Project Manager – Major Capital Projects

Company Description

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

As an employee of UKAEA 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 and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment. 
• 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
• What to expect in our recruitment process:
• For a step-by-step overview of how we hire from application to offer please see our Recruitment Process page: careers.ukaea.uk/join-us/recruitment-process

Job Description

The salary for this role is £91,173 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working. 

This role is based at the following site: Culham, Oxfordshire

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. 

Join the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) as Project Manager – Major Capital Projects

Are you ready to lead one of the most ambitious and strategically critical engineering programmes in the UK? UKAEA is seeking an experienced Project Manager – Major Capital Projects to deliver a complex, novel, multi-million-pound infrastructure project that will shape the future of fusion energy. This is a unique opportunity to work within UKAEA where we are driving one of the most ambitious and transformative scientific endeavours of our time. As Project Manager, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing complex, large-scale infrastructure works, ensuring they are delivered to the highest standards of safety, quality, and efficiency. Working with leading scientists, engineers, and industry partners, you will help build the foundations for cutting-edge facilities that will enable fusion research to move from breakthrough science to novel clean energy solutions.

About the Role:  As lead Project Manager, you will be accountable for the successful delivery of a major engineering and construction project valued at over £100 million. This mission-critical project involves large, integrated teams, complex technical systems, and international stakeholders. You’ll lead a delivery team of over 50 professionals, including UKAEA staff, contractors, and secondees, ensuring performance, compliance, and strategic alignment.

The project includes work packages at varying levels of maturity, from concept design to early construction. The Project Manager will be expected to manage this complexity effectively.

Although research-led, the programme must be delivered with industrial rigour, and strong focus on schedule and cost.

This is a high-impact role requiring exceptional leadership, commercial acumen, and technical oversight. You’ll manage significant budgets, oversee procurement contracts, and ensure adherence to national regulations and UKAEA governance frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of a major capital project with budgets exceeding £100M
• Manage large multidisciplinary teams and complex stakeholder relationships
• Oversee commercial contracts (e.g. NEC4) and procurement strategies
• Ensure compliance with CDM regulations, HSE directives, and public sector controls
• Provide strategic leadership and accurate reporting to senior management
• Represent UKAEA externally at a senior level and contribute to organisational strategy
• Manage multi-contractor environments and ensure integration across engineering, procurement, and site operations
• Drive delivery excellence across all phases, including design, construction, installation, and commissioning

What We’re Looking For

• An extensive track record of delivering large scale, complex projects within construction, energy or related high-risk sectors
• Substantial experience managing large-scale projects (£60M+)
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills
• Advanced project/programme management qualifications (e.g. PRINCE2, PMP, APM, MSP)
• Strong commercial acumen with experience negotiating and managing complex, high-value contracts, and resolving challenges in dynamic and regulated settings.
• Ability to navigate complexity, ambiguity, and strategic challenges
• Technical Knowledge: Understanding of engineering and construction methodologies, risk management, and regulatory compliance in infrastructure delivery.
• Proven experience in managing site-based execution phases, including construction, installation, and commissioning
• Experience working in environments where scientific research intersects with industrial delivery, balancing innovation with execution discipline.

Qualifications

To be shortlisted, candidates will be expected to have:

• Extensive Project Management experience with a proven track record of leading complex engineering infrastructure or large-scale construction projects.
• Qualifications: Degree in Science, Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline preferred. Professional accreditation (e.g., PMP, APM, RICS, CEng, or equivalent) preferred.
• Delivery Track Record: Evidence of delivering complex large scale, multi-year projects (>£60M+), on time, within budget, and to required quality standards.
• Stakeholder Management: Skilled at managing relationships with clients, government bodies, communities, and senior executives.
• Apply now to be part of a team driving innovation and delivering transformative infrastructure for the future of energy.

Additional Information

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

UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission.  We are under-represented from some groups and so want to encourage applications in particular from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African backgrounds and from Pakistani and Bangladeshi British backgrounds. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.  

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.