Engineering Policy & Enablement Manager - UKIFS

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) Ltd, a subsidiary of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), is at the forefront of developing fusion sustainable energy.  Through the design and delivery of STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme we aim to build a prototype fusion plant, targeting first operations around 2040.  

UKIFS will lead delivery, collaborating with industrial partners and building a fusion supply chain with an estimated global sector value of £7tn per year. 

Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for Flexible Working.

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/  

For more information on UKIFS, visit: https://careers.ukaea.uk/wp-content/uploads/download/UKIFS_CandidateRecruitmentPack.pdf 

As an employee of UKIFS 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.
• 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 £70,505  (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension.

The closing date to apply for this position is the 20th of October.

This UKIFS vacancy can be based at either of our sites; West Burton, Nottinghamshire or Culham, Oxfordshire

 A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/  

For more information on UKIFS, visit: https://careers.ukaea.uk/wp-content/uploads/download/UKIFS_CandidateRecruitmentPack.pdf 

Fusion energy offers the potential for significant quantities of low-carbon, inherently safe, abundantly fuelled, baseload energy, supporting sustainable climate action and energy independence.  While the technical challenge remains high, confidence is increasing, and the rewards of realising fusion are almost incalculable.  Anticipated to come online for commercial purposes in the middle of this century, fusion offers a viable means to sustainable net zero in the UK and globally, as well as to increased energy security.  The UK is currently a world leader in fusion research and development and in the drive to realise commercially viable energy from fusion, a sector with an estimated value of £tns per year. 

STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) is the UK’s flagship national programme to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant, targeting 2040, and a path to commercial viability of fusion.  STEP is deliberately bold and ambitious and seeks people who want to be part of a world-changing endeavour and who have credible and relevant experiencing in delivery. 

STEP is currently led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, which has breadth and depth of expertise in fusion science, engineering and operations built over decades.  Over the next year, leadership will transition to a new Company, UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd. (UKIFS) to focus on the delivery of the prototype and, in so doing, the development of a fusion supply chain.  From the next government investment gate, UKIFS will lead a collaborative team of industrial Whole Plant Partners who bring expertise in engineering and construction, plus UKAEA who will remain as strategic Partner providing fusion expertise.  

What you’ll be doing 

The Engineering Policy and Enablement Manager will own the delivery of unified engineering governance in the form of process and policy across the STEP programme, working in a governance space that is uniquely open to innovation. 

Operating within an evolving landscape, the role holder will define and champion the need for strong, systems-oriented governance and lead its implementation through digital PLM systems, structured documentation, and supporting tools. 

As the visible leader and subject matter expert for engineering policy and tools, they will own the hierarchy of policy, process, and procedure, developing the principles, frameworks, and guidance needed for effective adoption across the engineering organisation. 

By building strong relationships across functional areas, the role holder will support technical, programme, and operations leads in tailoring local processes while maintaining a consistent, programme-wide approach. They will play a key role in promoting a “policy-through-culture” model, embedding policy principles into behaviours rather than extensive documentation sets. 

Through collaboration with technical teams, programme management, and whole-plant partners, they will enable scalable, standardised, and effective ways of working that underpin the success of the STEP programme. 

Key areas in which the role holder will be able to work within/influence include; 

• Policy, Process and Procedure 

• Engineering strategy 

• Delegation of authority 

• Planning and templates 

• Communications, Ethical and responsible engagement 

• Engineering toolset delivery 

• Assurance of policy approaches 

• Compatibility/waivers etc 

Your main areas of responsibility will include:

Develop and Implement Key Process Enablers.  

• Work within the UKIFS policy environment to create a policy, process and procedural framework that enables the creation of Engineering  governance at a local and enterprise level. 
• Create appropriate materials, such as templates, digital processes and briefings that allow the adoption of policy positions within the cross team 
• Work closely with Functional leads to support them in creating fit-for-purpose governance that is reflective of local needs while maintaining cohesion at a plant-level 
• Work directly with WPPs to ensure policy goals translate across Engineering entities through mechanisms such as interfacing agreements and waivers. 
• Drive policy adoption into digital tools, maximising time spent on Engineering delivery and minimising documentation through establishment of process in PLM tools and the wider digital environment 
• Operate directly in the tool-selection process, selecting approaches, defining templates and being a primary stakeholder in tool setup for key compliance approaches i.e. the selection of tools for FMEA, HARA etc. 
• Development of key “Design for X” principals, including design for reliability, cost, certification etc. 

