Location: Falmer, East Sussex – Hybrid Approach
Travel: Regular travel across our region, including to operational sites, will be required

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37 hours, Monday–Friday

Salary: £37,000 per year

Put your technical knowledge to work on infrastructure that matters.

Water is essential to everyday life. Our engineers help us manage, improve and develop the infrastructure that keeps water and wastewater services moving across the South East.

Our Engineering Graduate Development Programme gives you the opportunity to move beyond the classroom and apply your knowledge to real engineering challenges.

You'll learn alongside experienced professionals, build your technical capability and see how engineering decisions affect customers, communities and the environment.

Pathways may include

Civil Engineering
Ideal for graduates from Civil Engineering and related engineering disciplines.

Wastewater Process Engineering
For graduates from Chemical Engineering.

Network Modelling
Open to graduates from numerical and analytical subjects such as Mathematics, Statistics, Geography and Environmental Science, alongside relevant technical disciplines.

Asset Integration
Engineering backgrounds are welcomed, although engineering is not essential for this pathway.

Build your engineering career

You’ll gain a broad understanding of our water and wastewater operations. You’ll grow your confidence, take responsibility for meaningful work, and gain exposure that many people wait years to access.

You’ll receive:

- Meaningful responsibility from day one, supported by experienced mentors and placement managers

- Coaching and guidance from operational colleagues and leaders

- Opportunities to contribute to projects early in the programme

- Access to: industry-recognised development, professional memberships, and soft-skills development programme to accelerate their professional development

- Support and encouragement towards achieving Chartered status with a recognised professional institution.

- A strong graduate cohort community and a supportive network across the business

- Opportunities to take part in community projects and regional events

Travel requirements & how we support you

Our placements involve travel across regions, so you’ll need a full UK driving licence and access to a car. To support this, we reimburse business mileage for any travel beyond your normal home to base commute, in line with our Travel & Expenses Policy (e.g., mileage is claimable after deducting home to base allowance).

You’ll receive guidance on claiming expenses, a Permit to Drive where required, and practical support to help you travel confidently and safely between sites.

What’s in it for you

• Relocation support available, so distance doesn’t have to be a barrier to starting your career with us.

• Health and wellbeing support, including access to a health cash plan and employee assistance programme.

• Flexible working options, supporting a healthy balance between work and life.

• 28 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays.

• Two paid volunteering days each year, giving you the opportunity to make a positive impact in your local community.

• Employee discounts and benefits platform, helping your money go further.

• Payment of professional institution membership fees.

Who we’re looking for

We welcome graduates from all technical degree disciplines. What matters most is your curiosity, your willingness to learn, and your commitment to making a positive impact.

You’ll need:

- Meng in an Engineering, Environmental or numerate science related subject.

- Access to a car and a full UK driving licence by the programme start date

- Flexibility to travel across Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight

- You must have the right to work in the UK

What you'll develop

Depending on your pathway, you'll gain experience in areas such as:

• Engineering and technical problem-solving

• Asset and infrastructure management

• Project delivery

• Site and operational environments

• Data and technical analysis

• Safety, environmental and regulatory considerations

• Working across multidisciplinary teams

What happens next?

• Applications are scheduled to close on 4 January 2027. We reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we encourage you to apply early.

• After submitting your application, you'll be invited to complete an online skills assessment and online interview as the next stage of the recruitment process.

• Successful candidates will then be invited to an online assessment centre in February 2027.

• The programme will start in September 2027.

Interested in more than one graduate opportunity?
You don't need to submit multiple applications. As part of the recruitment process, we'll give you the opportunity to tell us about other graduate roles or pathways you're interested in. Apply for the opportunity that best matches your interests and experience, and you'll have the chance to share your other preferences with us during the process.

What our graduates say

“You get out what you put in - it’s a great place to grow.”

“It’s a career in a stable, essential industry.”

“You’re working with people who genuinely want to make a positive difference.”

“There’s a strong sense of community, trust and empowerment.”

Ready to get started?

If you're curious, collaborative and ready to learn, we'd love to hear from you.

Help us build a better future for the South East.

Apply now to join our Engineering Graduate Development Programme and take your first steps into a purpose-led career with real impact.

Everybody Welcome

We value diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to facilitate your participation in the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Need flexibility in your work?

Does this opportunity excite you but you're not 100% sure you meet all the requirements? Or are you concerned that standard working arrangements may not work with your personal circumstances? Whilst we can't accommodate every flexible working request, we'll try to find a practical solution. We encourage you to speak to us about what might work.