Senior Design Engineer - Hazard Protection

Role Title: Senior Design Engineer – Hazard Protection

We are Rolls‑Royce SMR and we’re doing something that’s never been done before. We’re revolutionising an industry. That’s a once‑in‑a‑career opportunity for those excited by such a challenge. This is more than just a job; this is a legacy. The Reactor Plant Systems team is responsible for delivering the integrated design of the SMR power station, ensuring that all systems operate safely and effectively under normal and faulted conditions. Within this, Hazard Protection plays a critical role in ensuring the plant is resilient to internal and external hazards across its full lifecycle.

About the Role

As a Senior Design Engineer – Hazard Protection, you will support the development and delivery of design solutions that protect the power station against internal and external hazards. You will contribute to the definition, integration and maturation of hazard protection measures and Service Condition Control Measures (SCCMs), ensuring that hazard‑informed design requirements are effectively incorporated across the plant. This will involve working across a broad range of engineering disciplines, including civil, structural, architectural, systems, C&I, human factors and safety analysis. You will play a key role in developing robust hazard‑informed design concepts, supporting engineering optioneering and integrating requirements across the design. The role involves strong collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that hazard protection arrangements meet programme, regulatory and E3S expectations.

We’ll Need You To

• Support development and delivery of hazard protection and SCCM design solutions
• Lead and contribute to engineering optioneering and hazard‑informed decision making
• Develop and allocate design requirements across multiple engineering disciplines
• Manage interfaces between systems, structures and supporting functions
• Lead and support technical workshops and cross‑discipline integration activities
• Produce high‑quality engineering outputs, including design definitions, requirement sets and substantiation documentation
• Support verification, validation and design assurance activities
• Identify and manage risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies
• Apply governance, configuration control and design decision processes
• Support engagement with regulators and licensing activities
• Provide technical leadership, guidance and mentoring to other engineers
• Deliver work packages in line with programme timelines and quality requirements

Key Skills Required

We know there’s no such thing as the ‘perfect’ candidate. If you meet around 75% of the criteria below, we’d love to hear from you:

• Experience working in the nuclear sector or another highly regulated or high‑hazard industry
• Understanding of hazard protection principles and design in complex engineering systems
• Knowledge of E3S principles, including ALARP and BAT
• Awareness of internal and external hazards and their impact on plant design
• Experience of systems engineering approaches, including requirements development, optioneering and interface management
• Experience integrating cross‑discipline requirements into coherent design solutions
• Understanding of design substantiation, verification and assurance processes
• Experience producing engineering outputs such as design reports, requirement specifications and substantiation documentation
• Strong technical problem‑solving and analytical skills
• Ability to manage technical work and deliver to agreed milestones
• Strong communication and stakeholder‑engagement skills
• Experience supporting or leading small technical teams and mentoring engineers

Qualifications

• Degree‑qualified in Engineering or a related technical discipline (or equivalent experience)
• Experience delivering complex design or engineering work in a regulated environment
• Strong understanding of engineering design principles and systems integration

Location

Hybrid working with one of the following as your primary site: Derby, Manchester or Warrington.

Salary and Package

The salary band for this role will be between £50,650 – £66,500 dependent on the skills, values and knowledge you bring. There may be flexibility in exceptional cases, reflecting the technical depth and responsibility of the role.

Benefits

• Bonus – Performance‑related target opportunity up to 12.5%
• Benefits Allowance – £2,200 per annum for a bespoke package
• Pension – 12% employer and 6% employee contributions
• Holidays – 28 days (+ public holidays) with the ability to buy or sell up to 4 days
• Private Medical Insurance – BUPA single cover
• Life Assurance – 6× pensionable pay
• Home Office Support – £250 one‑off payment for new starters

Pay Range: £50,600.00 - £66,465.00

Why Join Us?

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

What 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.

Equal Opportunities

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.

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

About Rolls‑Royce SMR

Rolls‑Royce SMR is a radically different approach to proven nuclear technology. Each Rolls‑Royce SMR power station will generate 470MW of low‑carbon energy - equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines and enough to power a million homes for over 60 years. With its Rolls‑Royce SMRs will play a vital role in supporting renewable energy by helping to overcome intermittency and ensure a stable, sustainable energy future.

We’re proud to be one of the few employers that can genuinely say we’re a strengths‑based organisation. Our people are here because of what makes them exceptional - and our role is to help them make the most meaningful contribution of their careers, doing work they love. We offer opportunities that go beyond traditional career paths. At Rolls‑Royce SMR you can develop your career by exploring roles and challenges that align with your unique talents.

We are committed to ensuring that our teams reflect the communities we serve and that everyone can be themselves at work. We know that diverse teams are more innovative and get better results, and our people can thrive and be more successful in truly inclusive cultures.

Join us and help shape our culture. Find out more about our inclusion pledge. Rolls‑Royce SMR is a place where everyone can grow, so whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day and help shape our culture.

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