Environmental Graduate Scheme - Infrastructure

Our Networks & Drainage Solutions team is one of the UK’s largest and most diverse water infrastructure teams. We deliver innovative, sustainable, and digitally enabled solutions across the water cycle - from clean water supply to wastewater and stormwater management. Our work spans the UK and international markets, supporting clients such as water companies, local authorities, transport bodies, and developers.

We’re involved in a wide range of projects, including:

• Major transportation, energy, and critical infrastructure schemes such as Lower Thames Crossing, Sizewell C, and Heathrow Airport
• Community-focused developments such as EDAROTH and SuDS for Schools initiatives
• Long-term planning for water companies (e.g., DWMPs) and Government (Integrated Water Management Plans)
• International masterplanning and climate resilience strategies
• Reducing environmental impact through CSO spill mitigation

We’re looking for passionate and purpose-driven graduates who are ready to make a difference in the water sector. We offer two graduate pathways - Graduate Civil Engineer and Graduate Modeller - each offering unique opportunities to create a better future for the planet and its people. For both pathways, you’ll have an interest in water, drainage or environmental infrastructure and you’ll be empowered to develop your career through professional accreditation (ICE or CIWEM).

Graduate Civil Engineer

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.2 BEng in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering or Water Engineering

Typical locations: Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Epsom (Surrey), Manchester, Peterborough

As a Graduate Civil Engineer, you’ll help design and deliver critical drainage and water infrastructure that supports communities, battles the challenges of climate-change and aging infrastructure, and protects the environment. You’ll gain hands-on experience across the full project lifecycle, from concept to construction, while working towards professional accreditation.

Key responsibilities:

• Producing drainage designs and calculations using tools such as Causeway Flow, InfoDrainage, and QGIS
• Creating 2D and 3D models using AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and MicroStation to support multi-disciplinary coordination
• Supporting the delivery of national infrastructure and regeneration projects, including strategies to reduce Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) spills, and improve water quality
• Contributing to socially valuable projects like EDAROTH, focused on sustainable infrastructure for affordable housing
• Writing technical reports and presenting engineering solutions to clients and stakeholders
• Collaborating with engineers, modellers, and environmental specialists across AtkinsRéalis and with external partners
• Supporting international projects that address global water challenges

Graduate Modeller

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.2 BEng in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Geography or Water Engineering

Typical locations: Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield

As a Graduate Modeller, you’ll use hydraulic modelling and data analytics to help shape sustainable, resilient drainage and water systems. You’ll work on projects that reduce environmental impact, improve community resilience, and support digital transformation in the water sector.

Key responsibilities:

• Building and calibrating hydraulic models of water and wastewater networks using InfoWorks ICM, InfoWater, and NetCreate
• Supporting stormwater management planning and sustainable drainage (SuDS) strategies
• Contributing to catchment analysis and digital master planning for major developments
• Developing and applying digital tools using Python, Excel/VBA, and Power BI to derive insights and improve decision-making
• Collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams to identify and solve complex drainage challenges, including reducing CSO spills
• Preparing technical reports and presenting findings to clients and stakeholders
• Supporting both UK and international projects with a focus on innovation and sustainability

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.1 Bachelor’s degree in English Language, English Literature, Environmental Science, Geography, History, Marketing, Communications, Politics, Social Impact, Social Science or Planning

Typical locations: Birmingham, Manchester

Our Stakeholder Engagement team is a rapidly growing and collaborative team of communications, engagement and consultation specialists. We bring a wide range of perspectives and experiences to our work, and we’re united by a shared commitment to putting people and communities at the heart of major infrastructure projects. We support clients across a variety of sectors to include water, oil and gas, power, renewables, infrastructure and the built environment – both in the UK and beyond.

As a Graduate Communications and Engagement Consultant with our team, you’ll play a key role in connecting projects with the communities they serve. Working closely with multidisciplinary teams and clients, you’ll develop your ability to tailor your communication style to diverse audiences – translating complex, technical information into clear, compelling narratives that foster understanding and build trust. This role offers a unique opportunity to develop your storytelling skills, contribute to meaningful engagement strategies, and make a real difference in how projects are perceived and received.

