Plant Layout Technical Lead – Design Governance

Location: West Burton Power Station, Nottinghamshire – Hybrid (3 days on site / 2 remote)
Rate: Up to £56 per hour, Inside IR35
Contract: 12 months

Lead the Development of Plant Layout Standards for a Major UK Engineering Programme

We are seeking an experienced Plant Layout Technical Lead to establish the rules, standards and governance framework that will underpin the physical layout of a major fusion power plant.
This is initially a technical governance and process-focused position, rather than a conventional plant layout design role. You will take ownership of defining the codes, constraints, principles and guidance that future engineering and design teams will use to develop and integrate the plant layout.
Working within a Design Authority environment, you will help establish a consistent and controlled approach to plant-wide physical integration, ensuring future design solutions are developed against a robust and clearly defined framework.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the definition and development of plant layout rules, principles, standards, codes and engineering constraints.
• Establish the governance processes and guidance that will control future plant layout development.
• Define requirements for physical integration across mechanical, electrical, piping, equipment and infrastructure disciplines.
• Develop and maintain plant layout philosophies, design criteria and technical guidance.
• Ensure layout requirements consider safety, constructability, maintainability, accessibility and operational requirements.
• Work with multidisciplinary engineering teams and technical authorities to establish consistent design expectations.
• Manage design interfaces, technical queries, deviations and changes against the agreed framework.
• Support design assurance and ensure requirements are traceable throughout the engineering lifecycle.
• Contribute to the development of PLM processes and the management of engineering data within a controlled digital environment.

Essential Experience

• Significant experience in plant layout engineering, physical integration or a closely related technical leadership role.
• Experience defining or developing engineering standards, design rules, codes, constraints or technical governance frameworks.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary plant layout and physical integration requirements.
• Experience establishing design processes, philosophies and technical guidance rather than simply applying existing standards.
• Understanding of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) principles and how engineering information, requirements, configuration and design changes are controlled throughout a project.
• Experience working within a Design Authority, technical assurance or engineering governance environment.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within nuclear, fusion, power generation, oil & gas, defence or other complex regulated industries.
• Familiarity with 3DEXPERIENCE or other PLM software platforms.
• Experience developing plant layout standards for new-build or first-of-a-kind facilities.
• Previous experience as a Plant Layout Technical Authority, Design Governance Lead or Physical Integration Lead.