UK Atomic Energy Authority
Early Careers Specialist

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Job Description
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.
About the Job
Join UKAEA as an Early Careers Specialist and lead the delivery of a high-quality programme that builds the skills needed for the future of fusion energy. You will manage the Work Experience, Summer Placements, and Year in Industry schemes, ensuring they provide an excellent experience for participants and meet UKAEA’s future workforce needs. Working with colleagues and external partners, you will help develop an inclusive, best-in-class early careers provision across the fusion sector.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Lead the day-to-day delivery and continued development of an early careers scheme.
- Set operational targets and key performance indicators, taking responsibility for their achievement.
- Manage and develop the team responsible for running the scheme.
- Manage the scheme budget and contribute to wider skills budget planning.
- Develop new entry pathways and opportunities that support UKAEA’s growth and workforce requirements.
- Lead professional accreditation processes and maintain relationships with relevant institutes.
- Manage external partnerships and contracts, ensuring they deliver strong value and agreed outcomes.
- Provide expert guidance on funding opportunities and ensure compliance with relevant funding rules.
- Develop reporting dashboards that provide useful insights into scheme performance.
- Contribute to UKAEA’s Early Careers and Skills strategies, championing equality, diversity and inclusion throughout.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
What You’ll Bring
- A bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent professional experience.
- A CIPD Level 5 qualification or equivalent relevant experience.
- Substantial knowledge of the early careers sector and vocational training programmes.
- A proven record of designing and delivering development programmes and managing early careers schemes.
- Experience of managing budgets, projects, and external contracts.
- Strong knowledge of equality, diversity, and inclusion, with the ability to build effective relationships across the organisation and with external partners.
UKAEA is an onsite organisation, and this role requires regular onsite presence (usually between 3-5 days in any given week) in line with business needs. We actively support flexible working arrangements where this is compatible with the role.
Benefits
We have a generous range of benefits (see the full list here) and highlights include:


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- A salary of £51,317
- Up to 7% corporate performance bonus
- Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution
- 25 days annual leave plus 2.5 'privilege' days; 8 Bank Holidays
- Additional 3 days of site closure over Christmas break
- Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions
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, inclusion, and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce.
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions or require adjustments to help you participate fairly in our recruitment process, for example changes to the way we interview or share information. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates.
We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit and further information can be found here.
Salary: £51,317 + excellent benefits including outstanding pension
Division: People Division
Site Location: UKAEA Culham, Oxfordshire
Position Grade: Grade G
Department: People & Culture
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