Graduate Control & Instrumentation Engineer

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

Annual leave 25 days

Flexible working

Skern Lodge residential

Job summary

UK Atomic Energy Authority is offering a Graduate Development Programme to become a Graduate Control & Instrumentation Engineer at Culham, Oxfordshire. You’ll design, test and implement control systems for fusion energy projects, while rotating through development activities and building professional and leadership skills.

You’ll work with world‑leading experts, gaining experience across the full engineering lifecycle and contributing to systems engineering, testing, and documentation.

Qualifications

• Degree in Science or Engineering (2025–2027).
• Demonstrated willingness to learn and tackle challenges.
• Able to collaborate effectively and communicate with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Well organised and adaptable, with ability to plan and prioritise workload.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and test control, instrumentation, electrical and electronic systems that support fusion energy projects.
• Gain experience across the full engineering lifecycle from requirements through to installation and commissioning.
• Work with multidisciplinary teams to solve technical challenges and deliver innovative engineering solutions.
• Develop hands-on experience with PLCs, LabVIEW and other advanced control systems while producing technical documentation and test reports.

Skills

PLCs

LabVIEW

Control systems

Education

Degree in Science or Engineering

Job description

Graduate Control & Instrumentation Engineer

About us

Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon‑free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research organisations to achieve ground‑breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

What you’ll join

Your degree got you this far. Where could fusion energy take you? If you’re looking for your first graduate role and want a career that’s meaningful, challenging, and packed with opportunities to grow, UKAEA’s Graduate Development Programme could be the perfect next step. Working alongside world‑leading experts, you’ll help advance ground breaking fusion technology while building the technical, professional, and leadership skills needed for a successful career. This is your chance to be part of an industry that’s helping create a sustainable future for generations to come.

What you’ll do

• Design, develop and test control, instrumentation, electrical and electronic systems that support cutting‑edge fusion energy projects.
• Gain experience across the full engineering lifecycle, from requirements and design through to installation, testing and commissioning.
• Work with multidisciplinary teams to solve technical challenges, improve system performance and deliver innovative engineering solutions.
• Develop hands‑on experience with technologies such as PLCs, LabVIEW and other advanced control systems while producing technical documentation and test reports.

Build your technical and professional skills through our accredited graduate scheme, supporting your journey towards Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status.

Our graduate scheme is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Institute of Physics (IoP), providing a structured pathway to professional registration and long‑term career development. More information can be found here.

How you’ll develop

On the graduate scheme here at the UK Atomic Energy Authority, you will have 20% of your time focused on professional and personal development. This will include a series of core development activities to fast‑track your business acumen, along with skills for technical, project management and people leadership. The remaining 80% of time is role‑based, working within a team growing your technical knowledge within your chosen discipline. Working with your line manager, you will get the opportunity to experience different roles and responsibilities within projects to broaden your understanding and help decide your future career route.

What you’ll need

• Degree in Science or Engineering from 2025 to 2027.
• Driven, with a strong appetite to learn and take on new challenges.
• Able to collaborate effectively and communicate clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Well organised and adaptable with the ability to plan and prioritise workload.

Benefits

• £35,227 base salary.
• Final salary defined benefit scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution.
• 25 days annual leave, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
• Flexible working options plus family‑friendly leave provisions.
• Take part in our Skern Lodge residential to develop new skills and build your network.

Our commitment to ED&I

UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently under‑represented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit.

UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email [e-mail] if you have any questions or require any help or adjustments.

AI may be used for preparation purposes only. All responses submitted during interviews and assessments must be your own work. To maintain a fair recruitment process, candidates are limited to two applications across our Early Careers programmes. If you apply for multiple roles, we may contact you to discuss which opportunities best match your skills and interests.

Applications are due to close at 23:59 on 8th November 2026.

Programme: Electrical Engineering

Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire

Type of Employment: Full‑time

Reference Number: REF4493X