Environmental Engineering Graduate Programme

Salary: Minimum £35,000. Salary is dependent on location, role and qualifications.

Location: Babcock Technology Centre, Bristol

Application closing date: 20 October 2026

Programme start date: September 2027

Role ID: 74507

What will you do on the programme? As a Graduate Environmental Engineer, you’ll play a vital role in protecting the planet while ensuring public safety. Whether it’s managing radioactive and hazardous materials or minimising the environmental impact of large-scale defence operations, your work will contribute to meaningful, lasting change. You’ll be exposed to a wide variety of projects. These could include supporting large-scale programmes with multidisciplinary teams or working on focused consultancy projects where you engage directly with customers. Each project will offer different environmental challenges and approaches, helping you build a broad and practical understanding of the field. Your day-to-day work could involve using environmental management systems and assessing the environmental impacts and risks of submarine design changes throughout their service life and eventual disposal. You could also contribute to the design and management of systems and assets with a focus on sustainability, including environmental impact assessments, case reports, and safe disposal planning. Whatever the task, you’ll grow in skills and confidence as you help to shape solutions that protect people and the planet for generations to come.

How is the programme structured? Over two years, you’ll rotate through placements every three to six months, giving you the chance to explore a variety of projects and teams. These rotations offer opportunities to broaden your experience, helping you build your professional network and deepen your understanding of how the business operates. By the end of the programme, you’ll have built a strong foundation of experience, developed valuable professional relationships, and gained the skills and confidence to take the next step in your career with us.

How do we develop and support you? From day one, you’ll receive structured support, personalised training, and dedicated mentorship to help you excel throughout your programme and beyond. You’ll join our Graduate Development Programme, featuring expert-led masterclasses on communication, personal branding, resilience, and wellbeing. To support your journey toward Chartered or Incorporated Engineer status, we offer full guidance and cover all associated fees.

What’s waiting for you after the programme? Once you complete the programme, you’ll move into a permanent role within our Engineering Function, where you can continue applying and expanding the skills you've developed. You’ll also have the opportunity to build on your progress toward professional registration, a recognised benchmark of engineering competence, which can support your journey into more advanced roles. As a global organisation, Babcock provides countless opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career. To support your growth, we've introduced the Babcock Role Framework, which outlines roles, career pathways, and development opportunities. With every job mapped to these frameworks, you’ll have a transparent view of the steps needed to reach Senior Engineer and beyond.

What rewards and benefits will you get? We want you to feel supported, valued and excited about what’s ahead. That’s why we offer a comprehensive package designed to support your development, your wellbeing and your life outside of work too. In addition to a minimum starting salary of £35,000, you’ll benefit from:

• A minimum of 25 days of holiday plus bank holidays
• Generous pension and employee share schemes
• Flexible benefits, including cycle to work scheme, discounts
• Wellbeing support, covering mental, physical, financial, and social wellbeing, with services like our Employee Assistance Programme, digital GP service, and health checks.

You’ll also have the chance to get involved in our STEM outreach activities and volunteering opportunities.

What do you need to apply? You'll need to have achieved, or be on track to achieve, a BEng, MEng, BSc, or MSc in one of the following subjects: Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Chemical & Nuclear, Natural Sciences, Environmental Engineering, Maritime, Marine, Electrical, Electronic, Constructive, Programmable Elements, Computer Science, or System Design. Many of our programmes are subject to Security Clearance and Trade Control restrictions which mean that your place of birth, nationality, citizenship, or residency you hold or have held may impact which programmes you are eligible for. For this programme, you must be able to achieve and maintain Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), Security Check (SC) and Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information (NNPI) clearance. For further details, visit GOV.UK and search ‘United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels. Under applicable national security legislation, this post may only be occupied by a sole UK national. This legal requirement is independent of our recruitment policies, and all eligible applicants will be assessed fairly and without discrimination.

Where will you be based? Places on our Environmental Engineering Graduate Programme for September 2027 are available in our Nuclear sector in Bristol. Agile working is supported, but you’ll be expected to work on-site multiple times a week. At our Bristol office, you’ll join teams focused on ensuring the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet remains safe, efficient, and at the cutting edge of technology. You’ll contribute to reducing the environmental impact of nuclear submarine operations across their entire lifecycle - from initial concept design through to final disposal - while actively promoting environmental protection. You’ll be involved in the design and management of nuclear submarines with a focus on sustainability, delivering solutions directly to our customers across a variety of projects. Your home base will be the Bristol office, but some of your placements may be at other sites, including Devonport in Plymouth.

Application process and important information Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, and if there’s a high level of interest in this programme, we may close applications earlier than advertised. To give yourself the best chance of being considered, we recommend submitting your application and completing any required online assessments as soon as possible. Please apply to one programme only. If we receive more than one application from you, we’ll assess the first one submitted. If your chosen programme becomes oversubscribed, we may contact you to discuss other programmes you could be eligible for. We're a Disability Confident Employer. If you require additional support or adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know when you apply. Our team will contact you after receiving your application to discuss your requirements and the support available. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working - please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.