At a Glance
- Tasks: Assist in planning and managing large-scale water infrastructure projects.
- Company: Join Costain, a leader in smart infrastructure solutions.
- Benefits: Gain hands-on experience, mentoring, and support for career growth.
- Other info: Opportunities to work across various exciting sectors in the UK.
- Why this job: Be part of a groundbreaking project that combats climate change.
- Qualifications: Degree in Civils, Construction, or related field; driving licence required.
The predicted salary is between 51750 - 63250 £ per year.
Location: We are looking for candidates who are willing to locate to a variety of locations based in Peterborough and surrounding area, where they can develop and extend their skills and capabilities in this exciting discipline. This would be for September 2027 intake.
Project Overview: The Anglian Water Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA) project currently involves the planning, design and construction of circa 320km of new strategic, large diameter, clean water interconnector pipelines and associated infrastructure across Anglian Water's region. The SPA Alliance is also taking on responsibility for the future interconnector pipelines, a further 260km of strategic interconnector pipelines and associated infrastructure.
At Costain, we help to improve people's lives by creating connected, sustainable infrastructure that enables people and the planet to thrive. We work together to shape, create, and deliver pioneering solutions that transform the performance of the UK's infrastructure ecosystem across energy, water, transportation and defence markets. Through our collaboration with customers, partners, communities, and wider industry we will deliver an infrastructure fit for a better future.
Full UK Driving Licence is essential. Please note that some roles may be within the Nuclear & Defence sector and candidates will need to obtain Security Clearance and have been resident in the UK for the last 5 years.
Costain's Graduate Development Programme: The programme will focus on helping you to grow your personal and leadership skills, alongside business and of course, the technical skills you will learn day-to-day on the job. The programme will provide you with specific technical training for your specialised discipline. The programme is delivered in a variety of formats throughout the 2 years and will allow you to establish a network of contacts that will help and support you through your first 2 years and beyond. We expect some of our graduates to rotate after a period of 8-12 months, to another project/sector of the business to fully understand the depth and breadth of the services offered by the company. Our line managers are fully supportive of the Graduate Development Programme and will be involved in helping you along the way. In addition to the programme, we offer mentoring and support in every area of work, as well as a structured training programme to enable graduates to work towards achieving Chartership. Graduates may have the opportunity to work on a number of exciting and progressive projects around the UK during the 2-year period, in sectors including nuclear, highways, rail, water, airports and tunnels.
Responsibilities:
- Assist with collaboratively developing and maintaining robust detailed project plans for the Delivery Team in accordance with SPA and AW requirements.
- Liaise with Delivery Teams to ensure consistency of key assumptions on methodology and outputs etc.
- Learn what constitutes a robust plan that withstands detailed scrutiny.
- Assist with ensuring project plans capture the full project scope.
- Assist with ensuring the plan clearly identifies any delay to support claims for additional cost or time.
- Assist with ensuring plans are resource loaded and the resource plan is maintained.
- Assist with pro-actively ensuring project plans are up to date.
- Assist with pro-actively identifying opportunities and risks in the plan and monitor the critical path and key milestones, advising the delivery team on any potential changes.
- Assist with collaboratively exploring mitigation and what if scenarios to pro-actively improve project delivery.
- Assist with developing 4D animations of the project plan to aid digital rehearsal of the project construction.
- Gather and collate progress information and reasons for any deviations.
- Learn to communicate the effects of progress on key dates and challenge team to deliver on time.
- Attend site regularly to gather programme update information.
- Learn to communicate the critical path and key activities in team meetings.
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:
- Site based engineering background.
- Experience in one or more of civils, water, wastewater or M&E.
- Knowledge of current HSE requirements.
- Computer literate.
- Ability to use planning software.
- Ability to interrogate / take information from drawings.
- Good communicator able to communicate detailed data to a non-data literate audience.
- Ability to work to tight deadlines.
- Ability to manage/prioritise workloads.
- Ability to adapt and challenge.
Qualifications:
- Essential: Educated to degree level in a related subject such as Civils, Construction, Quantity Surveying, Programme Controls, or Project Management.
- Minimum GCSEs (or equivalent) in Maths.
- Full, clean UK driving licence.
Desirable: APM Project Fundamentals.
*Please note that if you are invited to interview, we will require you to produce your passport and/or right to work documentation. As some of our project sites are based in remote locations, it is worth noting that you will be required to have the ability to travel to site.
