Control & Instrumentation (C&I) - Design Engineer

ALTEN is a global engineering and technology consultancy operating across over 35 countries worldwide. We partner with industry leaders across sectors including Aeronautics, Aerospace, Defence, Naval, Automotive, Energy, Rail, IT and many more to deliver innovative engineering solutions that drive technological advancement & support sustainable transformation.

Our teams of passionate and agile engineers work on cutting-edge projects that shape the future of technology and sustainability. At ALTEN, we empower talented engineers to innovate, solve complex challenges, and deliver impactful solutions that build tomorrow’s world—today.

Join us and start building tomorrow’s world today!

Job Description

ALTEN UK is seeking a motivated Control & Instrumentation (C&I) - Design Engineer to join our growing team in Derby | Manchester | Warrington, supporting key projects within the Energy sector. This is an exciting opportunity for engineers looking to develop deep technical expertise across the full lifecycle of control and instrumentation systems.

As a Control & Instrumentation (C&I) Engineer, you will join our team to support the delivery of complex projects within the nuclear and safety-critical industries.

This role focuses on the detailed design and specification of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, automation platforms, and primary plant control and monitoring interfaces. You will be responsible for transforming high-level safety, functional, and operational requirements into robust engineering designs suitable for implementation by software and hardware vendors.

Working closely with systems engineers, safety specialists, human factors teams, cybersecurity experts, and platform suppliers, you will play a key role in ensuring that solutions meet stringent safety, reliability, performance, and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

Analyse and decompose requirements from:

Safety Requirement Specifications (SRS)

Functional Requirement Specifications (FRS)

HMI design requirements

Alarm management philosophies

Hardware, software, and network architectures

Develop detailed requirements for:

Data acquisition and processing

Control logic and automated sequencing

Communication interfaces and data routing

Diagnostics, health monitoring, and redundancy functions

Maintain end-to-end traceability between system requirements, detailed designs, and vendor deliverables

Verify requirements for completeness, consistency, and compliance with applicable standards

SCADA & Control System Design

Produce detailed design documentation including:

Functional block diagrams

Logical architectures

Signal routing and data flow specifications

I/O allocation schedules

Communication and networking requirements

Alarm definitions and prioritisation schemes

HMI display logic and data mapping

Define system operating modes, fail-safe behaviours, redundancy concepts, and recovery strategies

Develop high-quality engineering design packages for software and hardware development teams

Produce technical specifications enabling vendors to:

Develop application software

Configure control system hardware

Design compliant communication networks

Review vendor technical submissions, design documentation, and engineering solutions

Participate in technical reviews, hazard assessments, and design verification activities

Support integration activities and ensure alignment between system architecture and operational requirements

Provide technical expertise throughout the design lifecycle

Support development of verification and validation strategies

Contribute to Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), integration testing, and system validation activities

Ensure compliance with:

Nuclear industry standards

Functional safety requirements

Cybersecurity requirements

Internal engineering governance processes

Qualifications

Required Skills:

Strong experience in Control & Instrumentation systems design, ideally within nuclear, energy, or other safety-critical industries (e.g. oil & gas)

Experience in functional specification and system-level design

Solid understanding of control systems and control theory

Knowledge of system lifecycle activities including V&V, commissioning, and maintenance

Familiarity with industry standards such as IEC 61508, IEC 61513, IEC 61226 (or equivalent)

Experience applying systems engineering methodologies

Experience with requirements management tools (e.g. IBM DOORS, Polarion)

Understanding of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools (Capella preferred)

Strong problem-solving skills with a structured, logical approach

Required Qualifications:

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, or equivalent military experience.

Experience working with Control Systems

Electrical Engineering experience

Desirable Skills:

Experience working on large infrastructure projects with high level safety requirements.

Additional Information

Why join us?

We bring together entrepreneurial, tech-driven people to deliver innovative solutions for leading companies.

At ALTEN, you’ll work on exciting projects, supported by ongoing learning, mentoring, and clear career development tailored to your goals.

Join a passionate team and help build tomorrow, today.

In short you get:

A personalised career path and a rewarding management style

A huge diversity of engineering projects and industries

Private Medical Insurance

Cycle & Tech Scheme

Employee assistance programme

Life insurance & Pension Scheme

Social atmosphere, regular gatherings & team buildings

Flexible way of working (role dependent)

We are proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant & actively encourage applications from members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists, service leavers, and military spouses/partners. We recognise the value of military skills and experience and are committed to ensuring that no applicant is unfairly disadvantaged during our recruitment and selection processes.

ALTEN is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and values the strength that comes from a global mix of backgrounds and perspectives. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of background or protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

This role may require you to have or be willing to go through Security Clearance. As part of the onboarding process candidates will be asked to complete a Baseline Personnel Security Standard; details of the evidence required to apply may be found on the government website Gov.UK. If you are unable to meet this and any associated criteria, then your employment may be delayed, or rejected . Details of this will be discussed with you at interview.