Senior Electrical Design Engineer – Small Modular Reactors

Location: Flexible UK (Hybrid Working)

Job Type: Permanent | Full Time

Sector: Nuclear | Electrical Engineering | Small Modular Reactors (SMR)

Westlakes Recruit is a specialist recruitment partner supporting major programmes across the UK’s nuclear, defence and advanced engineering sectors. We are currently recruiting for a Senior Electrical Design Engineer on behalf of a leading engineering organisation delivering the next generation of nuclear power technology.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Senior Electrical Design Engineer to lead the design and development of electrical systems across the full engineering lifecycle for advanced nuclear power plant projects. Working within a collaborative systems engineering environment, you will be responsible for developing electrical system architectures, producing robust design solutions, managing technical requirements and supporting verification activities to ensure designs meet safety, regulatory and operational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Electrical Design

• Lead the design and development of electrical systems from concept through detailed design and verification.
• Produce high‑quality engineering deliverables including:
  • Single Line Diagrams (SLDs)
  • Electrical load schedules
  • Cable routing and cable schedules
  • Earthing and bonding designs
  • Electrical equipment specifications
  • Protection philosophies
  • Interface specifications
  • Design calculations and technical reports
• Develop electrical system architectures that support safe, reliable and maintainable plant operation.
• Ensure designs comply with nuclear engineering standards and project requirements.

Systems Engineering

• Review and interpret high‑level project requirements and translate them into detailed electrical design solutions.
• Capture system requirements, interfaces, constraints and assumptions throughout the engineering lifecycle.
• Support requirements management using tools such as IBM DOORS or equivalent.
• Work collaboratively with systems engineering teams to ensure complete design traceability.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to engineers across multidisciplinary project teams.
• Support engineering design reviews, technical governance and design assurance activities.
• Mentor and develop junior engineers, promoting engineering excellence and best practice.
• Represent the electrical engineering discipline within integrated project teams and technical forums.

Verification & Validation

• Support the planning and delivery of electrical verification and validation activities.
• Review electrical calculations, modelling and simulation outputs.
• Develop and review electrical test specifications and acceptance criteria.
• Ensure verification evidence demonstrates compliance with project requirements and regulatory expectations.

Project Delivery

• Support the successful delivery of electrical engineering work packages to agreed quality, programme and budget objectives.
• Identify technical risks and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Contribute to engineering planning, resource forecasting and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Maintain engineering configuration throughout the project lifecycle.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with Mechanical, EC&I, Control Systems, Safety Case and Civil Engineering teams.
• Participate in multidisciplinary design reviews and engineering workshops.
• Engage with clients, suppliers, regulators and external stakeholders throughout project delivery.
• Support technical discussions relating to design development, procurement and equipment selection.

Essential Requirements

• Degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Significant experience delivering electrical design projects within nuclear or another highly regulated industry.
• Strong understanding of electrical distribution systems and power system design.
• Experience producing complex electrical engineering deliverables and design documentation.
• Knowledge of systems engineering principles and requirements management.
• Excellent analytical, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Desirable Experience

Experience in one or more of the following areas would be advantageous:

• Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programmes.
• Nuclear new build or advanced reactor technologies.
• High and Low Voltage electrical distribution systems.
• Power system analysis and modelling.
• Requirements management using IBM DOORS.
• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE).
• Functional Safety and nuclear safety systems.
• Electrical equipment specification and vendor management.
• Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) and commissioning support.

Knowledge & Technical Skills

Experience working with the following would be beneficial:

• Electrical system architecture development.
• Requirements capture and traceability.
• Interface management.
• Design verification and validation.
• Electrical calculations and modelling.
• Engineering lifecycle management.
• Nuclear quality standards and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, or actively working towards professional registration, is desirable.

Security Requirements

Due to the nature of the projects, successful applicants must be eligible to obtain and maintain BPSS and UK Security Check (SC) clearance. Applicants should also be willing to travel to UK offices and customer sites as required.

What’s on Offer

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.
• Opportunity to contribute to the UK’s next generation of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.
• Structured career progression and professional development.
• Exposure to cutting‑edge nuclear engineering and systems engineering projects.
• Support towards Chartered Engineer status.
• Payment of professional membership fees.
• Generous annual leave entitlement.
• Competitive pension scheme.
• Employee well‑being programme.
• Retail discounts and employee benefits platform.
• Collaborative engineering environment working alongside industry‑leading technical specialists.

Why Apply

This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in the development of advanced nuclear technologies that will shape the UK’s future energy landscape. As a Senior Electrical Design Engineer, you will contribute to nationally significant projects while working with some of the industry’s most experienced engineering professionals, offering genuine long‑term career progression and technical development.

Apply

For a confidential discussion regarding this opportunity, please contact Westlakes Recruit.

Westlakes Recruit is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive and will provide reasonable adjustments wherever required throughout the recruitment process.

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