Chemistry Degree Apprenticeship

Roxel has an exciting opening for a Chemist apprentice to work in Materials and Energetic labs. This is a great opportunity for an individual to develop new skills and embark on a career with Roxel UK.

Hours: Mondays to Thursdays 08:00‑16:30 and Fridays 08:00‑13:00, with a 30‑minute lunch break. 37 hours a week.

Duration: 4 years

What you’ll do at work: You will gain an overall awareness and appreciation of the defence industry by supporting key areas such as design, development and manufacturing of rocket motors as well as developing specific skills in a lab‑based environment, developing knowledge in the materials and energetics used to produce the products made at Roxel UK. The role will include training within the explosive laboratory, performing routine analysis including:

• Infrared spectroscopy
• High Performance Liquid Chromatography
• Gravimetric Analysis
• Gas Chromatography
• Mechanical Testing
• Thermal Analysis
• Many other techniques

There will then be the opportunity within the Energetics and Materials team to work on research programmes and develop and understand key materials.

Training: Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Responsibilities:

• Identify and apply scientific approaches to solve problems, support investigations and recommend any follow‑up experiments.
• Evaluate scientific experiments using an appropriate level of qualitative and quantitative numerical analysis.
• Critically analyse data, relevant literature and input from colleagues to inform investigations.
• Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific data and present the results in written and oral form.
• Manage record keeping to ensure data integrity, traceability, confidentiality and adherence with appropriate regulatory requirements.
• Promote, enact, document, and monitor the application of quality standards, safe working practices and compliance with risk management systems relevant to the role.
• Identify opportunities to challenge assumptions and apply influencing skills to make improvements, make new proposals and build on existing ideas.
• Manage work plan, prioritise tasks and evaluate progress against objectives.
• Contribute to the development of technical projects across multi‑skilled teams and share best practice across the wider business.
• Conduct complex (chemical, or physical, or biological) scientific investigations in accordance with defined company procedures and legislative requirements.
• Identify and implement continuous performance improvement using appropriate techniques.
• Ensure work meets environmental, risk management and sustainability requirements and regulations of the business sector.
• Evaluate own performance and knowledge, and set personal development goals.
• Troubleshoot equipment selection and implement sustainable solutions.
• Identify and collaborate with key stakeholders and provide technical support and advice where required.
• Identify how other roles in the organisation can contribute to achieving sustainability goals.
• Select and apply equipment, techniques, and methods to ensure reliable and accurate results.
• Undertake practical analyses and measurement and communicate the outcomes using appropriate terminology and mathematical and graphical notation.
• Use appropriate digital solutions for the collection and analysis of data, and the retrieval of appropriate information.
• Use communication methods suited to objective and audience.
• Use theoretical models, often involving approximations, to make quantitative predictions.
• Apply chemical concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out chemical science investigations.
• Recommend synthetic pathways to target‑compounds and design experimental activities to test predictions.
• Design and deploy purification, isolation and characterisation strategies, taking account of physicochemical properties of elements and compounds.
• Design, develop and carry out qualitative and quantitative sample preparation, chemical measurement, and analysis.
• Critically compare the results of theoretical or computational modelling with those from experiment and observation.
• Apply physics theories to solve problems that cross scientific discipline boundaries.
• Apply computational techniques to analysis and model physical behaviour.
• Apply physics concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out physics based investigations.
• Use mathematical techniques and theories to solve physics problems.
• Use computer programming software to solve physics based problems.
• Critically analyse current and emerging developments in the biosciences and the contribution of Biosciences to the wider industry.
• Apply Biological concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out biological investigations.
• Perform tasks related to sample preparation and culturing techniques.
• Use of laboratory automation systems.
• Perform sampling with consideration for sample variation.

Apprentices work full‑time whilst studying towards a BSc (Hons) Scientist (Chemical Science) degree from Manchester Metropolitan University, as well as a Level 6‑degree apprenticeship. Students study a tutor‑supported e‑distance learning curriculum and attend residential schools. The work‑based projects, negotiated with employers, offer students the opportunity to apply their learning directly to their organisation. The programme is primarily taught through tutor‑supported online study, part‑time over four years. Apprentices will attend a two‑day induction at the University to help them get to know each other and balance undergraduate study with working full‑time. They will also attend a week‑long residential at our campus in central Manchester once a year, in addition to a two‑day mini‑residential in the first year.

Requirements: GCSE in: Various (with one being Chemistry) (grade BCC (104 UCAS Points)). Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills:

• Analytical skills
• Interest in Chemistry
• Work in a diverse environment
• Work independently

Other requirements: Must be 18 at the point of employment starting. Ability to gain Security Clearance.

About this employer: Roxel is an Anglo‑French Company that designs, develops and manufactures a range of solid propellant Rocket Motors for use in tactical missiles. Its operations are spread across several sites in the UK and France and it has an annual turnover of about £250M and nearly 1000 staff, with 300 in the UK. The UK operations are entirely based at Summerfield, Kidderminster.

Benefits: Contributory Pension, Occupational Sick Pay, Professional Membership, Perkbox, Healthshield, Workwear, Subsidised Canteen, Success Sharing Bonus.

After this apprenticeship, Energetics Chemist or Laboratory Scientist will depend on the successful candidate and their preference towards the end of the apprenticeship.

The contact for this apprenticeship is: Uk_recruitment@roxelgroup.uk.com

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000021514.

Apply now. Closes in 27 days (Thursday 30 April 2026).