Nuclear Submarines Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship
Starting salary: £22,990 per year
Location: Derby Raynesway
Duration: 4 years
At Rolls-Royce we are proud to be a business that has truly helped to shape the modern world and are committed to always being a force for progress; powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.
By joining Rolls-Royce in an Emerging Talent programme, you'll have the opportunity to work on world-class solutions, supported by a culture that believes individuality is our greatest strength, and all perspectives, experiences and backgrounds help us innovate and enable our high-performance culture.
Position summary:
For more than 60 years Rolls-Royce Submarines has designed, supplied and supported the nuclear propulsion plant, providing safety critical, complex power and propulsion solutions for all UK Royal Navy nuclear submarines. That deep nuclear knowledge means we are ideally placed to explore how this unique form of power can address some of the world’s biggest problems.
Can you see yourself creating the ‘brains’ behind cutting-edge nuclear software solutions? Or software models and simulations to help design complex nuclear equipment? Would you enjoy developing digital applications to exploit the vast quantities of data extracted from operating plants?
Become a Software Engineering Degree Apprentice and that’s exactly what you could be doing. As we develop new solutions to help our company and customers move towards a lower carbon future, the software that controls our power systems will be even more vital. Join our fast-paced and growing Submarines business and help shape our future as well as your own.
What you’ll be doing:
Over four years, you’ll learn from the expert teams in our Submarines business working on a combination of embedded, real-time safety critical software, analysis software and digital application development.
As well as receiving on-the-job training, you’ll also study for a Nuclear Software Engineering Degree at the University of Derby. Together, this will give you a solid foundation for an exciting future, which could see you becoming a software specialist or leading large-scale projects in systems and software.
Through a series of long-term placements, project-based work and shorter training courses, you’ll learn essential skills in each stage of the software development lifecycle – everything from software architecture and design, code implementation to verification and validation, methods to analyse complex design problems and digital data analysis.
Day to day, you’ll be developing software solutions for all areas of the company, ensuring you become a flexible, agile software developer, able to meet the needs of the Submarines business.
Who we’re looking for:
Every bit as important as your academic achievements, however, are the personal qualities you bring to the role. You need to be an analytical thinker, creative problem solver, as well as someone who’s ready to learn and works well as part of a team.
Beyond that, we’re looking for someone with a deep interest in technology and robotics. Perhaps, you’re already starting to master programming using Raspberry Pi or Arduino. Or even exploring how to interface with hardware through small robotics projects.
Our behaviours drive us - we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. We’ll expect that of you, too.
To work for the Rolls-Royce Submarines business an individual has to hold a Security Check clearance. Rolls-Royce will support the application for Security Clearance if you do not currently already have this in place. Due to the nature of work the business conducts and the protection of certain assets we can only progress applications from individuals who are a UK national or, in MoD approved cases, a dual national.
What you’ll get:
Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.
Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.
CLOSING DATE: 1st February 2026 11:59pm
We reserve the right to close the job advert early dependent on application volumes.
Assessment Centres will take place in March