PIONEERING MATERIALS SCIENCE FOR FUSION ENERGY: A LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY IN MIST.

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) is leading the delivery of clean, abundant, and inherently safe fusion energy, driving scientific and technological advances which feed into an integrated fusion pilot plant design activity while realising economic benefits all along the pathway to demonstrating commercial viability.
We are seeking a visionary and specialist Materials Irradiation Science and Technology Manager (MIST) to join our Science and Technology Directorate. Reporting to the Head of Materials Science and Technology, you will establish yourself in this pivotal scientific leadership role, ensuring a coordinated and optimised materials irradiation programme to directly inform the design and operational parameters of the STEP Prototype Plant (SPP) and the subsequent commercial fusion power plants.
As the MIST Manager, you will work across the STEP programme to advise, to coordinate and direct access to materials irradiation campaigns on facilities around the world but also including the innovative LIBRTI facility being developed in the UK. Your responsibility involves ensuring access to cutting-edge post-irradiation examination (PIE) capabilities, maximising the knowledge gained from irradiations. You will serve as the primary scientific authority for STEP’s irradiation strategy, supporting the wider science and engineering teams across UKIFS, UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and our future Engineering/Construction Partners to deliver a viable STEP Prototype Plant (SPP) design.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Lead the MIST Programme: Coordinate and direct research campaigns across global irradiation facilities (including neutron sources, test reactors, and ion accelerators), in support of the research requirements of the wider STEP design team. Manage the planning and experimental design for STEP’s scientific exploitation of the UK’s LIBRTI facility. Oversee advanced materials analysis (mechanical, microscopy, spectroscopy, thermal) and support the integration of derived solutions into the STEP component design.
• Build Strategic Scientific Partnerships: Establish and cultivate strong working relationships with operators of key international irradiation facilities, UKAEA, and future Engineering/Construction Partners. Identify and facilitate opportunities for scientific collaboration with the private sector and leading universities.
• Drive Programme Delivery & Strategic Vision: Develop and own the decadal materials irradiation strategy for STEP, ensuring its alignment with budgetary constraints and SPP design timelines. Manage programme budgets and forecasts, and ensure critical scientific milestones are achieved.
• Manage Economic Benefit & Innovation: Foster a culture of scientific innovation and discovery. Drive the translation of research and development outputs into long-term commercial and economic value, strategically managing intellectual property, championing patent publications, and actively identifying early commercial opportunities.
• Disseminate Research Outcomes: Provide critical technical updates and reports to internal leadership (Executive Committee, STEP Programme Board) and external stakeholders (e.g., Fusion Technical Advisory Group, government reporting). Encourage and facilitate the publication of research results in top-tier peer-reviewed journals and through high-impact presentations at international conferences, solidifying UKIFS’s global scientific reputation while aligning with our commercial interests.
• Embody Scientific Leadership: Lead by example, fostering a positive, inclusive, and collaborative team environment that champions responsible research and innovation. Make informed, ethical, and effective decisions, delivering the programme objectives through scientific ambition.
  This is a rare opportunity to lead a critical scientific discipline at the heart of a world-changing energy initiative, contributing your expertise to a legacy of sustainable power.
  Salary
  £77,239 (inclusive of Specialist Allowance) + excellent benefits including outstanding pension
  View benefits
  Programme

ESSENTIAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• PhD in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Materials Science, Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Chemistry) or equivalent demonstrable research leadership experience.
• Proven hands-on experience with materials irradiation facilities and analysis, preferably in an industrial or applied research environment.
• Demonstrable experience and research excellence in collaborative R&D teams, evidenced through high-impact publications and other research outputs, delivering under technical and time constraints.
• A comprehensive understanding of radiation safety standards and materials handling protocols.
• Demonstrable ability to set strategic scientific direction, inspire, and motivate highly skilled research teams.
• Demonstrable capability to initiate and develop a complex technical programme.
• Proven ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders (scientific, industrial, academic).
• Demonstrable commitment to your team, valuing diversity, fostering an inclusive environment, identifying opportunities for scientific and personal development, and respecting their views and expertise.
• Proven ability to anticipate, manage and resolve scientific and interpersonal conflict while fostering collaboration.
• Outstanding communication skills: ability to influence at all levels, formulate coherent scientific arguments, articulate complex ideas clearly, listen actively, and respond appropriately.
• Demonstrable commitment to responsible and ethical innovation, and to working in compliance with modern safety, health, environment, and quality assurance standards.

BENEFICIAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• Direct research experience with fusion-relevant materials.
• Significant research experience within a commercial or industrial environment.
• Extensive experience working in multi-disciplinary teams of scientists and engineers.
• Experience in intellectual property generation and its strategic management (e.g., writing patents, technology disclosures).
• Familiarity with approaches related to design for multiple attributes (e.g., reliability, maintainability, manufacture, disposal).
• Experience in the development or interpretation of design codes for novel materials in harsh environments.