Enable Processes and Continuous Improvement.

• Own the through-life review, update and cascade of governance documentation in the physical and digital space. Liaising closely with functional teams, and the wider whole-plant partner space to ensure that deployed ways-of-working are aligned to industry best practice and desired ways of working.
• Work closely with whole plant partners to understand the wider governance ecosystem, carefully reviewing and selecting approaches that represent best-for-programme by way of measures such as effiency in order to ensure that STEP governance remains best-in-class and does not slow the engineering effort. 
• Maintain governance horizon scanning – assessing industries and globally significant prgorammes for ways of working that can support the Fusion effort, carefully balancing ability to implement and potential benefits. 
• Ensure proportionality, adoptability and scalability of Engineering processes, always working with a best-for-programme mindset and considering the broader programme. 

Lead multi-disciplinary teams.

• Provide leadership over the integrated Engineering policy environment space, taking account of WPP and supplier needs to ensure a balanced and pragmatic suite of policy, process and procedure. 
• Lead functional delivery teams and IPTs to produce fit-for-purpose procedure and documented ways of working. 
• Appoint, and mentor process champions to ensure enterprise engineering governance values carry through from strategy to delivery. 
• Work to define the methods by which Engineers will demonstrate to the Design Authority that ways of working account for best practice, industry expectations, codes and standards. 

Develop the Engineering governance values.

• Represent the Engineering governance strand in wider enterprise conversations on Culture; advocating for best-practice in approaches such as Just Culture and policy-through-behaviours 
• Promote and lead engagement with the cross-team to ensure.  
• Work to understand the as-is state of governance, those people involved in its development and champion the transition to the to-be state, ensuring strong advocacy for the function while being congiscent of the human elements of change management. 
• Chair, and provide leadership into Engineering Policy and Process related meetings, establishing the need and desired goal state from process inception through to later lifecycle stages. 
• Maintain a whole-lifecycle mindset, ensuring that the Engineering organisation is prepared not only for the current lifecycle phase, but is able to operate in future lifecycle phases.
• Drive the representation of Product Integrity values through the Engineering team, ensuring that core policy values are maintained throughout all lifecycle phases. 

Embody a Leadership Mindset (example of detail).

• Regardless of your formal position, you embody a leadership mindset and a set of leadership behaviours. You embrace and embody our organisation's culture, values, and mission in all aspects of your work. 
• Foster a positive and inclusive team environment that aligns with our cultural values. 
• Contribute to maintaining a respectful and collaborative workplace, valuing diversity, and promoting teamwork. 
• Act as a cultural ambassador, representing our organisation's values and professionalism in interactions with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders. 
• Lead by example, demonstrating integrity, professionalism, and ethical behaviour. 
• Make informed decisions and solve problems effectively, considering diverse perspectives and organisational goals. 

The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of activities and you may be required to undertake other reasonable tasks or duties requested. 

Essential: 

• A university graduate in a STEM or applicable subject area. 
• Experience in Policy management.  
• Experienced in technical writing. 
• Demonstrable stakeholder engagement and requirements elicitation skills. 
• Experience undertaking engineering in a PLM-centric environment. 
• Proven ability to define and shape systems from first principles and stakeholder requirements. 
• Experience of working in a diverse multi-party organisation.

Beneficial: 

• Systems Engineering experience. 
• Experience in a safety critical environment; aerospace, defence etc. 
• At, or demonstrably working towards a relevant chartership. 
• Knowledge of the policy space at large e.g. use of codes such as those involved in safety, systems implementations approaches or software development. 

For more information on UKIFS visit : https://careers.ukaea.uk/wp-content/uploads/download/UKIFS_CandidateRecruitmentPack.pdf

We welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We encourage applications from under-represented groups, particularly from women in STEM, ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and neurotypical individuals. Our Executive team, and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion 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.

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.

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants . If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.

We have a number of exceptional opportunities available at the moment, to view them all please visit Careers - STEP.