Key responsibilities include:

• Contributing to the creation of communication and engagement strategies, including audience identification, stakeholder mapping and socio-demographic analysis
• Developing key messages and collateral for a range of audiences, for both digital and physical uses
• Ensuring collateral is produced in line with accessibility guidelines
• Supporting the management of communication and engagement channels
• Organising and coordinating meetings with stakeholders and other specialists
• Planning and delivering events that foster open dialogue and communication
• Analysing qualitative and quantitative data to support project decisions
• Report writing
• Building and maintaining relationships with internal teams and external partners

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.2 Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Contaminated Land, Earth Science, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management, Environmental Science, Geography, Geology or Hydrogeology

Typical locations: Edinburgh, Glasgow

Our award-winning Sustainable Land and Resource Management team collaborates with clients across a wide range of sectors to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions that unlock the potential of brownfield and previously developed land. As a member of our team, you’ll have the opportunity to build a diverse skill set through a combination of office-based and on-site work. You’ll contribute to a variety of complex, multi-disciplinary infrastructure projects that address a wide range of engineering and environmental challenges.

Key responsibilities include:

• Contaminated land investigation, assessment, remediation and sustainable redevelopment of brownfield land (this will include a mix of both office and site-based roles)
• Hydrogeological modelling and groundwater management
• Agricultural land assessments and soil quality management
• Sustainable reuse of soils and materials
• Waste resource management
• Human health and controlled waters risk assessment for brownfield applications, and much more.

We positively encourage pushing boundaries, promoting innovation, knowledge sharing and ensure our colleagues have time allocated to get involved in our technical networks and innovations. Join us, and be supported by a highly skilled, award-winning team, that will set you in good stead for a fulfilling future career.

We’re multidisciplinary specialists that operate at the interface between people and the water environment. We work with our clients, in the UK and around the world, to provide innovative design solutions, research and advisory services that support a more sustainable future.

Our key services include:

• Water resources and water quality planning
• Hydrogeology and groundwater management
• Flood risk management
• Natural capital and environmental economic appraisal
• Hydrology
• Hydraulic and coastal flood modelling and flood risk scheme appraisal
• Coastal and marine environmental appraisal
• Integrated catchment management
• Hydromorphology
• River restoration, aquatic ecology, environmental impact assessment, natural flood management and nature-based solutions
• Environmental, hydraulic and civil engineering
• Regulation and assurance
• Strategic asset management
• Data analytics

We offer a generalist career pathway as a Graduate Environmental Scientist and a specialist Hydrogeology Graduate pathway. Please see below for details and ensure you select the corresponding option on the application form:

Graduate Environmental Scientist

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.1 Bachelor’s or 2.2(Pass) Master’s degree in Aquatic Ecology, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Coastal, Environment, Environmental Engineering, Flood Risk, GIS, Geography, Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Marine, Maths, Physics or Water Resources disciplines

Typical locations: Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Epsom (Surrey), Exeter, Glasgow, Manchester, Oxford, Peterborough, Swansea

Day to day responsibilities include:

• Helping us deliver projects with a water management focus and supporting a wide variety of other projects across AtkinsRéalis
• Undertaking field work in support of our projects (monitoring, water quality sampling, surveying etc.)
• Supporting the development of digital tools that quantify and illustrate environmental impacts and the value of nature to people in a clear and visual way
• Performing data analysis for clients using tools such as GIS, coding and models then reporting and presenting your findings
• Helping us develop our business through win work / bidding activities
• Learning how to develop and manage others and pick up skills that will help you become a project manager
• Staying at the forefront of your specialist area by undertaking CPD and attending conferences to help you deliver technical excellence to our clients

Hydrogeology Graduate

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.2(Pass) Master’s degree in Hydrogeology

Typical locations: Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Epsom (Surrey), Glasgow, London, Oxford, Peterborough, Manchester

We’re committed to supporting our clients on issues relating to water availability, quality and habitat. Working together, we deliver projects that bring about real change and make a positive difference to the environment and society.

