Commissioning is the phase that turns a nuclear construction site into a working power station, and the engineers who do it are scarce exactly when the UK needs them most. Scantec sources cleared, SQEP-qualified commissioning engineers for Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C and defence-nuclear projects moving into start-up.
Key Takeaways
- Scantec sources cleared, SQEP-qualified commissioning engineers for UK nuclear new build, defence-nuclear and energy projects.
- Hinkley Point C has moved into its mechanical, electrical and HVAC fit-out, driving immediate demand for commissioning engineers.
- Sizewell C reached its Final Investment Decision in July 2025, a £38bn project ramping into main construction.
- Every candidate is screened for SQEP competence, clearance or site-security eligibility, and commissioning experience before submission.
- Senior nuclear commissioning engineers are advertised at around £400 a day PAYE, rising above £550 via umbrella, on live HPC contracts.
Why nuclear commissioning engineers are in demand
Why is commissioning demand rising now?
The UK's biggest nuclear project has reached the phase that needs them. Hinkley Point C's civil work is largely complete, and the project has shifted into its mechanical, electrical and HVAC fit-out, installing millions of metres of pipes, cables and control systems that all have to be tested and proven. That phase runs on commissioning engineers, alongside trades and project managers.
The pipeline behind it keeps the demand going. Sizewell C reached its Final Investment Decision in July 2025, a £38bn project with the government holding a 44.9% stake, and it's now ramping into main construction that will reach its own commissioning phase in turn. With most existing reactors due to retire by 2030, this is the surge in nuclear new build activity arriving as an acute, near-term hiring need.
What does a nuclear commissioning engineer do?
A commissioning engineer brings a plant's systems from installed to operational. They plan and run the tests that prove equipment performs against its design intent, resolve faults found during testing, and hand systems over ready for service. On a nuclear site, that work is documented, inspected and traceable at every step, because the systems being proved are safety-critical.
The role sits at the sharp end of the schedule. Commissioning is one of the last activities before a plant generates power, so a shortage of commissioning engineers doesn't just slow a task, it moves a station's start date. Hinkley Point C is targeting first electricity between 2029 and 2031, and commissioning capacity is part of what protects that timeline.
What makes them hard to hire
What makes a commissioning engineer nuclear-ready?
SQEP status comes first. A nuclear commissioning engineer has to be a Suitably Qualified and Experienced Person for the systems they sign off, and that competence is earned through years of supervised nuclear or high-hazard work, not awarded on qualifications alone. The pool of genuinely SQEP commissioning engineers is small by definition.
Then the site adds its own filters. Nuclear work requires security or baseline vetting and site inductions, and defence-nuclear roles add full clearance on top, each step narrowing the field further. That combination is why the sector keeps returning to the nuclear skills shortage and why a general engineering search rarely surfaces the right person. It's also the same tight market shaping where the sector will find its candidates across every discipline.
How Scantec sources nuclear commissioning engineers
Our nuclear desk works the SQEP end of the market, the part general recruitment can't reach. Placing a commissioning engineer is competence verification and clearance management, not a keyword search.
- We qualify SQEP competence against the systems. We match a candidate's proven experience to the specific systems and discipline your commissioning scope needs, so the fit is real rather than nominal.
- We check clearance and site eligibility first. We establish vetting and induction status early, because on nuclear and defence-nuclear sites that decides who can start and when.
- We benchmark rates against the live market. With HPC and the wider new build competing for the same people, we advise on day rates and salaries that secure an engineer rather than lose one.
- We manage the pipeline through mobilisation. We hold candidates through notice and onboarding, the point at which specialist placements most often fall through.
That discipline is what genuine nuclear recruitment looks like when the roles are this specialised, and it's how we keep commissioning teams staffed against a fixed programme date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifications does a nuclear commissioning engineer need?
A nuclear commissioning engineer typically holds an engineering degree or HNC/HND with substantial commissioning experience, plus SQEP status for the systems they sign off. Discipline matters, mechanical, electrical, or instrumentation and control, and nuclear sites add security or baseline vetting and site inductions before an engineer can start work.
What do nuclear commissioning engineers earn?
Rates track SQEP level and clearance. Senior nuclear commissioning engineers are advertised at around £399 a day PAYE, or £557 via umbrella, on live Hinkley Point C contracts (nuclearsectorjobs.co.uk, 2026), with permanent roles running into the £60,000s. Cleared and discipline-specific engineers command the top of that range.
How quickly can Scantec supply a commissioning engineer?
It depends on SQEP fit, clearance and site inductions, which vary by project. Where an engineer already holds the right competence and vetting, we move quickly from our nuclear network; where vetting or induction is needed first, we build that into a realistic timeline rather than promising a start date the site can't honour.
Brief Scantec on your commissioning requirement
Tell us the discipline, the site and the phase you're mobilising, and our nuclear team will come back with availability and realistic timelines. Call 0151 666 8999 or submit a vacancy to get started.
