Innovation Lead

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 groundbreaking 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
- Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders
- Emergency paid leave, Generous annual leave allowance (30.5 days) increased with length of service
- Wide range of career development opportunities
- A vibrant culture committed to being fully inclusive

Job Description:

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? In this role, and as part of the Innovation team, you will work hand-in-hand with technical teams across UKAEA, helping them create impact from the fantastic ideas and technologies being developed to solve fusion challenges. This is an opportunity to dive into and learn quickly across a huge breadth of technical and commercial areas, from Plasma Physics to Robotics and from Advanced Computing to Material Science and create links between both people and ideas to generate new multidisciplinary solutions. You will be working with departments and programmes across UKAEA, such as the ambitious STEP programme targeting 2040 to deliver a prototype fusion power plant. You will be contributing to strategic planning and the identification of commercialisation opportunities, proposing, delivering and running technology transfer and entrepreneurial programmes to maintain and expand the UKAEA’s capacity to innovate.  

Additional Responsibilities:

- Using experience to assess ideas and projects on technical and commercial merit; recommending plans to test innovative concepts and drive development.
- Manage stakeholders and coordinate individual projects where broad technical knowledge is required. Lead packages of work and oversee multi-disciplinary teams involving internal and external personnel.
- Promote UKAEA innovations externally and work with partners in sectors outside of fusion (including universities, public sector research establishments and industry) to create links that complement UKAEA's internal capabilities, offer access to additional expert knowledge, and facilitate new project proposals.
- Monitor and communicate the economic benefits arising from UKAEA’s investment in innovation.
- Contributing prominently to the development and positive reinforcement of UKAEA’s knowledge base and practices in the areas of technology development, technology transfer and innovation management. 

You may work on projects with H3AT and materials team on Tritium Research, Nuclear Materials and Radiological Materials topics. 

Qualifications
Essential Requirements:

- Degree qualified in a relevant discipline, science, engineering or technology
- Experience of identifying and driving technology transfer between sectors  
- Understanding of the process of commercialisation 
- Experience of running multidisciplinary innovation programmes 
- Experience of the management of IP 
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
- Well organised and capable of managing to deadlines and priorities 

Additional Information:

A full list of our benefits can be found on our website. 

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly individuals from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and women. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI 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.

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

All employees at the UK Atomic Energy Authority must complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and other appropriate security checks, including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions.

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the UK Government website for information on criminal records checks. If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.