Environmental Sustainability Graduate

Balfour Beatty plc; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Flexible benefits

25 days annual leave

Permanent contract from day one

Structured early careers development

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc is seeking a Graduate in Environmental & Sustainability to join its 2027 Early Careers programme, based in Derby. You will gain hands-on experience across bid, pre-construction, delivery and improvement activities while working with experienced professionals.

You'll help manage environmental risks, support sustainability initiatives, and contribute to regulatory compliance and reporting across UK projects.

Qualifications

• Degree in Environment and/or Sustainability with a minimum 2:2 honours.
• Interest or experience in Data and/or Carbon is beneficial.
• Willingness to travel occasionally and stay away from home.

Responsibilities

• Support environmental management and sustainability planning across projects.
• Develop and monitor environmental risk assessments and plans.
• Assist in regulatory compliance, reporting and project documentation.
• Engage with stakeholders to communicate environmental requirements and progress.
• Support biodiversity, carbon reduction and circular economy initiatives where relevant.

Skills

Environment & Sustainability

Analytical

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree in Environment or Sustainability

Tools

Microsoft Excel

GIS

Job description

About the role

We are Balfour Beatty. You may not know us by name, but you’ll recognise what we do. We’re a leading international infrastructure group, building, maintaining and improving infrastructure that supports communities for generations to come.

As a Graduate - Environmental & Sustainability , you'll join our 2027 Early Careers programme and gain hands‑on experience while contributing to some of the UK’s most significant infrastructure projects. From day one, you'll take on real responsibility, develop technical and professional skills, and work alongside experienced colleagues who will support your growth. You'll also be part of a supportive graduate community, building the skills, experience and industry‑recognised accreditations needed for a successful career.

In this role, you’ll join one of our Balfour Beatty Power T&D teams as a Graduate - Environmental & Sustainability , based in Derby, supporting projects across the country.

What you'll be doing

As a Graduate - Environmental & Sustainability you’ll play an important role in helping projects manage environmental risks, improve sustainability performance, and comply with environmental legislation, planning requirements, client expectations, and company standards. Working alongside experienced environmental and sustainability professionals, you’ll apply your academic knowledge in a practical environment while supporting projects across bid, pre‑construction, delivery, and continuous improvement activities.

You’ll gain experience across environmental management, sustainability planning, ecological protection, stakeholder engagement, regulatory compliance, reporting, and project assurance. Through a structured graduate development programme, you’ll build the technical, professional, and leadership skills needed for a successful career in environmental and sustainability management.

You’ll support with:

• Supporting project teams in implementing environmental and sustainability requirements across construction and infrastructure projects
• Developing, updating, and monitoring environmental management plans, sustainability plans, environmental risk assessments, and project documentation
• Reviewing client requirements, tender information, and project documentation to support bid and pre‑construction environmental responses
• Identifying environmental risks, constraints, opportunities, and mitigation measures during bid, pre‑construction, design, and delivery stages
• Ensuring projects comply with environmental legislation, planning requirements, permit conditions, client expectations, and company standards
• Undertaking site inspections, audits, assurance activities, and environmental monitoring to assess performance and track improvement actions
• Investigating environmental incidents, supporting root cause analysis, recording findings, and helping implement corrective and preventative actions
• Collecting, analysing, and reporting environmental and sustainability performance data, including trends, risks, opportunities, and recommendations
• Preparing environmental documentation, reports, case studies, presentations, tender responses, and project records
• Supporting project teams with environmental controls, mitigation measures, pollution prevention, ecological protection, resource efficiency, and sustainable working practices
• Liaising with project teams, subcontractors, clients, regulators, local communities, supply chain partners, and other stakeholders
• Supporting biodiversity, ecological enhancement, carbon reduction, circular economy, sustainable design, and environmental improvement initiatives where appropriate

Who we’re looking for

We value your potential over past experience and are looking for graduates with a degree in Environment and/or Sustainability, and a genuine interest in our industry. To be eligible, you’ll need to achieve a minimum 2:2 honours degree by the time you start.

An interest in Data and/or Carbon would be beneficial.

We’d love to receive your application if you:

• Are curious, proactive and motivated to develop professionally.
• Enjoy solving problems and finding practical solutions.
• Work well with others and build positive relationships.
• Communicate clearly and confidently with different people.
• Take ownership, adapt to challenges and are committed to achieving results.

Please note that this role may require travel to various locations, which means you may occasionally need to work and stay away from home. Flexibility is essential, as assignments can vary based on project needs. All reasonable travel and accommodation expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with company policy. Before joining Balfour Beatty, you must hold a full UK driver's license.

Why work for us as a Graduate

• Work on high‑profile projects that make a real difference, while building your career with one of the UK’s leading infrastructure groups.
• Be part of a supportive early careers network, with structured training and with structured training and coaching from experienced industry professionals.
• Take part in unique development experiences, including residential trips in the Lake District and personal development delivered by our external partners.
• Take ownership of your ongoing professional development, with support towards professional membership and chartership or professional registration where relevant to your career path.

What we can offer you

• Competitive salary and flexible benefits, giving you the freedom to shape a rewards package that works for you.
• 25 days' holiday, with the option to buy or sell additional days.
• A permanent contract from day one, reflecting our commitment to your long‑term career.
• Clear progression opportunities, with bi‑annual performance and pay reviews throughout your programme.
• Opportunities to connect with fellow graduates through networking events, development activities and our Early Careers Showcase.
• Opportunities to get involved in wider business initiatives, community projects and programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

About us

The power sector is one of the fastest-growing areas in infrastructure, helping to keep homes, businesses and communities connected. It plays a vital role in supporting the UK’s transition to a low‑carbon future by strengthening electricity networks and enabling the integration of renewable energy sources.

At Balfour Beatty, our Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to deliver engineering solutions across the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks.

From early-stage planning and design through to construction and maintenance, our teams help deliver some of the UK's most ambitious power projects, improving network resilience and supporting a more sustainable energy future.

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long‑term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. For more info, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

We're committed to making our recruitment process as inclusive as possible. If you need any adjustments, please let us know at any stage of the process.