Find your purpose. Shape your future. Build a career that matters.
Ready to start a career where your work protects communities, supports essential services, and helps safeguard the environment? Join our two-year Graduate Development Programme and gain real responsibility from day one – backed by structured support, mentoring and a strong graduate community.
We’re recruiting across four graduate streams: Digital | Operational | Engineering | Project Management.
The offer
- Salary: £32,913 per year
- Contract: 2-year fixed-term contract (FTC)
- Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday–Friday
- Locations:
- Digital: Durrington / Falmer (travel across regions may be required)
- Operational / Engineering / Project Management: West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent & Hampshire (travel across regions required)
Why join?
Across the two years, you’ll complete structured placements/rotations that build capability and confidence, giving you 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 colleagues and leaders in your stream (including digital/data/cyber for Digital)
- Opportunities to contribute to projects early, including transformation, innovation, service improvement, asset planning and capital delivery
- Access to industry-recognised development, training/certifications and professional memberships
- A strong graduate cohort community with peer learning and business-wide networking
Benefits that support you to thrive
- Relocation support available (so distance doesn’t have to be a barrier)
- Flexible working options to support a healthy work–life balance
- Health & wellbeing support, including access to a health cash plan and employee assistance programme
- 25 days’ annual leave + bank holidays
- Two paid volunteering days each year
- Employee discounts and benefits platform
Choose your stream
1) Digital Graduate Development Programme
Help shape the future of digital services in a critical infrastructure organisation – supporting essential systems, protecting data, strengthening cyber resilience, and enabling data-driven insight.
Example pathways may include: Software Engineer, Platform Engineer, Service Desk, Cyber Security, Data Scientist, Data Engineer, Data Governance, or a Generalist pathway.
2) Operational Graduate Development Programme
Work at the heart of frontline services across Water and Wastewater, contributing to service delivery, performance improvement, customer experience and asset management—while helping protect the environment and communities we serve.
Example pathways include:
Graduate Operational Management Trainee (Water/Wastewater) and Asset Manager Graduate (Water/Wastewater).
3) Engineering Graduate Development Programme
Build technical understanding in real environments and contribute to essential infrastructure projects and asset management that underpin vital water and wastewater services.
Example roles/exposure may include: Civil Engineer, Waste Process Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Network Modeller, Environmental Advisor.
4) Project Management Graduate Development Programme
Develop your project delivery capability by supporting capital projects, planning and controls, and commercial/contract administration—learning how to deliver safely to time, cost and quality expectations.
You may gain experience in documentation (risk registers, change logs, reports), stakeholder communication, and collaborating across operational, maintenance, commercial and delivery teams.
Travel & practical support (Operational / Engineering / Project Management)
Placements involve travel across regions. You’ll typically need a full UK driving licence, and the programme supports you with:
- Business mileage reimbursement for travel beyond normal home-to-base commute (in line with Travel & Expenses Policy)
- Guidance on claiming expenses, Permit to Drive where required, and practical support to travel safely between sites
- If you’re not already a driver, you’ll need to be willing to learn and have access to a car; where appropriate, support for driving lessons and your driving test can be included as part of your development
Who we’re looking for
We’re looking for graduates who are curious, collaborative, people-focused and motivated by meaningful work with real-world impact.
Minimum requirement:
- Predicted or achieved 2:2 degree (or equivalent)
- Right to work in the UK
Degree subject:
- Digital stream: digital/technology-related disciplines
- Engineering/Project Management stream: engineering, construction, project/asset-related disciplines
- Operational stream: all degree disciplines welcome
Everybody Welcome
Everybody Welcome: We value diversity and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process – please let us know if you need reasonable adjustments.
Need flexibility? If the role excites you but you’re not 100% sure you meet every requirement – or you’re concerned standard hours won’t work for your circumstances – please still engage with us. We’ll try to find a practical solution where we can.
Where this programme can take you
The programme is designed to prepare you for a long-term career, with many graduates progressing into roles such as:
- Digital: Cyber Security Analyst/Specialist, Data Analyst, Business Analyst and other specialist/leadership roles
- Operational: Field Performance Manager, Assistant/Operational Manager, Asset Manager, Assistant Project Manager / Project Delivery roles, Environment & Innovation early careers roles
- Engineering/PM: Assistant Project Manager/Project Manager, Asset Engineer/Programme Planner, Senior Project/Programme roles over time, plus engineering specialist roles
Ready to get started?
Help us build a better future for the South East. Apply now to join our Graduate Development Programme and take your first steps into a purpose-led career with real impact.
