Roles

The application process for this year's intake begins in September 2009.

When you apply to join the Sellafield Graduate Scheme you're not applying to a specific role or vacancy. That's just one more of the things that you might not be expecting. We prefer to get to know you a little bit more first then, as your application progresses; together we'll find the perfect role for you within our business.

There are a number of key areas within which you could find yourself working though.

Design Engineering (Mechanical, Control, Electrical and Instrumentation, Civil and Structural Engineering, Chemical/Process Engineering)

Design engineering covers a wide range of activities and supports both operational plants and decommissioning projects. Join us and you'll gain experience throughout the project life-cycle, from concept and design, through to construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning, giving you an invaluable all-round insight into a fascinating discipline.

Within the concept phase you might be involved in assessing the feasibility of a number of options to deliver a business need, while in design you'll deal with specifications of work, calculations, interpretation of R&D and definition of design intent.

Through the later phases, you'll have an important role to play in ensuring safety, environmental protection and quality. And, in any of these activities, you're likely to work in multi-disciplinary teams, enjoying the opportunity to see technical solutions in the context of a commercial environment.

Looking at more specific roles, as a Process Engineer you may develop a process to treat radioactive waste retrieved from a legacy building. As a Mechanical Engineer you might design a remotely operated tool to undertake a complex task within a radioactive environment. In a Civil/Structural Engineer role you could be involved in any aspect of new building analysis and design (including earthquake resistance), civil infrastructure design/maintenance or the resolution of complex decommissioning and demolition challenges. Or, as a Control, Electrical and Instrumentation Engineer you could end up designing a complex programmable control system to ensure radioactive waste is contained and controlled.

Plant Engineering (Civil and Structural Engineering, Control, Electrical and Instrumentation, Manufacturing, Material, Mechanical Engineering)

Typically based in a front-line engineering support team within an operational plant, you'll be in a real, hands-on role from day one. Supported by your line manager and an independent professional mentor, you'll experience a wide range of projects and operations, developing a deep knowledge of one of the world's most complex and challenging engineering sectors. New plants continue to be constructed, commissioned and operated, while significant work is ongoing to decommission historic plants and manage the nuclear legacy. Gaining experience in a range of plants and at all stages of their life-cycles, you'll keep abreast of new developments and play an important role in ensuring the efficient and safe delivery of multi-million pound projects.

Project Management (Engineering or Science degrees, or a Project Management degree) NB Maths and non-science based subjects considered.

If you're looking for a career in Project Management there's no better or more challenging organisation to join. After all we carry out a huge variety of projects, ranging from supporting operations to Waste Management and Nuclear Decommissioning.

Projects vary from the small and simple to the very complex, with high degrees of risk and technical uncertainty. Whatever their size and complexity, one thing remains the same - each and every one must be delivered safely whilst meeting our targets in terms of time, budget and quality.

Technical Support (Engineering or Science Degree)

In Technical Support you'll be working within a multi-disciplinary team, growing your specialist knowledge and expertise to improve the operation of the plants and processes at Sellafield. You'll gain an in-depth knowledge of plant technology, acting as a source of advice and guidance to a wide range of customers, sharing best practice and helping drive through technological improvements. You'll learn how to formulate development programmes too and manage the technical interface with suppliers.

So it's a role that will really deepen and broaden your science and engineering knowledge, giving you a unique opportunity to develop technical programme management skills and carry out technical networking inside and outside the company.

Manufacturing - Operations Support (Engineering or Science Degree)

As a Manufacturing Support Team Member you'll be at the centre of our work, providing technical and operational expertise across all aspects of plant operations. Helping keep sites up and running, the work is mission critical and varied.

Activities you might get involved in include revising key Nuclear Accountancy documents (used to calculate how much nuclear material we have on plant), undertaking investigations and making recommendations, and getting involved with on site safety issues. All involve meetings and liaison with all levels of site personnel - including senior managers - as well as problem solving, whether it's a new piece of plant that needs to be commissioned, a risk assessment that needs to be carried out, or documentation that needs to be amended.

Business (Business related degree)

In the Business Function we work with our operating units to identify and exploit opportunities to create a more cost-efficient business. Wherever you end up, the role will be interesting, varied and challenging with lots of interaction in the business.

  • Procurement - The Commercial and Contract Management Directorate comprises over 250 employees with expertise in commercial, procurement, and logistics. During the two-year scheme, you'll undertake a number of placements, ensuring invaluable variety whilst developing your commercial experience. You'll be challenged daily to use your skills, initiative and common sense, and we'll also look for you to challenge us. We're committed to continuously developing your skills within the workplace, as well as in a more formal academic environment, for example through various chartered institutes such as in Purchasing & Supply. You'll also work extensively with other professions from many parts of the business, as well as customers and key stakeholders on a variety of projects. 
  • Human Resources: Our mission in HR is to fully engage the workforce and our other key stakeholders to maximise the contribution from all our employees at all levels. We will ensure that our practices help drive nuclear safety and we will deliver streamlined people solutions that follow industry best practice. We will continue to demonstrate the added value of a fully integrated HR, Employee Development and Business Improvement capability. In your role as a graduate trainee, this could mean working in one of several areas, including HR Delivery as part of the Shared Services team or in Education, Training and Development to help achieve continuous performance improvement. Wherever choose to go, the role will be interesting, varied and challenging with lots of interaction in the business.
  • Finance: The Finance team, based at Sellafield, Westlakes, and Risley, represents the shareholder in the business and acts as a service to the business. As a function Finance has a clear responsibility to protect and enhance the shareholders investment in line with the shareholders objectives and provides the business control framework to support the management to improve performance. Opportunities in Finance include the business control framework through delegated authorities; payroll and accounts payable provided for Sellafield Limited and other X by the Westlakes Accounting Centre and information on business performance support including investment review, and project and management accounting.

Environmental Science (Science/engineering/mathematics)

Sellafield represents one of the most environmentally challenging facilities in the world. In addition to the high profile and heavily regulated management of wastes, the site faces the same challenges as most other large chemical facilities. You'll be involved in all aspects of environmental sustainability, ranging from impact assessment and improvement to the wider issues of environmental management systems and corporate strategy. These areas of work involve the analysis of data to identify trends and propose solutions for improvement. Continued development is extremely important in reducing the environmental impact of the site.

Safety (Physics, Maths, Engineering - primarily chemical and mechanical)

Our safety teams undertake a wide range of vital and proactive roles. Some investigate the potential consequences of design, engineering and operational failures, modelling accident scenarios and identifying controls to prevent them. Others provide frontline support to operations, undertaking investigations and providing radiological or conventional safety advice.

Our roles offer the opportunity to work with the range of operational and decommissioning facilities, liaising with a diverse group of people at many levels within the company including operators, designers and engineers. Structured training programmes focus on the technical aspects, while hands-on experience develops wider a range of attributes, leading to skills that are recognised site and industry wide.