Lead Engineer - Electrical Systems

Role Title: Lead Engineer – Electrical Systems

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

We anticipate paying a salary between  £57,600-£75,600 DOE.

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.

We are now recruiting for a Lead Electrical Systems Engineer to be involved in delivering an industry leading, cutting-edge design project for a new type of nuclear power station. 

The Electrical team manage all aspects of the electrical system design across the SMR, for the agreed systems under your scope, the role covers the delivery of the complete design, spanning system architecture, sub-system design and equipment specification and design / selection to realise the final verified design of the power station. 

About the role:

You will provide technical expertise across the lifecycle of Electrical Systems for the SMR nuclear power plant. This covers the delivery of the complete design of the Electrical Systems spanning system architecture, sub-system design and equipment specification and design / selection to realise the final verified design of the power station. You will do this by working closely with the engineering teams from across the power station and applying a structured systems engineering approach to design. 

The role encompasses the full lifecycle of electrical systems, including those classified for nuclear safety applications as well as non-classified systems.

You will operate as both a responsible designer and an intelligent customer, depending on the specific task at hand.

Key responsibilities include delivering the agreed programme of work, managing contract partners for assigned deliverables, and ensuring quality outcomes.

Additionally, you may provide coaching and mentoring to less experienced engineers, while offering technical guidance and direction to other electrical engineers.

As we strive to find the best fit for this position, we are seeking individuals with a minimum level of experience, training, and qualification. But we'll let you in on a secret: there's no such thing as the ‘perfect' candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you.

Other key responsibilities include:

• Working with Process and Mechanical plant systems Engineers to translate high level requirements into a specification for Electrical systems. 
• Liaise with other disciplines to understand functional performance capabilities of components and systems to facilitate effective system design. 
• In support of the team manager, provide Electrical technical leadership of either an electrical system or electrical capability 
• Assess and substantiate that the design specification meets the requirements. 
• Ensuring compliance against international standards in particular, IEC 63046, IEC 63332, IEC 61225 and SSG 34. 
• Produce verification and validation plans and define test plans to demonstrate that the Electrical system requirements have been satisfied. 
• Support to planning and implementation of policies and procedures related to the life cycle of Electrical systems. 
• Ensure that optimum solutions are provided for the RR SMR Nuclear Power Plant by supporting the procurement, operations, and maintenance aspects of the equipment. 
• Contribute to the production of safety cases and provide support in liaising with regulators and independent nuclear safety assessors. 

The key selection criteria for this role are:

• Proven experience across the full electrical system lifecycle: specification, design, assessment, verification, testing, installation, commissioning, and maintenance in highly regulated environments (nuclear preferred or Energy, Defence, Aerospace, Rail, Oil & Gas etc).
• Deep expertise in at least one sub‑discipline (e.g., battery systems, generator systems, protection, earthing, distribution), with broad awareness of adjacent areas.
• Strong understanding of fault‑tolerant design principles (redundancy, diversity) for safety/process‑critical systems.
• Practical application of relevant industry standards for systems important to safety (e.g., IEC 63046, IEC 63332, IEC 61225) and associated regulatory frameworks.
• Hands-on experience applying systems engineering methodologies, including MBSE, to electrical systems.
• Excellent technical communication skills—able to interpret complex information and present compelling, formal communications to stakeholders, including regulators.
• Demonstrated technical leadership, providing oversight of others’ work and discharging the intelligent customer role.
• Track record in managing design outputs and collaborating across disciplines/partners to deliver quality outcomes to time and cost.

Salary and Package:

• We anticipate paying a salary between  £61,920 - £81,270
• 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  

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