2026 Graduate Programme – Transport & Infrastructure – Intelligent Infrastructure

WSP; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering consultancy in Edinburgh seeks graduates for their Intelligent Infrastructure team. You will work on varied projects, collaborating closely with senior experts. Ideal candidates will possess a degree in a relevant field and a passion for innovative engineering solutions. This role offers a supportive environment, professional development opportunities, and a focus on work-life balance.

Benefits

Hybrid working policy

Flexibility for personal activities

Support for professional development

Health and wellbeing programs

Qualifications

• Graduated with at least a 2:2 in a relevant subject.
• An understanding of complex and safety-critical systems is preferred.
• A passion for engineering and consulting is necessary.

Responsibilities

• Support public sector clients in highways and rail with digital projects.
• Collaborate with experts for project delivery in diverse areas.
• Undertake user identification and profiling using behavioral insights.

Skills

Collaboration

Engineering principles

Research design

Human factors

Education

Bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant subject

Job description

Overview

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 Intelligent Infrastructure 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.

Graduate opportunities by service and location

• Operations and Safety - Policy Monitoring & Evaluation: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Guildford
• Operations and Safety - Tunnel Systems & Operations: Guildford, Bristol or London
• Operations and Safety - Human Centered Design: Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham
• Systems & Infrastructure: London, Manchester, Bristol
• Lighting & Energy Solutions: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, London or Southampton

About the role and the team

WSP is an international leader in intelligent transport systems (ITS). As the urban population expands, people live longer, and the pressures on our transport networks increase, developments in technology present us with exciting opportunities for transformation. Our Intelligent Infrastructure team focuses on improving the operational and safety performance of transportation networks, including human-centered design, connectivity, cyber security, and zero emission vehicles (ZEVs).

Projects

Working in our Intelligent Infrastructure team, you will be helping deliver projects such as:

• Sizewell Nuclear Power Plant
• HS2
• National Highways
• Local Authority active travel schemes and Metro link projects
• A303 Stonehenge tunnel
• A83 'Rest and Be Thankful' debris flow shelter
• Dartford Tunnel
• Medway Tunnel

Our Intelligent Infrastructure Teams include

Human Centered Design: Our Human Centered Design experts ensure our infrastructure solutions prioritise user safety and efficiency. By putting users and their needs at the centre of our design work and through providing supporting research and analysis, we shape robust systems in the highways and beyond. We provide expertise throughout policy and project lifecycles, including:

• Safety and Cyber Security: safety risk assessments, safe systems approaches and understanding user error as a consequence rather than a cause of incidents.
• Operations: transport operations including station and stop designs, signalling, driving behaviours, digital design, and measures influencing behaviour.
• Research: qualitative and quantitative research including simulation studies, feasibility studies, surveys, focus groups and workshops.

As a Graduate within this team you will support public sector clients in highways and rail with digital projects (operational technology; cyber security); infrastructure design standards; and research to inform public strategy and policy at a local and national level.

Day-to-day activities (Human Centered Design)

• Applying and integrating key principles of human factors, ergonomics and behaviour change to transportation or infrastructure projects and policies.
• Undertaking research design, execution and reporting, covering quantitative and qualitative research.
• Undertaking user identification and profiling including behavioural insights.
• Undertaking Human Factors assessments such as task analysis and in-depth risk analysis to inform infrastructure scheme and operational designs.
• Supporting the Capability Lead with the preparation of client proposals.

Policy Monitoring & Evaluation

Our Policy Monitoring & Evaluation team supports a diverse range of transport clients, addressing evolving priorities such as net zero carbon, climate change resilience, zero harm, digitisation, shifting road user expectations, and efficiency. As the transport system adapts to these priorities, robust monitoring and evaluation plans are essential to provide evidence on “what works” and insight into “why,” ensuring effective and efficient transport operations in the UK.

Graduates in our team collaborate with senior experts and specialists across WSP, combining monitoring and evaluation expertise with technical knowledge in areas like energy, roads, rail, and active travel. This enables us to deliver tailored solutions for clients through varied central and local government projects, building a diverse portfolio of experience.

Day-to-day activities (Policy Monitoring & Evaluation)

• Supporting delivery of a multi-discipline monitoring and evaluation project, ranging from assessing evaluability, to scoping, to designing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, to delivering evaluations of local and national transport policies.
• Undertaking interviews with stakeholders to build an understanding of an intervention's performance.
• Reviewing, analysing and interpreting data to provide expert monitoring and evaluation advice to support our Client's objectives.
• Collaborating with resources from other internal specialist WSP teams to bring in subject matter expertise.
• Supporting the Capability Lead with the preparation of client proposals.

