2027 UK Graduate Civil and Structural Engineering Career Path: Water
Mott MacDonald
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
The Mott MacDonald graduate position in Water Engineering or Dams & Reservoirs offers hands-on experience on designing resilient infrastructure and protecting communities. You’ll join a three-year Accelerating your Future development programme with mentoring, training, and real-world project exposure in Reading and across the UK.
As a Graduate Civil Engineer, you’ll contribute to feasibility through detailed design, modelling, and handover, while developing technical and project management
Qualifications
- Graduates with a Masters degree or expected Masters in 2025 or later.
- Eligible disciplines include Civil or Structural Engineering.
Responsibilities
- Design pipelines, water and wastewater facilities through feasibility, outline and detailed stages.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated, sustainable solutions.
- Support projects from planning and modelling to construction, commissioning and handover.
- Use digital tools to enhance design quality and efficiency.
- Grow technical and project management skills through mentoring and training.
- Develop designs for dams, spillways, intakes and drawdown facilities.
- Undertake hydraulic and structural analyses for flood studies and emergency planning.
- Attend site inspections and monitor activities for hands-on experience.
- Prepare drawings, reports and specifications shaping real-world outcomes.
- Gain exposure to project, commercial and client management.
- Support flood risk reduction and river management projects.
Skills
Education
Job description
At Mott MacDonald, we’re not just designing infrastructure—we’re shaping the future of water. As a wholly employee‑owned company, we have the freedom to focus on what truly matters: delivering social outcomes, empowering our people, and protecting the communities and environments we serve.
As a Graduate Civil Engineer, you’ll join one of our specialist teams - Water Engineering or Dams & Reservoirs, each playing a vital role in solving complex challenges and delivering sustainable solutions that improve lives and safeguard the environment.
Join our Water Division, a centre of excellence tackling climate change, ageing infrastructure, and population growth. You’ll contribute to safe, sustainable water systems for generations to come. We have opportunities for those with civil and structural engineering degrees.
- Design pipelines, water and wastewater treatment facilities through feasibility, outline, and detailed stages.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated, sustainable solutions.
- Support projects from planning and modelling to construction, commissioning, and handover.
- Use digital tools to enhance design quality and efficiency.
- Grow your technical and project management skills through mentoring and training.
Be part of a legacy of innovation in dam and reservoir engineering. You’ll help design and assess critical infrastructure that supports water supply, flood protection, and hydropower.
- Develop conceptual, preliminary, and detailed designs for dams, spillways, intakes, and drawdown facilities.
- Undertake hydraulic and structural analyses, contributing to flood studies and emergency planning.
- Attend site inspections and monitoring activities for hands‑on experience.
- Prepare drawings, reports, and specifications that shape real‑world outcomes.
- Gain exposure to project, commercial, and client management.
Plays a key role in helping communities and the environment become more resilient to flooding and the challenges posed by climate change. You will work on projects that improve our understanding of rivers, catchments and flood risk, supporting the development of sustainable solutions that protect people, property and the natural environment. Working alongside multidisciplinary teams, you will contribute to projects that enhance river health, improve water management and deliver lasting environmental benefits.
- Supporting projects that reduce flood risk and improve the resilience of communities and infrastructure.
- Analysing environmental, hydrological and flood‑related information to inform decision‑making and identify practical solutions.
- Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver river restoration, flood management and sustainable drainage projects.
- Contributing to projects that improve river environments, enhance biodiversity and help address the impacts of climate change.
- Developing technical knowledge and gaining experience across a range of river, flooding and water management disciplines.
- Empowering Growth: We support your development with structured training, mentoring, and real‑world experience.
- Celebrating Achievements: Your contributions are recognised and celebrated—individually and as part of a team.
- Inclusive Culture: We value diversity and foster a workplace where everyone feels seen, heard, and respected.
- Wellbeing First: We prioritise your wellbeing with flexible working, mental health support, and a caring environment.
- Societal Impact: Your work helps deliver essential services, protect the environment, and build climate resilience.
