Rolls-Royce submarines arm to create 200 UK jobs to meet Royal Navy needs

Rolls-Royce has announced plans to create over 200 UK jobs in its submarine division to meet a growth in demand from the Royal Navy.

The new positions will be based in Cardiff and Glasgow, with Rolls looking to attract people with a background in fields including materials engineering and cyber security.

It comes after the FTSE-100 giant was awarded a major contract in October to provide nuclear-powered attack submarines for Australia. The agreement formed part of a tri-lateral security pact between the UK, US and Australia, known as Aukus.

James Cartlidge, Minister for Defence Procurement, said: “We are excited to continue our partnership with British industry to not only strengthen defence capabilities of the UK and our allies, but also support jobs nationwide.

“Thousands of jobs will be created and sustained through the AUKUS partnership and this is another example of how the UK government continues to work towards providing growth and prosperity all across the country.”

Under new chief executive Tufan Erginbilgiç, Rolls-Royce has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround following years of struggles and a brush with bankruptcy during the pandemic.

Rolls-Royce shares topped the FTSE 100 last year as investor’s backed the Turkish businessman’s new strategy. He has often looked to cut costs by slashing jobs, in a bid to boost profits and trim debts.

Rolls-Royce Submarines currently employs more than 4,000 people to design and manufacturer pressurised water reactors which power every boat in the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.

Steve Carlier, president of Rolls-Royce Submarines, said: “From our commitments to maintaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent through our deliveries into the Dreadnought programme, to increased demand as a result of AUKUS, this is a time of unprecedented growth for our business.

“To help us succeed we want to attract the brightest and best from across the UK to help us build a better world with nuclear.

“The work secured from recent announcements will see us support UK and Australian submarines well into the second half of this century, so there has never been a better time to join our industry.”

Rolls-Royce is also working on supporting the Astute and Dreadnought boat build programmes, while also providing reactor plant equipment from its operations centre in Derby.