NDA group graduate programme 2025 - Research and Development (R&D)

Say hello to the NDA group graduate programme

About NDA group

We’re the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group, the largest employer of professionals within the nuclear sector with 17,000 colleagues in more than 900 technical and business roles. We are responsible for decommissioning the UK’s earliest nuclear facilities - one of the world’s largest and most important environmental programmes.

We have a 120-year programme and are responsible for 17 nuclear sites across the UK, together with specialist nuclear waste and international transport businesses. And our mission is growing, with more facilities joining us to be decommissioned in the next decade.

Sustainability, safety, and security are at the heart of our long-term mission to prepare our sites for their next use, work which spans into the next century. Join us and play a central role in delivering our mission, tackling some of the most technical complex challenges facing the UK today, helping us leave a safer environment for future generations.

To find out more about NDA group please visit our website.

Overview of the programme

Graduates are fundamental to our future. Our programme is unparalleled in supporting talented and ambitious graduates to build a first-class foundation for a rewarding career in the nuclear sector.

Sponsored and hosted by the NDA group, successful candidates will be employed by Energus on a two-year programme (three-years for Finance, Audit, Risk) and, once you have successfully completed your personalised programme, we will help you secure a permanent role within the NDA group.

During your time on the programme, you will be given the unique opportunity to undertake placements across the operating companies that make up NDA group (NDA, Nuclear Restoration Services, Nuclear Transport Solutions, Nuclear Waste Services and Sellafield), learning from leading experts on work that has real impact. You will also participate in a core programme of behavioural development to enhance your skills and professional expertise.

The Research and Development (R&D) Team is involved in transforming delivery of our mission through Research, Development and Innovation. This includes ensuring we understand the technical challenges that we face and the possible technologies we and others can develop to address them. Sharing our progress to both technical and non-technical stakeholders is also important to us.​

Placements may include: ​

• Supporting procurement and delivery of R&D portfolio (opportunity to develop both procurement, project management and technical knowledge)​
• Supporting communication of R&D portfolio, developing creative methods to share our challenges and progress​
• Supporting delivery of our cross-sector collaborative R&D and innovation programmes (e.g. with defence and fusion)​
• Supporting identifying and delivering programmes on adoption of technology looking for groupwide solutions​
• Supporting delivery of our university R&D strategy​

Locations for this programme may include:​

Cheshire; West Cumbria; Harwell, Oxfordshire; Bristol; Caithness ​

Why us?

The advantages of joining the NDA group graduate scheme are wide ranging:

• Placements that provide experience across the breadth of NDA group
• A support system which includes a dedicated mentor, a company lead and a pastoral care professional
• Membership of up to 2 professional institutions
• Generously funded professional development to enable you to hone your expertise (including industry memberships, professional qualifications and/or mandated training)
• Generously funded travel & subsidence to support with travel and relocation
• A competitive salary of £30,000
• Core training and a comprehensive, tailored programme of professional development worth £9,900
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
• 6 discretionary days leave for study and relocation in addition to our generous holiday entitlement)

As well as membership of Energus’

• Contributory pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme and DigiCare+
• EnergUS Extras, providing in-house news, wellbeing resources and employee discounts
• Cycle2Work Scheme

Entry Requirements

• A minimum of a 2:2 in a relevant degree subject
• Candidates need to have the right to work in the UK by the start of employment.
• Successful completion of security clearance checks
• Applicants must be willing and able to travel and relocate, potentially multiple times, throughout this programme. As an NDA group graduate you must be willing to relocate to any of the offices/sites that host placements for your chosen programme. Placements are organised to maximise your development and are aligned to business needs. Please tick below to confirm all sites that you are able to relocate to during your programme
• The drive and determination to contribute to the delivery of our mission whilst embodying our group values of Respect, Openness, Collaboration, Performance, & Creativity

Recruitment Stages

The recruitment and selection process consists of the following stages:

• Online application - please complete all required sections of the application
• Online assessment - you will be invited to complete an online assessment
• Teams interview – we will arrange a Teams/video interview with sponsors and subject matter experts
• Assessment centre – this will take place, in person, on Tuesday 18 February 2025 at Manchester Central Convention Complex and will involve various activities, alongside insightful information around the nuclear industry and our programme
• Offer - we aim to issue outcomes within two weeks, by Friday 07 March 2025
• Onboarding - successful candidates will begin their exciting journey as an NDA group graduate, working with our dedicated Energus People & Skills team to swiftly complete onboarding and security paperwork ahead of starting the programme in September/October 2025. Candidates will be also invited to welcome sessions before starting, as well as our social media channels and groups, providing individuals with the best possible start to an exciting future with us

Please note that the closing date for application is expected to be in early Dec 2024 and we may close the advert early depending on responses numbers so please do apply early to avoid disappointment as any applications received thereafter will not be considered.

We encourage you to regularly check emails (including any junk mail/spam folders) throughout the selection process, all correspondence including selection invitation will be

If you are invited to an assessment centre and unable to attend, unfortunately you will be unable to complete the selection process. sent via email.

NDA group and Energus are members of the disability confident scheme. When requested we will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, and we guarantee to interview all candidates who have a disability who meet all of the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.