Design Engineering Industrial Placement 2025

Are you ready to play a significant part in the UK’s sustainable nuclear future?

Join our 12 month Industrial Placement Programme and be a part of Sellafield Ltd’s mission of creating a clean and safe environment for future generations. Experience 12 months of comprehensive support, providing you with a unique place to start your career and reach your unparalleled potential. We are committed to nurturing your talents, building your confidence, and enriching your expertise.

This 12-month programme is designed for current students undertaking extended degrees or those on gap years who seek valuable industry experience. On successful completion of the placement, you can be offered a place on our Graduate scheme the year you graduate.

Who are we?

We are delivering against national safety, security and energy needs. In operating, developing, and decommissioning the Sellafield site, we are also delivering the largest environmental restoration project in Europe.

In short, we solve complex nuclear, engineering, and infrastructure challenges for the UK every single day.

In the past, we have been responsible for breakthroughs such as the world’s first full-scale commercial nuclear power station, and today we are helping to keep lights on across the UK by safely receiving and storing spent nuclear fuel from the UK’s fleet of power stations.

Sellafield is the only site in the country that can safely manage all forms of nuclear waste, with our teams finding new ways to ensure it is kept safe until a permanent disposal facility is ready.
We are also guardians of the UK’s largest stockpile of nuclear materials.

Our world-class engineers and nuclear professionals tackle these challenges with the same spirit of innovation that has always run through our organisation.

All our activities are driven by a single purpose: to create a clean and safe environment for future generations.

We deliver on that purpose while providing value to:

• Our people – helping them to grow, develop and flourish;
• Our communities – creating a positive social impact in West Cumbria, Warrington and beyond; and
• Our industry – supporting the nation’s nuclear infrastructure, completing our decommissioning mission, and shaping best-practice standards.

Industrial Placements

Our placement students are entrusted with significant responsibilities, actively contributing to both our current challenges and our future mission. You will have the unique opportunity to gain insights from industry and world-leading experts, individuals with decades of experience who are dedicated to nurturing the next generation.

On entering the organisation as an Industrial placement student, you will develop objectives that can complement your university studies whilst gaining real work experience. The programme offers an insight into the world of nuclear whilst you demonstrate competence.

A comprehensive performance review will be conducted at the conclusion of your placement to assess your potential. On successful completion of the Industrial Placement scheme, you can be offered a position on our graduate development programme.

Our dedicated student development team will guide you through the 12-month placement offering specific continuous professional development opportunities that will equip you will the skills, knowledge and behaviours to thrive in industry.

Recognising that certain universities may have specific placement requirements aligned with your degree, rest assured that our support networks are well-informed of these considerations. We take these into account when defining your scope of work and crafting your objectives.

Design Engineering: Risley, Warrington

Do you want to be part of designing some of the most unique and challenging engineering work in the nuclear industry? Are you looking for a placement programme that puts you at the forefront of engineering excellence?

Our nuclear heritage and mission to create a sustainable future provides unparalleled potential for our design engineers. There is no instruction manual for our mission. As a design engineer at Sellafield Ltd, you will part of a team that gets to create it.

From unexpected, on-plant situations requiring design support and advice, plant modifications on legacy facilities and infrastructure, to large multi-million pound new build projects, Design Engineering at Sellafield Ltd provides a great range of experience for graduates to get involved with.

Design Engineers at Sellafield Ltd face some of the most unique and challenging work in the nuclear industry, and our design engineering capability enables us to accelerate high hazard nuclear waste reduction in a safe, secure, environmentally responsible, cost effective and pragmatic manner. The individual work scope varies dependent on your discipline area; you will be expected to demonstrate your technical ability and engineering knowledge through the production of design deliverables. Alongside this, Design Engineers are also expected to exhibit the correct behavioural attributes, have a questioning attitude and a good understanding of the project lifecycles from concept design through to operation and decommissioning.

Over the course of 12 months, design placement students gain experience in a variety of aspects of engineering. You will be given real work and be responsible for ensuring delivery to the correct quality and timescales. You’ll get the chance to learn from industry experts, tackling challenges and finding solutions through innovation, and in doing so, reducing high hazards, making a meaningful difference to the environment. You can make a direct impact in the UK’s sustainable nuclear future.

To learn more about our Design Engineering profession, visit: https://careers.sellafieldsite.co.uk/graduates-placements/graduates/programme-areas/design-engineering/

We are looking for:

For our Design Engineering programmes we are looking for students currently enrolled in an extended degree/sandwich degree or taking a break from their studies in the following disciplines:

• Chemical / Process Engineering
• Electrical / Electronic Engineering, Physics, Mechatronics, General Engineering

If that’s you and you’re working towards achieving a 2:2 classification or above, then hit apply now.

• Civil or Structural Engineering (Masters level required and minimum of a 2:1 classification.)
• Mechanical Engineering (Masters level required and minimum 2:1);
• Building Services, Architectural Engineering & Environmental Engineering (Masters desirable,
BEng level required and minimum 2:2).

Please note: Working at Sellafield Ltd requires you to achieve both security and medical clearance throughout the on-boarding process.

What you will receive in return

• As an Industrial Placement student, you’ll join us on 12-month fixed term contract, with a competitive salary of £25,000.

• If you’re relocating here from more than 30 miles away, we’ll support you with a relocation allowance of £1,200 and give you plenty of information on the best areas to live and how to find a place too. £1,200 can provide you with rent cover for up to 2-3-months in some areas of West Cumbria.

• 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.

• During your placement with us you will get the opportunity to work towards objectives that if met, you will be offered the opportunity to return on our graduate programme once you have completed your degree. *Subject to their being a suitable graduate position available.

• We also offer an attractive defined contribution pension scheme – the company will match up to 13.5% for a 7% employee contribution.

• All of our employees can 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.

Key Information:

• Applications for our placement programmes will close on 27th October 2024.

• You will be issued an assessment to complete, the date you receive this will depend on when you apply. You will be given a deadline to complete this by and will find out the result of your assessment mid-November.

• Video interviews will take place from 11th November to 1st December 2024.

• *Please note, if you are unable to attend an assessment during these months you may be unable to complete our application process.

• Expected start date: 10th July 2025  

• Sellafield has a proud vision of Diversity & Inclusion that aims to attract candidates into an inclusive and supportive workplace. We are honoured to be recognised as a Level 3 Disability Confident Employer. As users of the Disability Confident Scheme, you will be able to declare a disability when completing our application form or have the option to contact us directly should you require any assistance completing our application process.

• You are advised to regularly check your emails (including any junk mail/spam folders) for correspondence related to this post, including assessment or interview invitations and any other type of correspondence relating to your application.

Before you apply:

We encourage you to complete our immersive, realistic preview into the life of a placement student 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.

Visit: https://rjp.neurosight.ai/enc/GstpeCB9sNwskEQJLRjkleVODpPp68wi0fFdn3D4eqs

*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