2026 Graduate Programme - Planning - Engagement

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs? At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

We are looking for graduates for our Planning Engagement team, who have a flexible approach and an appetite to learn in a leading Engineering and Professional Advisory services consultancy. We want you to enjoy working in a collaborative environment where you can apply your skills working for a diverse range of clients and projects. We are recruiting for Graduates in the following locations: Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh and London.

A little bit more about your role and the team… Working as a Graduate in the Planning Engagement team will mean working on exciting and innovative projects. The Engagement team support our clients by helping them demonstrate they’ve engaged with the community and relevant stakeholders, shared their development and future plans and listened to feedback from the community to inform the development of their schemes. We are an important part of the process making sure that stakeholders and the community understand what is happening by making technical information easy to understand; that stakeholders have the opportunity to find out more information by creating events, communications and online content that is accessible; creating mechanisms to capture feedback like forms and online questionnaires; and analysing data to create reports to share the stakeholder and community feedback.

Projects include:

• Energy projects connecting on and offshore projects through new and updated networks
• Transport projects improving travel around the UK through updated road and rail infrastructure
• Environmental based projects around water and waste
• Specialist projects such as defence, aviation, development and sport projects

The Engagement team is an exciting fast-paced place to work, we support clients and build relationships with hundreds of stakeholders each day in different ways, no two days are the same. As the team support all WSP, graduates joining us in 2026 will have a variety of projects to work on.

Day-to-day activities could include:

• Helping communities and stakeholders understand projects and how it may impact them by writing easy to understand communications.
• Providing stakeholders with opportunities to ask questions and offering feedback through publishing communications, organising events logistics and helping to design and run surveys to gather feedback.
• Presenting feedback to help projects develop in a responsible way by understanding and data coding and helping prepare reports.
• Proactively supporting your teams (project, location and Engagement) to deliver quality communications and engagement activity.

You will be joining a supportive environment and enthusiastic team, providing you with a challenging and fulfilling career. In this team, you will be dealing with internal and external stakeholders and collaborating with colleagues and adapting to dynamic project environments.

Graduate Development Programme: Our two-year Graduate Development programme is designed to support personal and professional development and growth through an engaging blended learning experience. The programmes include core business and professional skills training, career development workshops and resources, valuable networking opportunities, mentoring for professional registration and a breadth of on-the-job experience.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate:

• You’ll have graduated with at least a 2:2 in a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant subject for the role you are applying for.
• You’ll have a passion for consulting and engagement.
• You’ll have a desire for the built environment.
• You’ll have an enthusiasm for creativity and a drive to solve problems.
• You’ll want to inspire us, sharing new ideas you have.

Don’t quite meet all the criteria? Should you have the right qualifications for our positions, apply and we can see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities we have available for our Graduate programme.

For further information regarding our Application & Selection process, including timelines for recruitment, please visit our Early Careers brochure - Application & Selection. We review applications for our Early Career opportunities on a rolling basis, which means we begin progressing some candidates to the final stages before the application closing date. To ensure your application receives full consideration, we recommend submitting it as early as possible.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all. Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.

About Us: We are one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms. Our 72,800 passionate people are united by the common purpose of creating positive, long-lasting impacts on the communities we serve through a culture of innovation, integrity, and inclusion. With over 9,000 professionals across the UK and Ireland, we are dedicated to our local communities and propelled by international brainpower.

What’s in it for you?

• Work-life balance: At WSP, we understand that work is just one aspect of your life. It’s important to make time for you, your family, friends, interests and your community. Our hybrid working policy offers the flexibility to work from home two days a week, while also providing opportunities to collaborate in our modern offices across the UK.
• Inclusivity & Belonging: We welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and experiences. We enable rewarding careers by encouraging people to bring their whole and authentic selves to work so that our work represents the fullest spectrum of society.
• Health & Wellbeing: We are committed to supporting our people, giving you the tools to make improvements to your health and wellbeing through our Thrive programme.
• Flex your time: To enhance work-life balance, WSP offers the "WSP My Hour," allowing you to take one hour each day for personal activities, with the flexibility to make up the time earlier or later that day.
• Your development: We understand the importance of development and training to you. That’s why we foster a supportive environment that invests in your growth, whether through training, mentoring, or Chartership.

#WeAreWSP Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. As a Disability Confident leader, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria, please let us know if you require any workplace adjustments in support of your application.