Graduate R&D Engineer - Graduate Scheme 2025

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for ground breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporate bonus scheme up to 7% and a Relocation allowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working options including family friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment. 
• Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders, 
• Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays
• Wide range of career development opportunities
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive

This role is potentially hybrid, but as it is a developmental role, we encourage all our Graduates to be onsite as often as possible, especially during the first few months.

The salary for this role is £32,729.

This role will most likely be based in Rotherham, but could potentially be at Culham.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions.

UKAEA’s two-year graduate scheme is split by 80% of your time developing both your general work-related skills and professional qualifications and 20% of your working time dedicated to graduate training and development.  Within the graduate training and development, there is a core suite of activities designed to develop your professional and business skills. Elements of this programme are flexible and can be tailored to your personal development needs and to those of your specific job role. 

The Role

The Fusion Technology Division (FTD) is taking the UK’s fusion expertise into the age of power plant delivery with a vision to enable the development and qualification of Fusion device equipment for service in commercial fusion power plant. Across the Culham and South Yorkshire sites, we combine a suite of unique testing facilities and capabilities for advanced engineering and world-leading research for international and UK fusion programmes.  

Across all the groups and activities within FT, the following themes remain common:  

• Developing and/or incubating new technologies and capabilities to support the commercialisation of Fusion. 
• An increasing focus on verification and qualification, by digital, analytical, deterministic, and probabilistic techniques.  
• Up-scaling activities, from micro-scale verification to prototypical-scale qualification.   
• Serving a dual role as both service provider to and informed customer for commercial Fusion. 
• Ensuring specialist recruitment and training satisfy a broad range of Fusion stakeholder needs. 

Additional Responsibilities:

• Perform a variety of technical tasks designed to provide experience & familiarization with staff, methods, practices, & programs of the organisation. 
• This may include designing, operating, maintaining & demonstrating equipment. 
• Develop knowledge and understanding of fusion relevant topics and apply this learning to assigned projects. 
• Identify areas where improvements could be made to experimental apparatus, process plant systems and to operational practices and methodologies. 
• Liaise with other teams and groups to build networks and to ensure effective collaboration. 
• Ensuring that the Safety, Health, and Environment culture and working practices are in alignment with the UKAEA requirements. 
• Promote and support the broader Fusion Technology Division, to ensure project success. 
• Engage in active information sharing with staff and students, define and oversee Early Career projects. 
• Adapt communication style to suit a broad range of situations and receivers.  
• Champion and share best practice, to promote respect, inclusion, and opportunity across UKAEA.  
• Work in accordance with UKAEA policy and undertake any other reasonable tasks or duties requested by Management. 

Essential Requirements:

• Successful completion of a relevant degree or equivalent level in a relevant STEM Discipline; within the past 2 years. 
• Demonstrable ability to question existing scientific models, able to express this clearly through high quality written reports.  
• IT literate, fluent in Microsoft Office, including Excel & Access, SharePoint. 
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills. 
• Good planning, organising and time management skills. 
• Discreet & professional approach to technical or scientific activities. 
• Manage own development towards building knowledge & skills. 
• Excellent presentation skills. 

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/

We welcome applications from under-represented groups, particularly individuals from black and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and women. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors, actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.