Salary guide
Cumbria nuclear and engineering salary guide
What people actually earn across Sellafield's supply chain, Barrow's submarine programme and the county's engineering firms — staff salaries alongside contractor rates, by discipline.
Salary ranges by discipline
Ranges reflect vacancies advertised across the Cumbrian cluster and are indicative rather than guaranteed. Rates for cleared, SQEP and chartered people sit at the top of each band.
| Role | Staff salary | Contract rate |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear power / plant engineerSellafield operations, reactor support and Barrow power systems roles. Chartership and SQEP status push the top of the band. | £42,000 – £62,000 | £350 – £500 / day |
| EC&I engineer (electrical, control & instrumentation)Consistently the tightest market in the county. Functional safety and SIL experience commands the highest rates. | £45,000 – £68,000 | £400 – £575 / day |
| Safety case engineer / nuclear safetyFault studies, HAZOP and criticality specialists are scarce; the Sellafield supply chain competes hard for them. | £45,000 – £75,000 | £450 – £650 / day |
| Coded welder / high-integrity fabricationBarrow submarine build and pressure-vessel work. Coding breadth matters more than years served. | £38,000 – £52,000 | £22 – £34 / hour |
| Mechanical design engineerHandling equipment, plant modifications and packaging design across the decommissioning programme. | £38,000 – £58,000 | £330 – £460 / day |
| Radiological protection adviser / health physicsRPA certification and active-facility experience are the deciding factors. | £40,000 – £60,000 | £350 – £500 / day |
| Project controls / planner (P6)Major-project frameworks value NEC and earned-value experience above sector background. | £40,000 – £62,000 | £375 – £525 / day |
| Quality / NDT inspectorPCN Level 2/3 tickets move you up the band quickly. | £34,000 – £48,000 | £280 – £400 / day |
| Engineering apprentice / graduateStructured schemes at BAE Systems, Sellafield Ltd and their tier-one partners. | £18,000 – £32,000 | — |
What moves pay in Cumbria
Staff versus contract
Contract day rates in Cumbria typically sit 25–45% above the equivalent staff salary once you strip out pension, holiday and sick pay. Long decommissioning programmes mean contracts are often renewed for years rather than months.
Site access and clearance
Roles requiring BPSS, SC or DV clearance and active-area access pay a premium, because the pool of already-cleared people in the county is small.
Barrow versus West Cumbria
Barrow-in-Furness pay is driven by submarine build and its supply chain; West Cumbria pay is driven by Sellafield decommissioning. Fabrication and welding tend to pay better in Barrow, safety case and waste management better in the west.
Cost of living offset
Housing costs across Copeland, Allerdale and Furness are well below the national average, so a Cumbrian salary generally goes further than the same figure in the South East or Bristol.
Common questions
What does a nuclear power engineer earn in Cumbria?
Most staff nuclear power and plant engineering roles in Cumbria advertise between £42,000 and £62,000, with chartered and SQEP-designated engineers at the upper end. Equivalent contract roles are commonly £350–£500 per day.
Do contractors earn more than staff in the nuclear sector?
Usually yes on headline rate — 25–45% more — but that has to cover pension, holiday, sick pay and any gaps between assignments. Staff roles at Sellafield Ltd and BAE Systems come with defined-benefit-style pensions and structured progression.
Which nuclear disciplines pay the most in Cumbria?
Nuclear safety case, EC&I and functional-safety specialists consistently attract the highest rates, followed by senior project controls and radiological protection advisers.
Do I need existing nuclear experience to be paid well?
Not always. Coded welders, EC&I technicians, planners and quality inspectors regularly transfer in from oil and gas, defence or rail, and are paid on their trade or discipline rather than sector history.
See what's paying now
Live vacancies across the Cumbrian nuclear, defence and manufacturing cluster, filtered by discipline, location and salary band.