Nuclear jobs in the UK

The UK nuclear sector at a glance

Nuclear work in the UK spans five overlapping areas: running existing power stations, building new ones, decommissioning older sites and managing radioactive waste, the defence nuclear programme, and fusion research. Careers in nuclear tend to be long, and people often move between these areas as projects change.

Cumbria is a major centre, with Sellafield near Whitehaven and west Cumbria and submarine building at Barrow-in-Furness. In Somerset, EDF is building Hinkley Point C near Bridgwater. Sizewell C in Suffolk reached a final investment decision in July 2025, and in November 2025 the government named Wylfa on Anglesey as the site for the UK's first small modular reactor power station, using Rolls-Royce SMR technology.

The Birchwood area of Warrington has a cluster of nuclear offices, including Sellafield Ltd and the National Nuclear Laboratory, alongside many engineering consultancies and supply chain firms.

Jobs across the nuclear life cycle

Generation

Operating power stations, such as EDF's Sizewell B in Suffolk, employ reactor operators, shift charge engineers, maintenance technicians, chemists, radiation protection staff and safety case engineers. Outages bring short-term demand for contractors in mechanical, electrical and inspection roles.

New build and small modular reactors

Large construction projects need civil, mechanical and electrical engineers, coded welders, quality inspectors, planners, project controls and cost specialists, commercial managers, construction managers and document controllers. Much of this work is through main contractors and their supply chains.

Decommissioning and waste management

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority group includes Sellafield Ltd, Nuclear Restoration Services (which brought together the former Magnox and Dounreay sites) and Nuclear Waste Services. These organisations and their contractors hire decommissioning engineers, health physics monitors, waste specialists, safety case authors, remote handling and robotics engineers, and project managers.

Defence and fusion

The defence nuclear supply chain includes submarine construction at Barrow-in-Furness, reactor work in Derby and the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire. Fusion research is led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority at Culham in Oxfordshire, and the STEP prototype fusion plant is planned for West Burton in Nottinghamshire. These employers need physicists, materials scientists and specialists in vacuum, cryogenics and remote handling, as well as mainstream engineers.

Security clearance and site requirements

Almost every nuclear job involves security vetting. The Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks your identity, right to work, employment history and criminal record, and is the minimum for most nuclear sites. Some roles need a Counter Terrorist Check (CTC), many need Security Check (SC) clearance, and the most sensitive defence posts need Developed Vetting (DV).

You can't apply for clearance yourself. Your employer sponsors it once you have an offer, and higher levels can take several months. When an advert says "must be eligible for SC", it usually means you need enough verifiable UK residence history for the checks to be completed.

Other common requirements include:

• being recognised as suitably qualified and experienced (SQEP) for safety-related work
• radiation protection and site induction training
• experience of working to a nuclear safety culture and strict quality procedures
• incorporated or chartered registration for senior engineering posts

Nuclear safety and security on civil sites are regulated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority publishes information about its sites and group businesses.

Starting or moving into nuclear

Large nuclear employers run apprenticeship schemes in engineering, science and business roles, often with set intakes each year. The NDA group and other employers run graduate programmes for engineers, scientists and project professionals.

Service leavers are well placed, particularly Royal Navy engineers with submarine or reactor experience, who already understand nuclear safety and security. Career changers from oil and gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other regulated industries also do well, because they are used to safety cases, permits and quality systems.

Nuclear roles on Energy Jobs Board

You can look for nuclear vacancies by location, salary and contract type, including permanent staff roles and contract positions on major projects. Many adverts state the clearance level required, so check this before you apply.

Set up a free profile to upload your CV and keep track of applications. Your profile is hidden by default, and if you make it visible, only approved employers with database access can see your contact details.

Hiring for a nuclear project? You can place a nuclear job advert; each one is checked before it goes live.