2026 Graduate Programme - Local Government (Engineering)

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 Communities Engineering teams, 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.

A little bit more about your role and the team… Across the UK, our communities teams provide local authorities with advice on everything from transport to urban regeneration, and flood risk to securing funding. The Communities teams in which we are recruiting for Civil and Structural Engineers are based in Lincoln, Norfolk and Cardiff. As we work in partnership with local councils, we are unable to offer flexibility on these locations.

We improve our clients’ transport systems, increasing quality, safety, accessibility, and good connectivity to reduce social isolation. We help our clients to address the challenges of net zero and the demand for digital service delivery. We also help to address the intensification of cities and towns while satisfying the need to protect green space.

The training you will receive within our Communities teams comprise of an excellent blend of public and private sector skills.

Projects Our teams work on some notable assignments in the UK, and you will be helping deliver projects such as:

• Lincolnshire County Council
• Norfolk County Council
• Rhondda Cynon Taf Council
• Merthyr Tydfil Council
• Bridgend Council

Our Communities (Engineering) Teams include:

• Lincoln (Highways Engineering)
• Cardiff (Structures and Civil Infrastructure Engineering)
• Norfolk (Highways and Structures Engineering)

As a graduate you'll play an important role in supporting the Lincoln team in the delivery of efficient and effective highway schemes. Helping with the design of new, and the maintenance of existing, infrastructure projects from footways and cycleways to major junction improvements and bypass schemes. The development of these schemes will be from concept to completion, including supervision of construction. Your work will be varied and reactive to the team’s priorities. You will fulfil a pivotal role in completing projects that deliver real benefit to people’s lives.

Day-to-day activities could include:

• Undertaking investigations, site inspections, data collection and analysis, scheme design and development, along with supervision of construction.
• Preparing technical design solutions in accordance with approved design procedures.
• Preparing technical documents and drawings for checking and approval.
• Agreeing delivery targets with senior staff and reporting regularly on progress towards milestones.
• Managing the delivery of your own projects with minimal supervision.

This Local Government team deliver essential transport and infrastructure upgrades across the region, supporting economic growth, resilience, and sustainability. We are looking for individuals to join our structures and civil infrastructure engineering teams. As a Graduate focusing on structural engineering within this team, you will be undertaking inspections of infrastructure so that you get a hands‑on appreciation of structures, what makes them “tick” and the sorts of defects to be aware of.

Day-to-day activities could include:

• Inspections of essential infrastructure
• Preliminary design calculations
• Writing up of optioneering and feasibility studies
• Gaining hands‑on experience of developing solutions to problems

As a Graduate focusing on civil infrastructure engineering within this team you will be involved in our potential pipeline of drainage tips and major schemes, supported by senior designers. You will learn the fundamentals of hydraulic design, sustainable drainage solutions and water management.

Day-to-day activities could include:

• Learning and utilising drainage modelling software to prepare existing and proposed drainage networks, preparation of design drawings via the use of AutoCAD
• Attending site visit with designers to get an appreciation of the realism of site and constraints
• Attending design team and client’s meetings to gain an understanding of the design process

WSP provide our clients, Norfolk County Council, with professional services across highways and infrastructure. Our integrated design teams, made up of WSP and council staff, plan and prepare works including highway improvements, structural maintenance, and routine upkeep. We also manage the bridges and structures team, overseeing inspections and maintenance programmes. Graduates in our team play a hands‑on role from day one, contributing to design development, site assessments, and technical reporting within both the highways and structures teams.

We also support the council with strategic transport planning, environmental services, and commercial programme management—ensuring projects are delivered efficiently and sustainably.

Day-to-day activities could include:

• Assisting in the planning and drafting of highway improvements and structural maintenance schemes
• Participating in on-site inspections and evaluations to inform design and maintenance decision
• Preparing documentation that supports engineering decisions, compliance and project tracking

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

Our teams are committed to your career progression, encouraging growth from the very beginning. Many employees have started as graduates and successfully advanced within the company. We encourage you to achieve chartered status with professional bodies such as the ICE and IStructE, ensuring your development is a priority. You will be fully supported through enrolment in a professional institution’s training agreement, guiding you towards chartered or incorporated status.

You’ll have graduated with at least a 2:2 in a master’s or bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject for the role you are applying for. Candidates must complete the application form in full answering all specific questions. This requirement applies to all candidates, inclusive of their background. Successful completion of this stage is mandatory. Candidates who pass this initial stage, will then be required to complete an online skill enabler assessment. Both the application form and the skill enabler assessment are essential parts of the early career’s recruitment process.

You’ll be looking to start work in either April or September 2026. You’ll have a passion for consulting and Engineering. 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.

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. With us, you can. Apply today.

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.

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.

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. We celebrate integrity and treat people with respect, supporting each other and embracing a culture of inclusion and belonging at WSP.

We are committed to supporting our people, giving you the tools to make improvements to your health and wellbeing through our Thrive programme. Our Virtual GP service gives you access to an NHS or Irish Medical Council GP at a time and place that suits you – giving you peace of mind and quick access to medical advice when you need it most. We also provide reasonable workplace adjustments for those in need.

Additionally, you can benefit from the Gymflex scheme, which offers up to 40% off annual gym memberships through our WSP flexible benefits program, as well as a comprehensive menopause support package.

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. We also provide part‑time and flexible working arrangements, the option to purchase additional leave, and the ability to use your bank holiday entitlement to suit you.

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.

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.