DE&S Graduate Development Schemes

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we’re here to provide for the Armed Forces, as they serve our country all over the world. We support those on the front line by providing cutting-edge equipment and technology for land, sea, air and space. We deliver the kit the UK military needs to maintain advantage and stay protected, as they protect life at home and overseas. 

You want to be an expert in your field one day. We want to help make it happen. Whichever area you join us in, you’ll discover new talents, pinpoint new ambitions, find a home among a diverse team – and be empowered to turn your gifts into an incredible career. Ready for real investment in your future? We’re developing tomorrow’s talent today. 

What sets DE&S apart is the focus we put on you. We help you find your flair and then plan a flourishing career around what you love. And along the way, you’ll enjoy real rewards for the work you do, with competitive benefits and career progression. Within DE&S there are a wealth of graduate opportunities to learn and grow doing what you love. As a DE&S graduate, you’ll find real support to reach your potential – so you can become a leader in your field. 

Our Entry Talent post-graduate development schemes offer a wide range of specialisms that collectively enable our effective day-to-day operation, ensuring we can deliver our objectives and maintain compliance.  

As part of our team, you’ll benefit from plenty of routes for development, access to specialist training and funding for professional qualifications, and a c.27% employer pension contribution. You’ll also have access to a wide range of employee networks, including the Women’s Inclusive Network, Race & Culture Network, Pride Network, Disability Network – and many more. 

A range of post-graduate career opportunities have arisen within our forward-thinking Entry Talent Centre of Expertise here at DE&S, based at Bristol Abbey Wood. 

Programmes available: 

You can apply for multiple schemes within one application. Please indicate your order of preference when asked at the point of application.

Specifically for F&A Grads only:

There is a requirement for candidates interested in the Finance and Accounting Graduate Scheme to have a strong interest and ability in working with numbers. It is recommended that interested candidates look at the CIMA website (CIMA’s® CGMA® Professional Qualification , CIMA (cimaglobal.com) to get a feeling for the type of qualifications they will need to achieve to be successful on the scheme.

Our schemes offer: 

• An environment where colleagues of every background are included, encouraged, and supported, to be the very best they can be 
• A dedicated management team whose focus is on helping you develop and succeed 
• Empowerment to bring a fresh perspective, ask questions and put positive change in motion 
• The chance to be part of an organisation that protects and supports the UK Armed Forces, bringing real meaning and impact to everything you do in your role 
• On successful completion of your chosen two-year programme, you will be offered a permanent position within DE&S 

Please note: Because of the classification of some of the information related to certain projects, some work-based placements may be open to Sole UK Nationals only. 

Your permanent duty station will be Abbey Wood, Bristol, BS34 8JH.

You will be required to attend your permanent duty station regularly, at the request of your Scheme Manager or Placement Supervisor. This attendance will be at your own expense and costs for travel or accommodation will not be reimbursed.

It takes lots of different people and lots of different skill sets to keep the UK Armed Forces fully equipped and well supported. 

To be successful with your application, we are looking for you to demonstrate your potential to succeed in a dynamic working environment. We’re here to help you find your speciality, so we hire for aptitude and train for skills. 

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are dedicated to creating a great place to work that reflects the diversity of the society we serve. To help us do this, we encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, disabled people, and people from LGBTQ+ communities. By bringing together different ideas, experiences, and perspectives, we can achieve our ambitions, together. 

You must hold the right to work full time in the UK and qualify for service under the Civil Service Nationality Rules without any additional immigration approvals, at the point of Assessment where we will be conducting our right to work checks. You must be able to supply evidence of this at interview. This must be in place by the time we conduct your pre-employment checks in April and not expire before the start of the scheme. If your right to work will expire while you are in employment, you must be able to reconfirm your right to work before it expires, without sponsorship, in order to maintain your employment.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating staff on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harms associated with second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Tobacco-Free Working Environment (TFWE) programme, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere, unless stated otherwise, in the Defence working environment by 31st December 2022. Those seeking, considering, or accepting employment should be aware of this requirement.

Qualifications 

You must have or be studying to achieve the following qualifications by September 2024:  
 
Essential requirements: 
 
• An honours degree in any recognised subject (minimum 2:2) 

If you are in your final academic year, you are encouraged to apply with your predicted grades. Evidence of the above qualifications will be required as part of your pre-employment checks before a formal offer can be made. 

A degree at a grade of 2:1 or higher and experience relevant to your chosen scheme would be desirable. 

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Alongside training and development, you’ll receive the following great benefits: 

• £27,840 Starting Salary – with annual increments 
• 25 days holiday a year, plus 1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday. 
• A market-leading employer pension contribution of around 27 percent, and recognition awards. 
• Flexible and hybrid working wherever possible, to support your work-life balance (though some attendance to the stated site is required)
• Use of our on-site gym, restaurant, and cafes. 
• A huge range of discounts including retail, sports, leisure, restaurants, gifts, days out, holidays, cinema, motoring, insurance, health care, gym memberships, and more. 

Further Information 

More information can be found below: 

• • DE&S Little Book of Big Benefits: https://bit.ly/3FEb54v
  • Further Information: https://bit.ly/3K26Xhl
  • Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/3yUwcM1

Job contact :

• Name : Rachel Davison
• Email : DESHR-ETCoE-Recruitment@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-GraduateRecruitment@mod.gov.uk