DE&S Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Scheme

Ministry of Defence

Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS34 8JH, UK

On-Site

Full time

£26,320 per year

Job summary

Location: MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol, BS34 8JH (Office attendance required)
Duration: Four years
Start Date: September 2026
Salary: £26,320 (with annual increments)

Entry Requirements: GCSE English and Maths and relevant level 3 STEM qualifications.

Working Pattern: Full-time

Overview:
Join Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) to support the UK Armed Forces by delivering cutting-edge equipment and technology. This four -year programme offers hands-on experience as you complete several work-based training placements whilst completing the BSc in Digital Technology Solutions in preparation for software engineering roles within current and future defence programmes. You’ll work in a hugely collaborative environment to ensure that DE&S continues to deliver the very best equipment to the front line.

Job description

What You’ll Do:

Part time completion of your BSc with a local academic training provider.
Technical focused placements in Bristol Abbey Wood project delivery teams
Potential to work with industry partner and our military customers
Read more about the scheme here: Software Degree Apprenticeship

Person specification

Eligibility:

UK residency for the last 5 years
Security Check (SC) clearance required
Right to work in the UK (DE&S does not sponsor visas)
Aged 16 years or over by August 2026
Do not hold existing higher-level qualifications in the same or a similar subject
Must no longer be in full-time education by the start of the scheme

Minimum selection criteria:

GCSE English language and Maths at a minimum grade 4
Three full A Levels at grade C or above to include Maths and a Science, or 96 UCAS points from STEM subjects
Pass at online assessment stage

Final-year students can apply with official predicted grades; all qualifications must be evidenced by end of August 2026. (Equivalent level qualifications to GCSEs in the required subject and grades will also be considered).

Behaviours

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

Communicating and Influencing
Working Together
Making Effective Decisions
Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,320, Ministry of Defence contributes £7,624 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

What We Offer:
- Salary of £26,320 with annual increments
- 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays and an extra privilege day)
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97%
- Flexible working options and access to on-site facilities
- Professional training and funding for qualifications
- Access to employee networks promoting diversity and inclusion
- Huge range of discounts

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.

Apply Online (26 Jan – 16 Feb 2026)

Complete an online application form using the link in this advert. Complete all information accurately including how you meet our minimum selection criteria. Please allow sufficient time to complete and submit your application to meet the deadline and be able to contact us in case of technical difficulties. Applications that are not fully submitted by the deadline cannot be accepted.

Online Assessments (Feb 2026)

We’ll ask you to complete some interactive assessments. These should take around 30-35 minutes. They will provide us with insight into your adaptability, how you interact and learn new skills, and how you will naturally act and think at work.

Eligibility checks (March 2026)

We will review your application form to ensure you meet our minimum selection criteria and nationality requirements.

Assessment Centre (April 2026)

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an assessment centre at DE&S headquarters, MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol. There will be limited dates available. You’ll undertake an interview, presentation and a group activity. Please note, attendance is required in person, as virtual participation is not available.

Provisional Offer (May 2026)

We will offer based on order of merit to the number of roles available.

Onboarding (May – Aug 2026)

All pre-employment checks will take place to ensure you evidence our minimum selection and eligibility criteria to undertake a role within the MOD. If all are successful, we will provide a formal offer of employment.

Induction (September 2026)

Subject to confirmation, this scheme is expected to start September 2026.

Additional Information

Your application form must list your qualifications to meet the minimum selection criteria, if missing, we will be unable to qualify you against our eligibility checks.
Should you encounter any technical difficulties submitting your application please take screenshots and email us DESHR-ETCoE-Recruitment@mod.gov.uk. Without screenshots of the issue, we may be unable to progress your application.
On occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to invite all successful candidates to an assessment centre, we may limit the number of invites offered. In this circumstance we may prioritise interviewing candidates who align most closely to the selection criteria. Information for this will be drawn from other sources of information from your application such as your CV.
Civil Service offers are made in order of merit. If you have passed our assessment centre but there are no roles available, we may offer you an alternative, or lower role in a similar position that matches your skills and experience, or you may remain on a reserve list for 12 months.
Security clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you’ve been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained prior to the start of the scheme or is obtained with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn.
Due to the classification of information associated with certain projects, some work-based placements are restricted to Sole UK Nationals only.
Office attendance and attendance to a training providers site (where applicable) will be required. Travel and accommodation costs for office attendance or assessment centres are not reimbursed.

This post is not eligible for relocation allowances.

Please Note: In the event of a tied score at Assessment Centre, the Order of Merit will be distinguished based on the ranking of the assessed behaviours below:

Communicating and Influencing
Working Together
Making Effective Decisions
Delivering at Pace

In the event of the need for further merit differentiation the Scheme Lead will order candidates in merit using candidate assessment feedback.

Please view and save our Candidate Information Pack: DE&S Candidate Information Pack

Diversity and Inclusion

As a Disability Confident level 3 leader, DE&S is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and offer reasonable adjustments for candidates with disabilities.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria and offer them an interview or assessment centre opportunity if they meet the minimum criteria for the job.

On occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to invite all Disability Confident candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria to an assessment centre, we may limit the number of invites offered. In this circumstance we may prioritise interviewing candidates who align most closely to the selection criteria. Information for this will be drawn from other sources of information from your application such as your CV.

Civil Service Information

Civil Service Recruitment Principles: Recruitment Principles - Civil Service Commission
Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-Terms-and-Conditions
Civil Service Code: The Code - Civil Service Commission

Any personal data that you provide during the Recruitment process will be treated in accordance with the MOD Privacy Notice which can be accessed here.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Conflicts of Interest

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

Contact

Have a question or a request for a reasonable adjustment? Email us at deshr-etcoe-recruitment@mod.gov.uk

Apply now to start your career and make a difference for the UK Armed Forces!

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Salary range

£26,320 per year