Year in Industry- Environmental Scientist

Atomic Weapons Establishment; Aldermaston; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-day working fortnight

Market-leading pension scheme

Generous holiday entitlement

Employee discounts portal

Job summary

Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston is offering a Year in Industry Placement for an Environmental Scientist. The role involves regulatory compliance support, field sampling and analyses to support environmental monitoring programs.

You will learn laboratory processes, data handling and reporting while contributing to essential safety and environmental governance. The placement runs for 12 months with a start date in August 2027 and onsite work.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in Environmental Science/Natural Sciences/Geography/Chemistry/Environmental Management.
• Minimum 2:2 degree by August 2026.
• Interest in regulatory compliance and environmental monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Assist in environmental programme development and review for Best Available Techniques and statements.
• Develop field sampling capabilities.
• Support bulk waste characterisation programmes including planning, scheduling, tasking and sentencing waste with statistics.
• Manipulate and upload data to support permit compliance.
• Gain an overview of laboratory analytical processes.

Skills

Growth mindset

Curious

Innovative

Resilience

Team worker

Education

Environmental Science

Natural Sciences

Geography

Chemistry

Environmental Management

Job description

Year in Industry Placement - Environmental Scientist Salary £24,500 per annum plus benefits Location Aldermaston, near Reading; onsite Contract 12 months Start date 2 Aug 2027 Working pattern 9-day working fortnight

About AWE

What if you could work with remarkable people on extraordinary things? What if the end result was something a little bit special? What if your role was mission critical? For over 75 years, AWE has been at the forefront of nuclear weapons research and development. We have a critical mission: to provide the warheads for the UK's ultimate deterrent, Trident. We also use our unique skills to provide wider UK government with counter‑terrorism and nuclear threat reduction solutions. It takes a special sort of person to work at AWE. What if that person was you?

Role purpose

As an undergraduate student within Environmental Monitoring, you will work in an exciting part of AWE, helping to ensure compliance through the delivery of regulatory requirements. You will carry out regular scientific collection and analysis in support of regulatory duties, including radiological and chemical monitoring of aqueous, airborne particulate, sediment and organic samples. The role provides opportunities to learn about permit compliance, produce regulatory reports and assist with programme reviews. You will also support bulk waste sentencing for small and large construction and demolition projects through planning, scientific radiological and chemical analysis, and statistical reporting.

Key activities

• Assist in environmental programme development and review to support Best Available Techniques studies and statements.
• Develop field sampling capabilities.
• Support bulk waste characterisation programmes for major projects, including planning and scheduling programme elements, managing tasking/customer agreements, and sentencing waste using statistical reporting.
• Manipulate and upload data to support permit compliance.
• Gain an overview of laboratory analytical processes.

Entry requirements

We are interested in candidates working towards a degree in: Environmental Science Natural Sciences Geography Chemistry Environmental Management Before starting with AWE, you must be able to provide evidence that you have achieved a minimum 2:2 degree classification, or equivalent academic performance to date, by August 2026. Most importantly, we are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are keen to get involved in interesting research and tasks.

Behaviours and qualities

• Growth mindset: You are full of grit and determination, clear about where you are going and how you will get there.
• Curious: You love to think outside the box, and may even want to take the box apart.
• Innovative: You are open to learning about new technologies and ground‑breaking ideas.
• Resilience: You advocate speaking up for yourself and others openly and constructively.
• Team worker: You are dependable and reliable, and interested in collaborating with and supporting others.

Salary and benefits

• £24,500 salary.
• A market‑leading contributory pension scheme.
• Generous holiday entitlement.
• Excellent work‑life balance.
• A 9‑day working fortnight, meaning you get every other Friday off work.
• Access to an employee discounts portal, offering everyday savings on leisure, hospitality and retail.

Recruitment process and key dates

1. Online application: Choose the pathway that best matches your interests and goals.
2. Online assessment: If eligible, complete numerical, verbal, logical and cognitive reasoning assessments. Practice materials will be available.
3. Virtual assessment centre: Successful candidates will be invited to a virtual assessment centre during November or December 2026.
4. Pre‑assessment support: Receive webinar guidance so you know what to expect.
5. Offer and clearance: Successful candidates will complete offer and security‑clearance stages before joining in August 2027.

Starting date and recruitment process

2nd August 2027 start date. Successful candidates should avoid taking leave during the induction period.

Security requirements

Candidates must be willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. You must be a British National to apply for a role with AWE.

Inclusion and diversity

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and enable employees to feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be used to encourage and support you through the application process and will be held only for this purpose in accordance with GDPR.

Next steps

Next steps: Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience.

We are at the start of a once in a generation – possibly two generations – programme to design and produce a replacement warhead for the UK’s continuous at sea deterrent. We will do this while continuing to deliver the Trident programme as well as managing ambitious state‑of‑the‑art capital and construction projects – some of which have never been done before.

We are recruiting right across the business: from technical roles in engineering, science, manufacturing and industrial work to business roles in areas such as IT, project management/ controls, commercial, human resources and facilities management. We also have our Evolve graduate programme, or you may be interested in an apprenticeship with our award‑winning Skills Academy.

What we do is vital to national nuclear security. Keeping our nation, everyone, our environment and everything around us safe and secure is a top priority for us.

So, as you would expect, that brings with it a high level of safety and security that you will see across our sites and in how everyone who works here operates.

We are always looking for high calibre people to join our team, so why not explore the opportunities we currently have on offer.

Whatever stage of your career, AWE is an exciting and challenging environment to develop your skills and achieve your potential.