Undergraduate Placement – Environmental Scientist

Undergraduate Placement – Environmental Scientist 

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 more than 70 years, AWE has been continuously keeping our nation safe: supporting the UK Government’s nuclear defence strategy and the Continuous At Sea Deterrent. We also use our nuclear know-how and technical expertise to provide innovative solutions that support the UK’s counter-terrorism and nuclear threat reduction activities.

We are a team of around 6,500 people – proud to be part of such an important mission and proud of our responsibilities to the Ministry of Defence and our country.

We create and maintain a safe operating culture where safety is front and centre of everything we do. From building state-of-the-art facilities to supporting our Production, Science, Engineering and Technology programmes, our commitment to the environment, safety, and the wellbeing of our people underpins all activities at AWE.

If you want to work in a unique and innovative environment, then AWE is the perfect place for you.

What to expect on the programme 

As an undergraduate student within Environmental Monitoring, you will get the opportunity to work in an exciting part of AWE ensuring compliance through delivery of regulatory requirements. In this role you will carry out regular scientific collection and analysis in support of regulatory duties, including the radiological and chemical monitoring of aqueous, airborne particulate, sediments and organic samples. The role also gives opportunity for learning about permit compliance, producing regulatory reports and assisting in programme reviews.  You will also be involved in providing bulk waste sentencing for small and large construction and demolition projects by planning, and scientific radiological and chemical analysis with a statistical reporting approach. 

We are interested in applications from candidates working towards a degree in Environmental Science or Natural Sciences as well as Geography, Chemistry or Environmental Management. Most importantly we are looking for enthusiastic individuals keen to get involved and work on interesting research and tasks.  Some of the projects you may get to work on include: 

• Assist in environmental programme development and review to support Best Available Techniques (BAT) studies and statements 
• Development of in field sampling capabilities 
• Support the bulk waste characterisation programmes major projects, e.g. planning and scheduling programme elements, managing tasking (customer agreements) and sentencing waste using statistical reporting 
• Data manipulation and upload to support permit compliance 
• Overview of laboratory analytical processes 

What behaviors you’ll have 

You will possess the following traits and qualities: 

• Growth Mindset; You’re full of grit and determination. Clear where you are going and how you will get there. 
• Curious; you’re a person who loves to think outside the box. (You’re a person who loves to take the box apart!). 
• Innovative; you’re open to learning about new technologies and ground-breaking ideas. 
• Resilience; you’re an advocate of ‘speaking up’ for yourself and others openly and constructively. 

Team Worker; you’re dependable and reliable.  You’re interested in collaborating with and supporting others. 

Location 

You will be based at Aldermaston, nr. Reading. 

What you’ll get 

• We offer all undergraduate students a salary of £20,500 
• A market leading contributory pension scheme 
• Generous holiday entitlement 
• Excellent work/life balance  
• 9-day working fortnight. This means you get every other Friday off work. 
• Access to employee benefits portal – everyday savings on leisure, hospitality and retail. 

Alongside these benefits you will get the opportunity to learn from some of the top leaders in their field.  

Starting dates and process 

Undergraduate Placement Induction will be on 5th August 2024, please avoid taking leave during this period if you are successful. This role is offered on a 12 month contract.  

Our deadline line for applications is Sunday October 29th. The earlier you apply the better chance you have of success.

Candidates must be willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. Please note that you must be a British National to apply for a role with us. 

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees 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 us will be used to encourage and support you through the application process and will be held only for this purpose in accordance with GDPR.