Tunnel Systems & Operations

Within Intelligent Infrastructure, our Tunnel Systems engineering team delivers end-to-end tunnel asset capability, transforming the integration of tunnel systems design and delivery, led by safety and operations. Tunnels are complex environments where a range of systems interface to provide a safe operating environment for users, including telecommunications, firefighting systems, lighting, control systems, signalling, electronic signage, ventilation and public address alarm systems.

As a Graduate in our team you will support our diverse range of technical experts to deliver prestigious new build and refurbishment tunnel systems projects across many industry sectors including road, rail and utilities. You will be influential in the delivery of engineering, infrastructure and construction projects to an ever-increasing client base in the UK and overseas.

Day-to-day activities (Tunnel Systems & Operations)

• Preparing design drawings and design documentation.
• Preparing for client and stakeholder meetings and workshops.
• Undertaking industry research.
• Working with subject matter experts across different disciplines to draw in their technical expertise to scheme delivery.
• Preparing for and attending sites with colleagues to undertake inspections.
• Supporting senior colleagues with client proposals.

Systems & Infrastructure

Our Systems & Infrastructure team partners with clients, such as National Highways and County Councils, to deliver essential road network technology and infrastructure. Our experts shape future traffic control strategies and oversee the testing of new technologies from the roadside to the control centre.

This team offers roles that match experiences across all their capabilities from Digital Infrastructure, Cyber Security, Systems Engineering, Data Architecture to Connectivity.

Day-to-day activities could include:

• Delivering technology and infrastructure solutions to manage road networks.
• Helping to deliver the future strategy of technology used to control traffic.
• Testing new versions of technology used to control traffic.

Lighting & Energy Solutions

Our Lighting & Energy Solutions team work on a wide range of projects from both Public and Private sectors across all our Lighting and Electrical capabilities which include Local Government, Strategic Road Networks, Electrical and Electric Vehicles, Creative Lighting and Environmental. We undertake all forms of design and consultancy services across these capabilities and as a Graduate within this team you will be given opportunities to work on projects within these different capabilities.

Usually, new Graduates are sponsored to complete the Institution of Lighting Professionals Exterior Lighting Diploma within their first four years of joining the business and will be given training opportunities to support their professional development.

Day-to-day activities (Lighting & Energy Solutions)

• Undertaking data gap analysis activities.
• Dealing with general day to day project administration tasks.
• Assisting with stakeholder engagement.
• Supporting various reporting requirements including carbon assessments and cost / benefit calculations.
• Carrying out lighting and electrical design solutions utilising proprietary software and general design development in both 2D and 3D CAD environments.

Graduate Development Programme

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.

To find out more, please visit: Who we are - ECP

Our teams are dedicated to supporting your career 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 IET or ILP, 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

To find out more about Sectors and Specialisms we recruit our Graduates into, as well as qualification requirements, please visit our Graduate brochure or Graduate website link below.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate

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. To assist you in finding potential areas of the business that are relevant to you, please visit our Graduate brochure or website. Graduate brochure or Graduate Webpage

• 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 recruitment process.
• You'll be looking to start work in either April or September 2026
• You'll have a passion for engineering and consulting
• An understanding of complex and safety-critical systems
• You'll have a desire for the built environment, infrastructure and design systems
• 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 roles, 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.

With us, you can. Apply today.

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. We celebrate integrity and treat people with respect, supporting each other and embracing a culture of inclusion and belonging at WSP. We have employee resource groups to promote our culture of inclusivity.

Health & Wellbeing

We are committed to supporting our people, giving you tools to improve health and wellbeing through our Thrive programme. Our Virtual GP service gives access to an NHS or Irish Medical Council GP, plus reasonable workplace adjustments, a Gymflex scheme (up to 40% off gym memberships) and a menopause support package.

Flex your time

WSP My Hour enables you to take one hour each day for personal activities, with the flexibility to make up the time earlier or later in the day. We also offer part-time and flexible working arrangements, the option to purchase additional leave, and the ability to use your bank holiday entitlement to suit you.

Your development

We invest in your development through training, mentoring, and Chartership support.

#WeAreWSP

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 workplace adjustments in support of your application.