SAY HELLO TO THE NDA GROUP GRADUATE PROGRAMME

Graduates are fundamental to our future. Our programme is dedicated to supporting talented and ambitious graduates in building a first-class foundation for a rewarding career in the nuclear sector.
As a Dounreay Direct Entry graduate, you will be given the unique opportunity to experience multiple secondments within Nuclear Restoration Services’ Dounreay site, accelerating your expertise in your chosen discipline, and 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 and network with peers across the NDA group.
Safety cases form the backbone of nuclear safety at our sites, helping us to safely and successfully manage the UK’s civil nuclear legacy on behalf of the nation. The safety case is an essential requirement of our licence to operate and is fundamental to the management and control of hazards. Safety case professionals work within site, central technical and project teams and are engaged through the full lifecycle from design of new facilities, site operations, to decommissioning and demolition. Every site and project at Nuclear Restoration Services Dounreay has unique and interesting challenges requiring sound judgement, teamwork and project delivery excellence. Many of our projects are world first decommissioning challenges and attract interest from the wider decommissioning community.
This programme offers graduates the opportunity to gain experience working on a variety of projects, as part of a multi-disciplined team, solving problems within a challenging context.
Recent graduates have had a variety of fantastic opportunities to develop their industry skills and technical competencies. Some of these experiences include hazard and risk assessments, evaluating radiological and fissile-material hazards in line with ALARP, devising and implementing mitigation strategies, and ensuring compliance with ONR licence conditions. They quality-assured safety documentation against NDA governance standards, provided structured ESSS case guidance by integrating multidisciplinary inputs into regulator-ready submissions, and developed a deep understanding of technical governance. Alongside assessing waste-package disposability against national criteria, they collaborated in SPRINTs to deploy new technologies and operational changes safely, working with engineers, radiological protection advisors, and human factors specialists.
We are looking for individuals who can thrive in both collaborative and technical environments. If you have a demonstrable set of technical skills and a passion for the nuclear sector, we highly encourage you to apply.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

• A minimum of a 2:2 in a relevant degree subject
• The right to work in the UK for the duration of the programme. Any offers will be conditional upon satisfactory right to work checks
• Successful completion of security clearance and substance tests. These will be conducted post-offer
• The willingness and ability to work on-site at Dounreay, Caithness for the duration of the programme, as well as in the longer term
• The drive and determination to contribute to the delivery of our mission whilst embodying our group values of Respect, Openness, Collaboration, Performance, & Creativity
  We encourage you to regularly check emails (including any junk mail/spam folders) throughout the selection process, all correspondence including selection invitation will be sent via email.
  Please note that in submitting your application you agree for your application details to be shared with the Dounreay Early Careers Team where appropriate.
  Closing date – Friday 2nd January 2026
  Any applications received after this date will not be considered. We reserve the right to close a role early should we receive sufficient applications. We encourage that you apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment. Please note only one Dounreay Direct Entry application is required - please do not submit multiple applications.
  As proud members of the Disability Confident Scheme, Energus aim to create a fair and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you have a disability or health condition and require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know – we will work with you to ensure your needs are met. We are committed to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. In the event of a high number of eligible applicants, we will prioritise those whose skills and experience most closely match the requirements of the role.

Please refer the Job description for details