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About the Role
As a Senior Performance Analyst, you will lead a small technical team responsible for modelling fluid and thermal systems that extract power from the nuclear core and ensure safe reactor operation. You will develop and deliver analyses that demonstrate plant performance across a range of operating conditions, while working closely with system designers to optimise safety, efficiency, and overall plant performance.
Your work will form a key input to the nuclear safety case and contribute to the substantiation of plant design. This includes supporting and authoring technical analysis sections of safety case documentation.
The role involves analysing a variety of plant scenarios, including normal operation, operational transients such as shutdown and restart, and fault conditions where passive safety systems are critical to protecting the reactor core and maintaining containment integrity.
Given the safety-critical nature of the work, a strong focus on quality assurance, verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification is essential. You will also contribute to the development of automated analysis workflows, typically using Python within Linux-based high-performance computing environments.
You will collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams, including system design and experimental test teams, supporting validation activities and contributing to the development of large-scale test programmes.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead a small team to model reactor systems and deliver analyses demonstrating safe and efficient operation
- Work with system designers to optimise plant design and safety system performance
- Support the development and authoring of nuclear safety case documentation
- Analyse key plant scenarios, including:
- Normal operation and grid response
- Operational transients (shutdown, restart, refuelling)
- Fault conditions involving passive safety systems
- Apply rigorous verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification (VVUQ) processes
- Develop and maintain automated analysis workflows using Python on HPC systems
- Support benchmarking activities against experimental data and test rig programmes
- Collaborate across multidisciplinary teams to define requirements and communicate results
- Provide technical leadership and support capability development within the team
Key Skills & Experience
- Strong understanding of fluid dynamics and thermal processes
- Experience applying structured, methodical analysis approaches
- Hands-on experience with fluids and thermal analysis tools; familiarity with tools such as RELAP, FLOMASTER, VIPRE, CTF, or GOTHIC is desirable
- Experience developing analysis models, methods, and tools, including Python-based solutions
- Experience with verification, validation, benchmarking, and uncertainty quantification
- Ability to produce clear, structured technical reports and contribute to safety case documentation
- Knowledge of safety-critical systems within industries such as nuclear, oil & gas, aerospace, or energy
- Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across teams
- Experience leading or mentoring engineers and delivering technical work packages
Qualifications
- Degree in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related discipline
- Chartered Engineer status (or working towards) is desirable
Location & Working Pattern
- Hybrid working
- Primary locations include Derby, Manchester, or Warrington
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