Chief Engineer – Division Leader

Location: The role is based at the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Oxfordshire

Come and discover the kind of impact you can make when you work with some of the best facilities and engineers in the world!

A rare opportunity has opened up to join us in a senior leadership position at the Central Laser Facility (CLF) to lead our Engineering Division.

This position is a senior management role in CLF and STFC, with responsibility for all engineering activities conducted in the CLF’s five operational laser facilities and those under construction (not the civil construction). We are currently investing over £200M in building two new large scale facilities, EPAC (2020-2025) and Vulcan 20-20 (2023-2029), and enhancing two others Ultra and Artemis via the HiLUX project (2023-2027).

About you

We are seeking an experienced Chief Engineer with a proven history of successfully leading large multi-disciplinary teams in a highly technical environment. You will have a working understanding of a range of engineering areas including, high vacuum systems, pressurised gas systems, design for manufacture and building wide processed water systems.

You will be a recognised expert in a relevant engineering field with a wide network of contacts both in the supply chain and complementary organisations. As a champion of collaboration and an excellent problem solver you will also have the ability to instil enthusiasm to deliver world leading technology to the teams you lead. 

You are able to demonstrate experience of financial, project and safety management at senior levels. A good negotiator, with excellent oral and written communication skills you are able to represent UKRI, STFC and the CLF to audiences ranging from the general public to senior scientists and decision-makers.

About The Role

The key areas of the role include:

• to oversee the safe operation and enhancement of the CLF’s engineering equipment across the five facilities and to support the operational programme working closely with the senior management team
• management of the Division financial and staff resources to ensure that operational needs are met
• leading the design, development and delivery of engineering resources to the CLF’s major Projects EPAC, Vulcan 20-20 and HiLUX
• supporting the development and planning of new opportunities, contributing to Business cases and proposals as the need arises
• ensuring the CLF complies with all the statutory safety responsibilities associated with its engineering delivery

About us

As part of STFC, within UR Research and Innovation (UKRI), the CLF is one of the world’s leading laser facilities, providing scientists from the UK and Europe with an unparalleled range of state-of-the-art laser technology. The CLF’s wide ranging applications include experiments in physics, chemistry, biology, environmental sciences, cultural heritage and the sciences of life and disease.

The CLF has around 200 staff and it is a very friendly, outgoing, externally facing sort of place. You will find that people will naturally help and support you.

The remit of the Engineering Division is wide covering mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and control disciplines. The involves everything from the maintenance of small and large scale chilled water systems, to bespoke manufacture, to the design of unique ultra-high pressure gas systems with flammable gases, to cryogenic and ultra-high vacuum capabilities, high voltage systems, advanced control architectures, motion and interlock control etc.

To support this endeavour the Division has sole ownership and operation of its brand new Engineering and Technology Centre (ETC) on the RAL campus, which houses a range of state of the art equipment and workshops.

What we offer

We are offering a permanent position with a whole host of benefits including:

• 30 days holiday annually (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days)
• flexible working hours
• an excellent defined average salary pension scheme
• employee shopping/travel discounts
• excellent learning and development opportunities
• visa Sponsorship for candidates applying outside of the UK

Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

UKRI is an Equal Opportunity & Disability Confident Employer.

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.

What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible.

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above