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Principal Pulsed Power Scientist

Employer
AWE
Location
Berkshire, UK
Salary
£59,960-£68,000 + Pension, 9-day fortnight
Posting live until
3 Mar 2025
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Job Details

 

Principal Pulsed Power Scientist

Closing Date: 4th March 2025

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking.

Due to the experimental and classified nature of the work involved, there are limited opportunities to work from home in this role. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will spend the majority of their time working on site at AWE Aldermaston.

Package: £59,960 - £68,000 salary range (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience)

A relocation package may be available (terms and conditions apply).

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.

Let us introduce the role

AWE is currently looking for either an experienced scientist or electrical/electronic engineer to work within our Pulsed Power teams.

This role will give the successful candidate the opportunity to become a subject matter expert within a technical team that design, construct, and commission pulsed power systems, generating multi-terawatt pulses of RF electromagnetic power.

This is a great opportunity to be involved in unique scientific research which underpins the safety and performance of our defence programmes.

This role sits within our Technology Development Group, and the successful candidate will be working with a team of like-minded individuals to investigate the next generation of technology to improve modelling and experiments at AWE.

We are looking for senior Physicists or experienced Electrical/Electronic Engineers to step into this role and work with AWE and its internal stakeholders to deliver important data and projects to the wider business.

This role also comes with exciting opportunities to travel to the US, France and within the UK to represent the business.

The responsibilities of a Principal Pulsed Power Scientist/Engineer are:

  • To lead the design, construction, and commissioning of high pulsed power systems;
  • Incorporate technological understanding and stakeholder needs to advise on suitable development programmes;
  • Develop collaborative programmes with academia, industry, and government laboratories to tailor emergent technologies to AWE need;
  • Provide technical leadership of projects at phases from concept to commissioning.

Who Are We Looking For?

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following:

  • A degree in Physics or Electrical Engineering or equivalent qualification;
  • Demonstrated delivery of projects with at least one or more of the following aspects: pulsed power, radiofrequency technologies, electron beam control and high voltage design;
  • Previous experience with stakeholder management and engagement;
  • Experience managing product development across multidisciplinary teams and supply chains;
  • Previous experience in leading technical projects and/or task management;
  • Previous experience in planning and safely executing hazardous experimentation trials;
  • Familiarity with Functional Safety Systems;
  • Understanding of power distribution, including power network modelling and analysis;
  • Experience or knowledge of Radio Frequency systems and/or Antenna design;
  • Experience or knowledge of Pulse Power / High voltage design.

You will need to be able and willing to travel across the UK, and to the US and France to represent the business.

Some reasons we think you'll love it here:

AWE has wide range of benefits to suit you. These include:

  • 9-day working fortnight - meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave;
  • Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions);
  • Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay;
  • Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body;
  • Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services;
  • Life Assurance (4 x annual salary);
  • Discounts - access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending;
  • Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

The 'Working at AWE' page on our website is where you can find full details in the 'AWE Benefits Guide'.

Company

AWE pic

When the work you do can’t be tested, but also can’t afford to fail, you need the very best in the business at your disposal. At AWE, we’re proud to call some of the world’s greatest minds in engineering and science members of our team. 

Why work for us
It’s an incredibly exciting time at AWE. We’re in the early stages of a significant programme to design and produce a replacement warhead for the UK’s continuous at sea deterrent. We’re also going through an important infrastructure programme, delivering a cutting-edge, sustainable environment for the future. We offer our people a competitive salary and generous annual leave allowance, amongst other great benefits. We also work a nine-day fortnight, giving you every other Friday off to recharge your batteries and do more of what you love outside of work.

Training and development
Our teams have a strong blend of experienced professionals and new, hungry-to-learn talent at the very start of their career journeys, which gives us a real recipe for success. Our professional development programmes – from everyday mentoring, to support in gaining an AWE-funded professional registration – are opening new doors to opportunities for us as a business and, most importantly, for our people.

Graduate schemes
Evolve, our flagship graduate programme, consists of rotational placements designed to provide you with technical knowledge and expertise across several disciplines. We offer dedicated pathways within Engineering; Science; Corporate & Operations; Environment, Safety, Health & Quality; Project Management; and Finance. You will have access to a wide network of support and guidance throughout your time on the Evolve programme, including a dedicated line manager, an Evolve pathway lead, a “buddy” from a previous graduate cohort, and a supervisor within each of your placements.

What we are looking for
If you’re passionate about learning and looking to advance or kick-start your career, it’s likely we’ve got an opportunity for you. We’re actively recruiting across our entire business, including our award-winning Early Career programmes for apprentices, undergraduates and graduates. By blending the minds and skills of experienced colleagues with those just starting out on their career journeys, we’re building a diverse workforce where everyone can benefit from each other’s unique perspectives.


Location
Reading, UK

Number of employees
c.8000

Main areas of research
Nuclear defence, nuclear forensics, radiation detection, plasma physics, hydrodynamics, high-performance computing, materials science

Positions recently recruited for
Computational physics, criticality scientists, experimental physics, radiation science, high-performance computing, radiation detection

Pre-requisites
Must be a British national and have resided in the UK for 10 years for our science and engineering roles 

How to apply
Please visit our website www.awe.co.uk/careers for further information

Contact
Tel +44 (0)118 981 4111
www.awe.co.uk

Company info
Website
Telephone
+44 0118 98 24643
Location
AWE Aldermaston
Reading
Berkshire
RG7 4PR
United Kingdom

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