Do you want to be at the heart of real Defence issues and play a key role in the United Kingdom’s (UK) national security? Are you interested in starting your career in Engineering? The Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) delivers nuclear capability to deter threats and protect our nation and is made up of several organisations, programmes and people that sustain the UK’s nuclear deterrent. Core organisations are the Defence Nuclear Organisation, Royal Navy, Submarine Delivery Agency and the Atomic Weapons Establishment - as well as those in other parts of the Ministry of Defence and principal Industry partners including Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and Babcock Marine.​ The UK’s independent nuclear deterrent has existed for over 60 years to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, and that of our NATO Allies. To ensure that we have a credible and capable nuclear deterrent for as long as the security situation requires, we are building four new nuclear armed submarines – known as the Dreadnought Class – and replacing our nuclear warheads.  

The DNE strongly believes that diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do but is also essential for a thriving and successful organisation. We know that diverse teams bring a wide range of perspectives, experiences and ideas, which lead to better decision-making, creativity and innovation. We have a culture where differences are celebrated and our people feel supported, included and empowered. Join us and be part of an organisation that truly values diversity and inclusion and makes a positive impact on the world. 

The Defence STEM Undergraduate Sponsorship (DSUS) scheme will provide you with full financial support whilst you complete your university studies. In addition, you will be given the opportunity of permanent employment within the Engineering profession following your graduation.​This fantastic scheme is open to anyone studying a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) subject.

Not only does the scheme cover the cost of your tuition fees and pay a bursary each year, but you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a 45-day paid work placement over the summer each year for up to three years.  *Please be aware that you must be a UK National to apply. You must also be able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance to work for the SDA. 

Sponsorship Offer

If you are accepted onto this scheme, whilst you study for your degree, we will:

        Pay your tuition fees (up to £9,250 each year)

        Pay you a bursary of £5,000 each year**

        Organise 45 days paid work placements*

        Offer permanent employment following your graduation

Summer placements are crafted to give you experience of the DNE. They will enable you to work on real Defence projects with real responsibility, while benefiting from a wide support network, which will be of value to your professional development and future career. Generally, they are organised in Bristol.

Placements provide an overview of the projects undertaken within MOD delivery teams, this may be working on optioneering documents, risk assessments or technical research reports. Your summer placements will build exposure to both MOD ways of working, the relevant classes of vessels, engineering lifecycle activities and delivery team structures – this will ultimately aid you upon entering the business.

Placements are organised in July and August and you will be contracted to work 37 hours per week as an Administrator Officer (AO) (current minimum £24,985.00 pro rata). As an MOD employee, you are also entitled to 5 days paid annual leave which is applied to the end of the placement.

*Travel and accommodation claims will not be reimbursed by the department.

** Not applicable during industrial placement year or candidates in their final year of study.

Job Offer

Post-graduation, you may be offered a permanent job in the SDA (subject to entry route). SDA offers a competitive total reward package and other fabulous benefits including a market leading contributory pension scheme. Full details are listed further down the advert. 

The minimum starting salary is £28,880 per annum (subject to annual review). 

SDA is looking for talented undergraduates to get a head start with their Engineering or Science career.  

Your summer placement offers a gateway to either a graduation programme or direct hire position. All summer placements will require a Security Check (SC) level clearance. However, Developed Vetting (DV) level clearance may be required for your permanent role. This is subject to the job role offered at the point of entry. 

Please note that if you leave the scheme before completing 3 years postgraduation employment you must repay your tuition and bursary funding (as per the terms in the Deed of Acceptance for the scheme). 

There is a 6-month probation period. 

Graduate programme

During this 2-year scheme, successful applicants will undertake various work-based placements across MOD, waterfront, and industry sites (with the potential to travel overseas) to get an understanding of the systems in place to support the Royal Navy who are ‘hands on’ with the equipment.

Throughout the scheme, you will be supported by your graduate manager, placement supervisor and mentor to reach your full potential and become a real asset to the business. There is also potential to undertake further academic study through an upskilling programme (MSc/MEng), and opportunity to access technical training and continuous professional development.

Once you are able to demonstrate that you can work at a higher level, you will have the opportunity to regrade to Senior Technical Specialist I (current minimum £36,100). You will be expected to attend a suitability interview and will regrade if successful. If unsuccessful, you will remain at Senior Technical Specialist II. 

Direct entry position

Within the MOD, the Engineering profession is responsible for ensuring that Royal Navy Submarines, their facilities and equipment is safe to operate, meets their requirements, and is maintained and appropriately disposed of. The job you are offered will be mapped to your degree subject and your career aspirations will be discussed with you nearer your graduation date. To give you an idea of the type of work you might undertake could involve:

• Developing capabilities for the MOD’s platforms and systems.
• Solving engineering problems through the full lifecycle of the equipment
• Developing upgrades to ensure it continues to provide the battle-winning "edge" the Royal Navy need.
• Delivering engineering products/services.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com  

Please note that this is an undergraduate scheme so if you have already graduated in your degree, you will not be eligible.

 To be eligible for this scheme you must:

• Be a UK National
• Have graduated by 2027
• Be willing to undertake compulsory paid 45 day work placements during the summer
• Commit to working for the MoD for a minimum of 3 years following your graduation

Be studying for a degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) that is related to the disciplines listed below: 

• Artificial Intelligence
• Automotive Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Civil & Structural
• Computational Physics
• Computer Science
• Criticality Systems Assessment
• Electrical & Electronic Engineering
• Environmental Science or Sustainability / Environmental Engineering
• Equipment Cyber Resilience
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Marine Engineering
• Material Engineering / Material Analytical Science
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mechatronics
• Naval Architecture
• Nuclear Engineering / Nuclear Science
• Nuclear Threat Reduction
• Physics
• Chemical Engineering
• Radiation Science
• Robotics
• Safety Engineering / Safety Management
• Sensors and Electronic Systems
• Software and/or Cyber Engineering
• Structural and Fire Safety Engineering
• Systems Engineering / Systems Integration

Essential Qualifications: Expected to achieve a minimum 2:2 (Hons) Degree or higher

*Selection process

Candidates can apply online via the Civil Service Jobs website by completing the application form before the deadline shown. Apply using the Civil Service Jobs apply button, filling in ALL required details in ALL sections. Using the Success Profiles link for information on format and style, ensure you provide evidence for all of the Behaviours requested in the appropriate competency style.

 Each Behaviour example should be written in the following format to ensure you provide a comprehensive response:

· Situation - the situation you had to deal with

· Task - the task you were given to do

· Action - the action(s) you took

· Result - what happened as a result of your action and what you learned from the experience

You have 250 words to answer each Behaviour and you are encouraged to use the full word count. Further information on how to use the STAR method can be found here.

*Please note that not following the appropriate format will mean that you may be unable to reach the required grades for sift or interview* 

The requirements for the scheme have been benchmarked and these will be used to sift all candidates, with highest scoring applications at sift being invited to interview.

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that you have experienced. While technology can help to enhance your writing and support the STAR method, we recommend that you do not utilise it to provide you with examples to use. You may use the same Behaviour examples in your application at interview but please be prepared to expand on your Behaviours at interview. 

A presentation will be the basis for your interview (use of slides is optional) which will be conducted over Microsoft Teams. ALL Technical and Behaviour competences will be assessed and the subjects you must cover will be given to you when you are invited to interview.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.  

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.  

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.