Project Manager

Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Full-time
Salary: £67,023 (inclusive of MPP) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension
Division: RACE
Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire
Confirmed Grade: Level 6
Department: Programme Office

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 realising 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.

The salary for this role is £67,023 (inclusive of a Market Premium Payment (MPP) and onsite working is expected for 3 days each week.

Job Description

This role can be based at can 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.

The Role

Are you seeking an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact? Join our team and help shape the future of fusion energy as a Project Manager for large, complex UKAEA projects. In this role, you’ll lead the successful delivery of high-impact projects, making critical decisions on scheduling, budgeting, and resource allocation. You’ll oversee the strategic deployment of resources, defining roles, responsibilities, and workflows to ensure efficient execution. Additionally, you’ll evaluate and present key decisions to secure project benefits, manage stakeholder communications, and support the sponsor in defining project milestones and deliverables.

You will need strong commercial awareness and the ability to make sound economic decisions that maximise project value, along with a solid background and understanding of working in a technology and/or engineering environment.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.

Additional Responsibilities:

- Report on milestones, changes, budgets, and key performance indicators while ensuring project SHE culture and documentation align with UKAEA Quality Assurance standards.
- Capture lessons learned and hold regular sessions to embed them, while inspiring and mentoring team members to promote best practices and knowledge sharing.
- Resolve obstacles to strategy delivery by leading the identification and implementation of creative solutions.
- Ensure systematic execution of project activities using a Systems Engineering approach, overseeing successful project handover with all necessary documentation.
- Set and monitor standards, manage risk effectively, sign off on specialised work, and liaise with other departments to ensure effective coordination across interfaces and manage project budgets up to £25M.

Qualifications

Essential Requirements:

- Significant experience leading complex engineering projects, delivering business improvements on time, within budget, and managing risks effectively.
- Engineering degree or equivalent, with strong knowledge of UK safety compliance in design and project management best practices.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to produce clear reports.
- Strong interpersonal skills to build effective relationships across diverse roles and levels of responsibility.
- Familiarity with modern Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality Assurance standards.

Desirable

- Professional project management qualification or working towards.
- Good background knowledge and understanding of fusion science.
- Chartered status in relevant STEM discipline.

Additional Information

For a full list of benefits and to apply, select the apply button to be taken through to the UKAEA careers pages.

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly individuals from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and women. Our Executive team, supported by our ’Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.