Nuclear Safety Case Engineering Graduate Programme

Location: Warrington, GB, WA3 6YD

Company: Cavendish Nuclear

Onsite or Hybrid: Hybrid

Role Description

As a Graduate Nuclear Safety Case Engineer within our Cavendish Nuclear business, you’ll play a meaningful role in keeping some of the UK’s most critical nuclear operations safe and secure. Our projects rely on strong safety cases, and you’ll be part of the team that makes them happen.

You’ll gain experience identifying potential risks and understanding how to manage them. You might support hazard studies, contribute to safety reviews, or help produce the technical assessments that allow complex nuclear work to be carried out safely.

In this role, you’ll learn how to develop and maintain safety documentation, ensuring risks are reduced to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). You’ll work closely with experienced engineers, safety specialists, and radiation protection experts who will support your learning and development.

At Cavendish Nuclear, you’ll have the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of impactful projects – from safely decommissioning legacy nuclear sites to supporting the development of future clean energy solutions.

This role is a pathway to building your expertise, growing your career, and making a real difference by helping to protect people, the environment, and the future of nuclear energy.

Programme Structure

This two-year programme is designed to give you a broad understanding of safety case development. During this time, you’ll complete placements that expose you to a wide range of work, including safety case authoring, hazard analysis, compliance reviews, and environmental safety.

By the end of the programme, you’ll have built a strong foundation in hazard identification, risk assessment, and safety case development – ready to take the next step in your career.

Support and Development

From day one, you’ll receive structured support, personalised training, and dedicated mentorship to help you excel throughout your programme and beyond.

You’ll join our Graduate Development Programme, featuring expert-led masterclasses on communication, personal branding, resilience, and wellbeing.

To support your journey toward Chartered or Incorporated Engineer status, we offer full guidance and cover all associated fees.

Career Progression

Upon completing the programme, you’ll transition into a permanent role as a Safety Case Engineer or Consultant within our Nuclear sector. This means you’ll be responsible for developing, maintaining and delivering safety justifications that support some of the UK’s most complex defence and civil nuclear projects.

Through the Babcock Role Framework, you’ll have a clear view of how your career can progress, with mapped-out pathways, development opportunities and the tools you need to get wherever you want to go.

Rewards and Benefits

In addition to a minimum starting salary of £35,000, you’ll benefit from:

• A minimum of 25 days of holiday plus bank holidays
• Generous pension and employee share schemes
• Flexible benefits, including cycle to work scheme, discounts
• Wellbeing support, covering mental, physical, financial, and social wellbeing, with services like our Employee Assistance Programme, digital GP service, and health checks.

You’ll also have the chance to get involved in our STEM outreach activities and volunteering opportunities.

Qualifications Required

You’ll need to have achieved, or be on track to achieve, a BSc or BEng (Hons) degree in an Engineering, Science or Maths subject. A postgraduate qualification such as an MSc or MEng in Nuclear Science would be particularly valuable.

Many of our programmes are subject to Security Clearance and Trade Control restrictions which mean that your place of birth, nationality, citizenship, or residency you hold or have held may impact which programmes you are eligible for. For this programme, you must be able to achieve and maintain Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and Security Check (SC) clearance.

Under applicable national security legislation, this post may only be occupied by a sole UK national.

Location

Places on our Nuclear Safety Case Engineering programme for September 2027 are available in our Cavendish Nuclear business in Warrington. Agile working is supported, but you’ll be expected to work on-site multiple times a week. When you successfully complete the programme, you will continue at the same location.

Joining Cavendish Nuclear means getting involved in some of the most important engineering projects in the UK – and beyond. You could be working on the decommissioning of legacy nuclear sites, supporting the construction and operation of cutting-edge nuclear power plants, or helping sustain our national defence through work on the UK’s nuclear deterrent.

Application Process

Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, and if there’s a high level of interest in this programme, we may close applications earlier than advertised. To give yourself the best chance of being considered, we recommend submitting your application and completing any required online assessments as soon as possible.

Please apply to one programme only. If your chosen programme becomes oversubscribed, we may contact you to discuss other programmes you could be eligible for.

We're a Disability Confident Employer. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.