2027 Cumbria Graduate Programme

Your ideas. Real responsibility. Lasting impact.

Join Sellafield and help create a clean and safe environment for future generations while shaping the UK’s sustainable future through world-first engineering, science and innovation.

This year, we’re recruiting graduates across a range of areas, including:

Construction

Commissioning

Engineering & Maintenance

Radiological Protection & Safety

Safety Case

Technical

Whichever path you choose, you’ll play a meaningful role in helping us deliver nationally important work, develop specialist skills and build a career with purpose.

Our Graduate Development Scheme

Our Graduate Development Scheme is a structured two-year programme designed to help you build the foundations of a successful and rewarding career. From day one, you’ll gain real responsibility, develop technical expertise and work alongside industry-leading professionals on projects that make a genuine difference. Through a blend of professional development, on-the-job learning and support towards chartership, you’ll have everything you need to grow your confidence, expand your skills and become a future specialist in your field. Whether you’re looking to develop your technical expertise, build your professional network or accelerate your career, we’ll give you the opportunities, support and experience to help you reach your potential.

What You’ll Get

Our graduates start off with a 24-month fixed term contract, with an excellent starting salary of £44,027, rising to £45,010 in Year 2. Following successful completion of your graduate programme and subject to there being a suitable vacancy, you could be offered a permanent position with us.

If you’re relocating here from more than 30 miles away, we’ll support you with a relocation allowance of £1,400. £1,400 can provide you with rent cover for up to 3-months in some areas of West Cumbria.

We know that moving on from university isn’t always easy. That’s why all our graduates can also apply for an interest free loan of £2,000 which you pay back through your monthly salary over your 24-month contract.

We aim to strike a good work/life balance by offering 30 days annual leave with statutory public holidays on top. There is also the ability to purchase an additional 2.5 days leave on top.

We also offer an attractive defined contribution pension scheme – the company will match up to 13.5% for a 7% employee contribution, helping you to save for the future from the start of your career.

All our employees can also benefit from our 18 support networks, including the Nuclear Autism Support Network, oneLGBTQ+ Network and Gender Balance Networks, to name a few.

Other benefits include paid sick leave scheme, cycle to work scheme, family friendly policies, welfare & employee assistance programme, employee savings & discounts, plus many others.

What we’ll need from you

We want you to succeed with us, so we’re asking for you to:

• Be on track to achieve, or have already achieved, a minimum of a 2:1 in a relevant subject to the scheme you’re applying to (please refer to the individual scheme requirements for full details).
• Have a willingness to relocate to West Cumbria for the duration of the programme.
• Have a commitment to working on or around the Sellafield site and supporting the delivery of our mission to create a clean and safe environment for future generations.
• Have a genuine interest in building a career within the nuclear industry and developing your professional and technical expertise.
• Have the ability to solve problems, think critically and approach challenges with curiosity and a willingness to learn.
• Have the drive to take ownership of your own development and make the most of the opportunities available through the programme.
• Have a proactive attitude, a willingness to try new things and the resilience to work through complex challenges.
• Have a commitment to upholding the highest standards of safety, security and professionalism.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role.

We’re looking for people who are curious, motivated and ready to make a difference. You don’t need nuclear experience, but you do need the enthusiasm to learn, the confidence to challenge yourself and the ambition to help deliver work that will have a lasting impact for generations to come.

Life in Cumbria

Build a career that makes a difference from day one. With us, you won’t be spending your graduate programme on the sidelines. You’ll work on real projects that help tackle some of the UK’s biggest environmental, engineering and nuclear challenges, while contributing to our mission of creating a clean and safe environment for future generations. Based in West Cumbria, on the edge of the Lake District, you’ll be part of a team developing innovative solutions that support the UK’s sustainable future, reduce environmental risk and leave a lasting positive impact for generations to come.
Alongside structured development, professional support and world-class expertise, you’ll gain experience that’s genuinely hard to find anywhere else.

You’ll be working directly on our site in West Cumbria, right on the edge of the breathtaking Lake District National Park. It’s a place where your weekends can be filled with hiking, cycling, or kayaking and your evenings end with sunsets over the fells. Away from the bustle of big cities you’ll enjoy fresh air, open space and a lower cost of living – without missing out on communities, activities or connections. And when you do fancy a city break, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow are just a few hours away. It’s the perfect balance of career opportunity and quality of life.

Enjoy affordable housing and living costs that go much further than big cities. Rural doesn’t mean isolated, you’ll still find shops, restaurants and gyms – just without the city chaos.

Our Application Process

• Applications for our Graduate Programmes close on Friday 23rd October 2026.
• Once you’ve applied, you’ll be invited to complete an online assessment. The date you receive this will depend on when you submit your application. You’ll be given a deadline to complete it and can expect to receive your outcome in mid-November.
• Video interviews will take place between 2nd – 13th November 2026.
• For Cumbria-based schemes, face-to-face Assessment Centres will be held in Workington, Cumbria, from 1st – 4th December 2026.
• We don’t want travel costs to be a barrier. Financial support is available for candidates who may struggle to cover travel expenses upfront when attending an assessment centre.
• Please note that if you’re unable to attend an assessment stage during the dates outlined above, you may not be able to progress through the recruitment process.
• Expected start date: Monday 27th September 2027.

Accessibility and Inclusion

• At Sellafield, we’re committed to creating an inclusive and supportive recruitment experience where everyone can succeed.
• We’re proud to be recognised as a Disability Confident Leader and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and experiences.
• Reasonable adjustments are available throughout every stage of our recruitment process, including online assessments, video interviews and assessment centres.
• If you require any adjustments or additional support, we’ll work with you to make sure you can demonstrate your skills and perform at your best.
• If you’d like to discuss any support requirements before or during your application, please contact our recruitment team. We’re happy to help and encourage candidates to speak to us as early as possible so we can ensure the right support is in place.

Before you apply

Before you start your application, please complete our immersive, realistic preview into the life of a Graduate at Sellafield before you start your application. Completing this preview will take less than 10 minutes and will help you understand both the type of challenges you may encounter, and if you’re likely to enjoy working here. Click below to begin our realistic scheme preview:

https://rjp.neurosight.io/enc/GstpeCB9sNwskEQJLRjklWSrsEb6GZQyM-T2WeDLwsw

*Please note – requires an iPhone updated to at least iOS 14, or an updated Android device. Also accessible on tablets or laptops – Chrome is the recommended browser, although Safari also works on iO4 14 or better

Applications for our graduate programmes will close on Friday 23rd October 2026.

Please be aware that this role is subject to achieving security clearance. This role requires higher level of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 years of continuous residency in the UK. Factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the level of clearance you’re able to achieve.

From graduate to nuclear professional – your journey begins here. Join us and help shape the UK’s sustainable nuclear future with a company built on history.

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