At Mott MacDonald, we’re looking for curious, motivated graduates who want to make a real difference. Join our purpose‑driven teams where your ideas matter, your growth is supported, and your work enhances the world we live in.
To be eligible for this opportunity, you will haveless than 12 months’ relevant experience(excluding placements) and have a masters degree (obtainedno earlier than 2025) or expected to achieve one of the following degree disciplines:
- Civil Engineering
- Structural Engineering
For some of our opportunities, a master’s degree is essential – this is reflected in the list of opportunities in the application form.
We are looking for graduates with the following strengths:
- Proactively takes initiative to complete tasks efficiently and independently.
- Communicates effectively and clearly with clients and colleagues.
- Delivers high quality written work with strong attention to detail and clarity.
- Demonstrates a structured and analytical approach to problem solving.
Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024.
Our ethos is to develop, train and retain our graduates and therefore we are looking for a long‑term relationship with our graduates. For this reason, we cannot accept applications from candidates who would be working under the Graduate visa route or other time‑limited visas, (irrespective of visa duration), due to their temporary nature and the requirement for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route in future.
We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.
At Mott MacDonald, we see the value AI can bring, but we take a people‑first approach to hiring. While AI tools can help candidates prepare and build confidence, every application and hiring decision is reviewed by our recruitment and hiring teams. We encourage the responsible use of AI while ensuring we get to know the real person behind the application.
We want you to feel supported and able to perform at your best throughout our recruitment process. If there is anything we can do to make applying or interviewing with us more accessible, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we'll be happy to discuss how we can help.
A graduate position should be more than just a job. We know this and so do you. That’s why with our graduate roles we aim to give you the experience and technical knowledge you need to progress your career. From the moment you join us, you’ll receive the training you need. You will be assigned a mentor, who will guide you to meet the objectives of your professional training needs. You will join our three‑year early careers soft skills development programme – Accelerating your Future, which is designed to give you the skills and tools necessary for a long‑lasting successful career here at Mott MacDonald.
Being part of Mott MacDonald means more than just work; there’s a huge range of fun and exciting things that you can get involved in.
From the moment you join us, you’ll have the opportunity to expand your social and professional network, whether it’s meeting other graduates or joining forces with other members of staff from around the company at our annual sports day. Each of our offices have a sports and social committee which will give you the chance to be part of a variety of sports, social and charity events. We’re committed to promoting a strong culture of social responsibility and encourage our staff to play active roles in the local community.
It's worth noting that sports and social committees tend to vary from office to office, so as well as getting involved in what’s already on offer, don’t be afraid to suggest new events or initiatives that you think could be a great addition. It doesn’t stop there. From your first day, you’ll have access to Perks at Work, giving you discounts on cinema tickets, travel, utilities and much more, helping you make the most of our employee benefits.
At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well‑being, flexibility, and trust.
We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.
- Biannual salary reviews: We believe hard work should be recognised and rewarded. To support your development and progression, you'll be eligible for salary reviews twice a year during your first three years with us, subject to successfully completing your probation period.
- We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
- Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
- Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long‑term illness or injury.
- Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
- As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.
- Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
- Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
- As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long‑term impact and contribution.
- Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
- For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.
- Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
- Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
- Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
- A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
- Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.
- 33 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
- 10 days additional paid leave for Armed Forces Reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.
- Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
- Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high‑street retailers.
- Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
- Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
- Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
- We offer policies and dedicated support to help military families balance service life with career and wellbeing.
- Primary annual professional institution subscription.
- A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self‑development options.
- Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
- We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and Gold Award holders in the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme, supported by our dedicated internal Armed Forces Network.
- Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.
Leeds, GB Brighton, GB Sheffield, GB Reading, GB Belfast, GB London, GB Edinburgh, GB Newcastle Upon Tyne, GB Inverness, GB Bristol, GB Manchester, GB Glasgow, GB Cambridge, GB
Contract Type: Permanent
Work Pattern: Full Time
Market: Water
Discipline: Civil
Job Ref: 17196
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