Working for SDA
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-20)

Learn about what the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) offers as an employer.

Whatever your role in the SDA, you’ll be part of an organisation that produces available and capable submarines for the Royal Navy to defend our nation and support the Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD).

We’ll give you the opportunity to develop your skills and help grow your career as part of a highly ambitious government agency. We value employees’ varied perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds. You can learn more about the application process and our benefits in this Candidate Information Pack (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/691df65f21ef5aaa6543f000/SDA-25-050_SDA_candidate_pack.pdf) (PDF, 4.12 MB, 14 pages).

Access current vacancies on Civil Service Jobs (https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=b3duZXI9NTA3MDAwMCZwYWdlY2xhc3M9U2VhcmNoJm93bmVydHlwZT1mYWlyJmNvbnRleHRpZD0yMTE1MDkzOSZwYWdlYWN0aW9uPXNlYXJjaGNvbnRleHQmcmVxc2lnPTE2NzMyNjQyNjMtMjcwMGU2NGU1ZjA5NDljYmQ5ZjU2ZmNhYjA1YmVhYTJlNjJmNDE0YQ==).

Our values

We’re determined to make the SDA a great place to work – where we all feel included and valued, and are enabled to do our very best, every day.

Our values - we support, we deliver, and we aspire - are set out in The SDA Code (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68f8cd19190c6607448bb74f/SDA-25-052_SDA_Code.pdf) (PDF, 1.83 MB, 7 pages) and capture the spirit and the best of our agency – doing the right thing, the right way, all of the time.

when we support, we are committed, inclusive and thrive on teamwork

when we deliver, we are accountable, open and sincere in all that we do

when we aspire, we are ambitious, trustworthy and proud of what we achieve together

What we offer

As an employee of the SDA, you’ll be part of an organisation that works on some of the most complex equipment in the world.

Your career aspirations, wellbeing and work-life balance are important to us. We want you to be able to enjoy your time both inside and outside of work; and to help achieve this, we provide an extensive range of benefits including:

Flexible working

We offer flexible and hybrid working arrangements where the role and your personal circumstances are suitable.

Annual leave

You’ll get 25 days’ holiday a year, with an additional one day a year up to a maximum of 30 days. You’ll also be entitled to eight bank holidays and an extra day for the Sovereign’s official birthday.

You can take up to six days of paid leave a year for volunteering.

Pension

We offer a market-leading pension scheme. Our people have the opportunity to choose between two pension schemes:
- Alpha (with generous employer contribution rates starting at around 27%)
- The Partnership Pension account
For full details of our pension schemes, visit the Civil Service pensions website (https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/).

Reward and recognition

We have multiple reward schemes including cash awards and vouchers for exceptional work. We also have an annual performance-based award that all SDA staff are eligible for.

Family benefits and vouchers

Our people have access to:
- enhanced maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave schemes, offering 100% pay for 26 weeks
- a huge range of discounts including retail, sports, leisure, restaurants, gifts, days out, holidays, cinema, motoring, insurance, health care and gym memberships
Learning and development

We want our people to continue to grow and develop in their career. You’ll have access to a range of learning and development schemes, including:
- access to specialist training and funded professional qualifications
- secondment and temporary promotion opportunities to help grow your skills
- paid professional subscriptions
- internal employee networks
- mentoring schemes, including reverse mentoring
Health and wellbeing

We’re committed to supporting and improving the health and wellbeing of our people and we provide a range of support options including:
- an employee assistance programme offering expert advice and compassionate guidance
- a wellbeing portal offering a wide variety of information and tools
- mental health first aiders, trained colleagues who can provide help and guide a person to appropriate support
- a range of employee networks including Menopause, Pride, Race and Culture, Social Mobility, Young Defence, Neuro-inclusivity and Women’s networks
For more information, download the SDA Benefits Wheel (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1119049/SDA-020-016_SDA_EVS_Your_Benefits_External_V9.pdf) (PDF, 563 KB, 12 pages) and our SDA Employee Value Proposition (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1033671/SDA-020-016_SDA_EVP_Graphic_V9_-_External.pdf) (PDF, 1.43 MB, 1 page).

Graduate and apprenticeship opportunities

We offer a range of graduate (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sda-graduate-schemes) and apprenticeship (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sda-apprenticeships) schemes to both internal and external candidates. As a graduate or apprentice, you’ll get hands-on learning experience and will have access to our extensive range of benefits.

Military leavers

We value the experience of military leavers and offer rewarding and secure employment. The two main routes for military leavers wanting to join the SDA are Great Place to Work (https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/great-place-to-work-for-veterans/) and the Military Transition Scheme (https://des.mod.uk/careers/military-leavers/#military-leavers-how-to-apply).

Both are subject to the standard on-boarding procedures carried out by Defence Business Services. Security clearances can be transferred and will be checked as part of the process.

If you have completed at least five years in service and join with less than a five year break in service you will keep your military leave allowance and start with 30 days of leave.

Great Place to Work

Veterans who opt in and meet the minimum criteria listed in the job description will automatically go to the next stage of the recruitment process. The minimum criteria is a combination of the experience, behaviours, strengths, abilities, and skills that you will need to perform the role effectively.

Some jobs will have multiple stages, such as online tests, paper sifts, assessment days and interviews. If this is the case Great Place to Work can be used at each stage, but you will only move along if you meet the minimum criteria at each stage. If you are offered a role, you would join as a permanent team member.

To opt in you will need to:
- apply for a role through Civil Service Jobs (https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi)
- when prompted tick that you are eligible for Great Place to Work
To be eligible for this scheme in the Civil Service, a veteran must:
- have served for at least one year in the armed forces (as a regular or reserve)
- be in transition from, or ceased to be, part of the armed forces
- not already be a civil servant or be employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body
The following principles apply to those who use the scheme:
- it’s only for external vacancies
- veterans in other employment, post-discharge, still qualify if they meet the eligibility criteria
- once gaining a permanent Civil Service role, you are no longer eligible
- there is no maximum time limit from when you have left service to be eligible
- it operates on trust, and you will not need to prove that you are eligible
Military Transition Scheme

This route is through Going Forward into Employment (https://gfie.blog.gov.uk/category/veterans/). You can submit a CV and then be invited to a suitability discussion with the recruiting manager. If successful you will join the SDA on a fixed term appointment for a maximum term of 23 months.

This is treated as a direct fixed term appointment, securing a permanent appointment in your second year would be done through an open and fair external recruitment process.

Year one is spent getting used to civilian life, learning about the SDA and Civil Service and upskilling.

Year two focuses on applying for roles through fair and open competition. This would be either at the same level or on promotion.

To be eligible to join through this route, you must:
- be a veteran of the UK armed forces; or
- be in your resettlement period and due to leave the armed forces within a reasonable time frame; or
- have a partner or spouse still serving or discharged within the last 12 months