Engineer - Plant Performance

Role Title: Engineer – Plant Performance

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 Performance & Analysis team is the centre of excellence for engineering analysis used to substantiate the performance and safety of the SMR power station. Within this team, Plant Performance Engineers play a vital role in understanding how the power station behaves under normal operation and transient conditions, ensuring that performance assumptions are robust and design decisions are well‑informed.

About the Role:

As an Engineer – Plant Performance, you will analyse the whole‑plant performance of the nuclear power station, covering the complete energy conversion system—from heat generation in the reactor, through the steam and power‑conversion cycle, to cooling systems and electrical power generation.

You will independently plan and deliver plant‑performance analysis work packages under established governance and quality processes. This includes assessing steady‑state performance, analysing transient behaviour, developing and maintaining analysis models, and supporting validation and benchmarking activities.

Your outputs will support periodic plant‑performance assessments aligned with design iterations across the programme, providing validated performance data that feeds into system and component design. You will also contribute to the development of probabilistic performance methods to support uncertainty analysis and robust design practices.

This role requires close collaboration with design, safety, systems and wider engineering teams, clear communication of technical results, and flexibility to support an evolving design programme.

We’ll Need You To:

• Analyse plant performance under steady‑state and transient operating conditions
• Deliver periodic plant performance assessments aligned with design maturity
• Develop, apply and maintain plant‑performance analysis models, methods and tools
• Assess thermodynamic behaviour of the power station and its supporting systems
• Support validation of plant‑performance assumptions and provision of functional design data
• Develop probabilistic performance assessment methods to support uncertainty analysis
• Apply robust quality processes, supporting verification, validation and benchmarking activities
• Plan and manage your own technical workload to meet programme objectives and schedules
• Collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams to define analysis requirements
• Communicate analysis results clearly to technical and non‑technical stakeholders

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:

• Strong understanding of thermodynamic performance and energy‑conversion systems
• Experience applying structured and methodical approaches to performance analysis
• Knowledge of fluid dynamics and thermal processes
• Experience using industry‑standard thermal or fluid analysis tools
• Experience developing and applying analysis models, methods or tools
• Familiarity with benchmarking, test‑case development and performance KPIs
• Understanding of quality assurance, verification and validation of analysis outputs
• Knowledge of probabilistic analysis methods and uncertainty quantification (desirable)
• Exposure to nuclear, power‑generation or other safety‑critical industries (beneficial, not essential)
• Understanding of E3S, ALARP or BAT principles (beneficial)
• Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively across disciplines
• Degree‑qualified in engineering, physics, mathematics or a similar technical discipline
• Chartered Engineer or working towards chartership (or equivalent)

We welcome applicants from nuclear and non‑nuclear sectors, including energy, oil & gas, aerospace and other high‑integrity industries.

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 £42,000 – £55,150 dependent on the skills, values and knowledge you bring. There may be some flexibility with the starting salary in exceptional cases, and the role may be developed further over time.

Benefits include:

• Bonus – Performance‑related target opportunity 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 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

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 and a culture that values collaboration, diversity and continuous learning.

Selection Process:

The closing date for this role is 7th June 2026. The process will begin with an introductory call with the Talent Acquisition Partner, with interviews being able to take place straight away.

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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