About Us: Costain helps to improve people's lives with integrated, leading edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK's energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK's leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. We offer our clients leading edge solutions that are digitally optimised through the following five services which cover the whole lifecycle of their assets: future-shaping strategic consultancy; consultancy and advisory; digital technology solutions; asset optimisation and complex programme delivery.
Our culture and values underpin everything we do. Costain appreciate the time and effort taken when applying for one of our positions but, due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to provide individual feedback on candidates at application phase. We do share individual feedback following an interview.
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that disclose they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.
For more details please go to the Disability Confident website.
The Team Anglian Water has created a new delivery enterprise - the Strategic Pipeline Alliance. "SPA" is creating hundreds of kilometres of new, interconnecting pipelines to help combat the impact of climate change and keep fresh, clean water flowing across the Anglian Water region. The new network is one of the largest infrastructure projects for a generation and is a complex and challenging major infrastructure project.
Graduate Planner 2027 - SPA - in Cambridge employer: Costain
Costain is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that prioritises employee growth and development within the vibrant environment of London Heathrow. As a leader in smart infrastructure solutions, we provide our team with unique opportunities to engage in transformative projects that contribute to a sustainable future, while fostering strong relationships across diverse stakeholders. Our commitment to safety, inclusivity, and professional advancement makes us an attractive choice for those seeking meaningful and rewarding careers.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Graduate Planner 2027 - SPA - in Cambridge
✨Get Involved in Engineering Societies
Join local engineering societies or student chapters; they often have networking events and workshops tailored for internship seekers. It's a great way to meet professionals and get insider tips on which companies, like Costain, are hiring!
✨Attend Career Fairs and Workshops
Make the most of your university's career fairs! These events often feature companies looking specifically for interns, and they give us the chance to make a direct impression on recruiters from places like Costain. Bring your best elevator pitch and showcase your enthusiasm!
✨Show Off Your Projects
Make sure to create a portfolio or a personal website showcasing any relevant projects you’ve worked on, whether it's uni assignments or personal projects. This visual representation will help you stand out during interviews or casual chats with engineers from Costain!
✨Leverage Internships to Build Skills
Don't just aim for any internship; seek out those that allow you to learn and grow. Even roles at startups can offer hands-on experience that's invaluable. We should focus on companies like Costain that may have rotational internship programmes, providing us with diverse experiences.
We think you need these skills to ace Graduate Planner 2027 - SPA - in Cambridge
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Technical Skills:In the engineering world, we want to see your technical skills front and centre. When you’re crafting your CV, highlight any relevant coursework, projects, or software you’ve used. If you’ve got experience with CAD programs or any engineering software, make sure to mention that to grab our attention!
Tailor Your Motivation in the Cover Letter:This internship is all about learning and growth, so let us know why you're excited about this opportunity at Costain. Your cover letter should reflect your passion for engineering and willingness to learn — share what makes us the perfect place for you to dip your toes into the industry!
Include Relevant Academic Projects:If you've completed any engineering projects, whether in class or on your own time, showcase those in your application. We love to see practical experience, even if it’s from school! Detail what you did, what techniques you used, and any challenges you faced. This shows us you can apply your knowledge in real-world situations.
Keep it Clear and Concise:When you're applying for an internship, we know it can be tempting to cram every detail into your CV or cover letter. But keep it clear and to the point! One page for your CV is usually enough — highlight the most relevant bits and make sure your passion for engineering shines through without any fluff.
How to prepare for a job interview at Costain
✨Brush Up on Technical Fundamentals
For an engineering internship like the one at Costain, it’s essential to have a solid grasp of core principles. Expect technical questions that test your understanding of basic engineering concepts. We recommend revising key topics relevant to the role and finding some example problems to solve ahead of time.
✨Show Your Passion for Engineering
During the interview, we should communicate our enthusiasm for engineering and the specific area you're applying to. Share any projects, coursework, or experiences that fuelled your interest. Companies like Costain often look for candidates who not only have the skills but also a genuine passion for the field.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Be ready for situational questions that probe your problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities. You might be asked how you would approach a specific engineering challenge or design a solution to a hypothetical problem relevant to the industry. Think through a few scenarios before going in, as these can really demonstrate your thought process.
✨Highlight Your Teamwork Skills
Internships often involve collaboration, so we should be prepared to discuss our experiences working in teams. Have examples ready where you've worked as part of a group on projects, whether in a school setting or during co-curricular activities. This will show Costain that we understand the importance of collaboration in engineering.