As a graduate hydrogeologist, you’ll be supported by a team of experts at the forefront of the field. You’ll contribute to providing environmentally sustainable water supplies for the future whilst ensuring that water habitats are protected from increasing demand for water and from new infrastructure development. Our growing and varied project portfolio offers opportunity to get involved with groundwater resource evaluation, development and management, and with environmental impact investigation for water companies, industry and regulators.

Key duties include:

• Collaborating with hydrogeologist technical leads and other technical disciplines to support the successful delivery of our portfolio of groundwater projects
• Conducting field studies, including the collection and analysis of groundwater data
• Undertaking complex problem solving tasks that may include calculations and modelling, conceptualisation and report writing
• Working with the wider Water Management Consultancy team and beyond, to support the delivery of a range of projects relating to water supply, strategic planning, resource optimisation and environmental assessment

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.1 Bachelor’s or a 2.2 Master’s degree in Climate Change/Science, Earth Science, Economics, Engineering, Environmental Management, Environmental Science, Geography or Sustainability

Typical locations: Bristol, London, Manchester

Are you passionate about making a difference in the world? Do you want to help shape the future by supporting clients to be resilient to the impacts of climate change?

Our Climate Change and Adaptation team is at the forefront of the climate change and adaptation field. We work with clients across various sectors, including water, transport, energy, and more, to understand how climate change may impact their strategy and operations. We help them identify measures to build their current and future resilience to climate-related impacts. Our diverse portfolio includes projects with UK water companies, energy and transport companies, government agencies, local authorities, and multilateral development banks.

Key responsibilities include:

• Support the delivery of climate risk assessments through desk-based research, data analysis, and stakeholder engagement
• Identify measures to build the future resilience of clients' operations and assets to climate change
• Synthesize complex material and analysis into accessible and actionable reports, presentations, or briefing notes
• Collaborate with teams from different technical backgrounds
• Support the development of proposals to win new projects
• Depending on your background, prepare and analyse climate and spatial data

We’re looking for graduates with a keen interest in climate change and adaptation. If you are enthusiastic, proactive, and eager to learn, we want to hear from you!

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.1 Bachelor’s degree in Climate Change, Earth Science, Environmental Assessment & Management, Environmental Geoscience, Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Geography or Sustainability

Typical locations: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, London

As a Graduate Environmental Consultant you’ll be a part of our vibrant and expanding multidisciplinary team. We’re the gateway to planning, urban design and Environmental Impact Assessment within the organisation, comprising a vibrant network of people providing world class consultancy and advisory services.

We’re committed to providing the best outcomes for our clients, always with sustainability in mind. We share our understanding of the unprecedented challenges they face – climate change, rapid urbanisation, biodiversity decline, consumerisation, economic uncertainty, security threats and technology-driven change – to create a better future. The work we do is important and influential, it shapes the way our clients think, enables them to make better informed choices and deliver their projects effectively in a world of disruption and change.

As a graduate, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to be involved in a variety of projects, ranging from energy and renewables, water, nuclear, property, rail, highways, international projects, planning and stakeholder engagement.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting with the coordination of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and other non-statutory environmental appraisals
• Coordinating a multi-disciplinary team of environmental specialists inputting to environmental assessments and environmental design inputs
• Collecting and analysing data including conducting field surveys
• Carrying out desk-based baseline constraints studies and appraisals
• Writing reports and sharing findings with multi-disciplinary colleagues, clients, sub-contractors and/or regulators or other stakeholders
• Advising on the best course of action based on industry standards and assessment conclusions
• Managing legislative issues for clients and maintaining an awareness of how legislation impacts projects
• Working with colleagues, clients, environmental specialists and engineering teams to promote sustainable design solutions and environmental enhancement
• Supporting in activities to secure new work, contributing to bid preparation and preparing proposals

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.1 Bachelor’s or a 2.2 Master’s degree in Air Quality, Climate Change, Decarbonisation, Earth Science, Engineering, Environmental Management, Environmental Science, Geography or Sustainability

Typical locations: Belfast, Bristol, London, Manchester

Our Sustainability and Carbon team advises clients on how they can decarbonise their activities and deliver their projects in sustainable ways. Our exciting portfolio of projects and clients continues to expand, and we’re looking to recruit graduates with a passion for sustainability and an eagerness to learn and ultimately influence others. We work on projects both in the UK and internationally across all sectors: energy, water, rail, highways, airports and local and central government.

