Graduate Trainee - Liabilities: Decommissioning, Demolition and Waste Management

Prospects; Reading; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

270 hours annual leave

9-day working fortnight

Salary sacrifice scheme

Life Assurance

Welcome payment

Interest-free loan

Employee health services

Job summary

AWE in Reading is offering a Graduate Liabilities placement that exposes you to the full liabilities lifecycle—from decommissioning and demolition to waste management. You will work across strategy, projects, operations and safety with diverse teams to deliver real outcomes.

You’ll gain project-delivery principles, regulatory awareness, Lean techniques, and stakeholder engagement while earning a starting salary and benefits structured for graduates.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2:2 in a relevant technical or general degree.
• Suitable backgrounds include engineering, science, sustainability, policy, project management, business, economics, geography, law, supply chain, logistics, finance or accounting.
• You must be a British National and willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Programme delivery: Support decommissioning, demolition and waste programmes from strategy through to delivery.
• Long-term planning: Contribute to liabilities strategy, integration and planning.
• Risk and compliance: Apply risk-based thinking and support safe systems of work, permits and compliance activity.
• Multidisciplinary working: Collaborate with capability sponsors, projects, engineering, safety, operations, facilities, waste, commercial and procurement teams.
• Improvement and coordination: Support reporting, coordination, data-informed decisions and continuous improvement.
• Leadership exposure: Build organisational awareness through varied placements and potential leadership shadowing.

Skills

Proactive

Collaborative

Organised

Analytical

Adaptable

Safety focused

Education

Minimum 2:2 degree

Engineering, science, sustainability, policy, PM, business, economics, geography, law, supply chain, logistics, finance or accounting

Job description

Join the Liabilities team, which sets direction and manages nuclear, radiological, chemical and explosive waste alongside the safe decommissioning and demolition of associated facilities. Through structured placements, you will gain experience across the full liabilities lifecycle and see how strategy, projects, operations, engineering, safety and waste specialists work together. A multidisciplinary route into a growing sector We welcome graduates from technical and non-technical backgrounds. The programme is designed to build broad capability across decommissioning, waste, project delivery, risk, regulation and leadership, opening multiple career pathways within AWE and the wider nuclear sector.

What opportunities will you have?

• Programme delivery: Support decommissioning, demolition and waste programmes from strategy through to delivery.
• Long-term planning: Contribute to liabilities strategy, integration and planning.
• Risk and compliance: Apply risk-based thinking and support safe systems of work, permits and compliance activity.
• Multidisciplinary working: Collaborate with capability sponsors, projects, engineering, safety, operations, facilities, waste, commercial and procurement teams.
• Improvement and coordination: Support reporting, coordination, data-informed decisions and continuous improvement.
• Leadership exposure: Build organisational awareness through varied placements and potential leadership shadowing.

What you will learn

• The full lifecycle of liabilities management, decommissioning, demolition and waste.
• How strategy, projects, engineering, operations, facilities and safety disciplines work together.
• Project-delivery principles through the APM Project Fundamentals Qualification.
• Core health and safety through IOSH Working Safely or Managing Safely.
• Lean and continuous-improvement techniques, including Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt capability.
• Nuclear professionalism, regulatory awareness, risk management and safe systems of work.
• Stakeholder engagement, planning, problem-solving, reporting and digital tools such as Excel or Power BI.

What you will get

• £31,000 starting salary.
• A market-leading contributory pension scheme.
• 270 hours of annual leave, including bank holidays.
• A 9-day working fortnight, giving you every other Friday off.
• A salary-sacrifice benefit scheme, Life Assurance and employee discounts.
• A welcome payment and the option of an interest-free £1,000 loan.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Regular Graduate pay reviews and structured career progression.

• Proactive: You take ownership and want to make a practical difference.
• Collaborative: You enjoy working across disciplines and learning from specialists.
• Organised: You can manage priorities, plan work and deliver to deadlines.
• Analytical: You use evidence and structured thinking to address complex issues.
• Adaptable: You respond positively as placements, priorities and challenges change.
• Safety focused: You understand the importance of quality, compliance and careful decision-making.

Minimum 2:2 in a relevant technical or general degree. Suitable backgrounds include engineering, science, sustainability, policy, project management, business, economics, geography, law, supply chain, logistics, finance or accounting. You must be a British National and willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance.