning → maintenance → decommissioning).
• Degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline. Working towards Chartership beneficial.
  
  

Pay And Benefits

We anticipate paying a salary of between £50,650 - £66,500 plus:-

• Bonus - Performance related target opportunity 12.5%
• Benefits Allowance – £2,200 per annum, enabling you to create a bespoke package
• Pension - 12% employer and 6% employee contributions.
• Holidays - 28 days holiday (+ public holidays) and the ability to buy or sell up to 4 days.
• Private Medical Insurance - BUPA single cover health care
• Life Assurance - 6x pensionable pay

£250 - One-off payment for new starters for home office purchases

Location & Ways of Working

We offer flexible hybrid working, with office locations in Derby, Warrington and Manchester.

The frequency of office attendance will be discussed during the recruitment process, and occasional travel for team collaboration may be required.

Why Join Us?

You’ll be joining a forward-thinking organisation that values transparency, fairness, and innovation. We offer:

• A flexible, inclusive, and supportive working environment.
• Opportunities for career growth in a rapidly scaling business.
• A culture that values diversity, innovation, and continuous learning.
  
  

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Inclusivity is important to us, and as a Disability Confident organisation, we are committed to fair, supportive, and continually improving recruitment practices that ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we'll let you in on a secret: there's no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you.

Also, if you are considering a career move or a sector-jump, please get in touch – we welcome applications from people with transferable skills.

Our Application Process

Due to the safety regulations within the nuclear industry, applicants will be required to participate in additional screening. These are:

• Obtaining Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance
• Satisfactory completion of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Satisfactory completion of a basic financial probity check
  
  

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