Examples of the work we do includes:

• Decarbonisation / Net Zero Roadmaps – helping clients calculate their organisational carbon emissions and find solutions to reduce them going forwards
• Whole Life Carbon Assessments – calculating the whole life carbon emissions of infrastructure development projects and strategically managing this to reduce emissions as far as possible
• Project Sustainability – driving sustainable performances within projects through design and delivery including via Sustainability Masterplans
• Organisational Sustainability – helping clients become more sustainable, assisting them with their organisational sustainability strategies and compliance reporting
• Multidisciplinary collaboration across delivery teams - contributions to development planning applications, circular economy statements and natural capital ecosystem services projects

Our clients include UK water companies, the Environment Agency, energy and transport companies (e.g. Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport), government agencies and local authorities as well as international bodies such as The European Investment Bank. As our exciting portfolio of projects and clients continues to expand, we’re looking to recruit graduates with a keen interest in sustainability and carbon advisory services and a passion for supporting our clients through the ongoing movement towards more sustainable practices.

Degree requirements: Minimum 2.2 Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics or 2.2 Master’s degree in a Water & Environment discipline

Typical locations: Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Manchester

Our Bioresources team is globally recognised as being at the forefront of our field: transforming organic waste streams – including wastewater, sewage sludge, biosolids, food, agricultural and industrial waste – into safe, circular and sustainable solutions. We work closely with our clients to understand the problems they face, and together we create solutions that benefit people and our planet.

We’ve developed a transformational approach to strategy definition and implementation, grounded in systems thinking and a deep understanding of interconnected challenges. By proactively exploring emerging technologies and evolving markets, we help our clients prepare for implementation with confidence – enabling them to make informed, purposeful investment choices that support long-term sustainability and resilience.

We’re looking for graduates to help shape and define future strategies for our clients and to aid development of a wide range of sustainable services in response to their growing needs, aspirations and the changing world we live in.

Typical services we offer:

• Strategic Advisory Services (Wastewater, Sewage sludge, Biosolids and organic waste) Aligning future drivers for change with the unique environment and assets base of each client, we collaborate upon development of a range of adaptive strategic pathways to provide a safe, efficient and sustainable solution and provide a clear knowledge and investment roadmap to aid implementation.
• Policy and Regulation We aid our clients in navigating the changing landscape of Policy and Regulation to support them in understanding the impacts and how to mitigate these challenges, position influencing, challenge requirements and programme timeframes. We assess Policy and Regulation from across the world to support definition of requirements, highlight best practice and deliver permits. Policy and Regulation has a key role to play in strategic advisory.
• Technology Integration, Design and Implementation Selecting the right combination of technologies to deploy is a critical step in implementing a strategy. We have expertise in conventional processing and treatment technologies (e.g. dewatering through to anaerobic digestion and combined heat and power engines), for solid, liquid and gaseous phases; and emerging technologies (advanced thermal conversion, gasification, and hydrothermal liquefaction). We help our clients assess the best options for them, understand the integration, permit requirements, how they will manage the outputs and potential operating models. We then undertake conceptual design before handing to our internal teams for detailed design.
• Operations and Maintenance (O&M) We have significant expertise in Operations and Maintenance (O&M) within the Water sector, and we utilise this to assist utilities in optimising their O&M activities, the safety and performance of their asset base. We provide O&M support, definition of processes and systems and in organisational transformation implementation.

As a Graduate in our team, you’ll work with clients on projects across all areas of the Bioresources Management. Key responsibilities include:

• Collating and analysing data to support Strategic Advisory plans
• Supporting the development of Strategic Asset Investment Plans
• Developing proactive proposals to enhance the O&M performance
• Supporting clients to understand their long-term investment needs (demand analysis)
• Supporting literature reviews as part of UK Water Industry Research work
• Undertaking reviews of clients’ strategic direction
• Process mapping and optimisation of O&M activities