Graduate Sustainability Consultant (Leeds)

Jacobs; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellbeing support

Job summary

Jacobs launches its two-year Graduate Development Program in Leeds to fast-track your career in sustainability consulting. You’ll work on environmental, renewable energy and low-carbon projects, guided by mentors while building expertise across analytics, benchmarking and systems implementation.

The two-year GDP blends real project work with blended learning, progress reviews and networking, helping you develop the skills to advise clients on sustainability issues and deliver tangible solutions.

Qualifications

• Awareness of environmental management, including sustainability, compliance and/or environmental management systems.
• Strong analytical, research and validation skills.
• Motivation to develop a career in sustainability consulting.
• Permanent right to work in the UK.

Skills

Environmental awareness

Analytical skills

Research skills

Validation skills

Education

Environmental/Sustainability degree

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

Join the Jacobs Graduate Development Program (GDP) and help shape better environments, communities and societies. Bring your passion, creativity and ambition — and together, we’ll create lasting change.

What You’ll Get

Our two‑year Graduate Development Program is designed to accelerate your growth as you begin your Jacobs career. Through blended learning, mentoring, progress reviews and networking, you’ll build capability across four key areas human skills, consulting skills, championing our strategy, and developing your personal passions.

You’ll tailor your learning journey to your interests, career goals and technical strengths — creating a graduate experience that’s uniquely yours. Much of your development will come through real project work, supported by your manager and mentor to ensure you gain the experiences that matter most.

The Graduate Development Program isn’t just a steppingstone — it’s a launchpad. You’ll gain the tools, exposure and support to unlock your potential, working on meaningful projects and collaborating with industry leaders to deliver solutions to complex challenges.

About The Opportunity

The Sustainability and Environmental Services team, part of the Water and Environment business, are looking for a Graduate Sustainability Consultant to join them based in Leeds.

Our Water and Environment business provides a focus for advising our clients on sustainability issues including renewable energy, low carbon economies, impacts of climate change, waste and resources management, sustainability and environmental risk management. We are looking for a Graduate with awareness of environmental management, including sustainability, compliance and/or environmental management systems, and with strong analytical, research and validation skills.

Our team advises clients on a breadth of sustainability issues; providing strategic consulting advice, benchmarking to enhance performance and development and implementation of systems to promote better sustainability outcomes across organisations and projects. This draws on services including environmental management and information systems, environmental engineering, carbon and energy management, adapting to climate risk, waste and resource management and support on low carbon and circular economy.

The start date for this position is September 2027.

Here’s what you’ll need

• Be working towards a relevant Degree or Master’s level qualification in Environmental, Sustainability or related degree
• A flexible, proactive mindset and motivation to drive your career forward
• Adaptability and enthusiasm for learning
• Permanent right to work in the UK

Selection Process

• Apply Online
• Solo Video Assessment
• Interview

Apply before 12 October 2026 to be considered in the first assessment window. Applications may still be accepted afterwards, but roles may be filled during the initial window.

For further information, please see our brochure - https://jacobs-global.foleon.com/brochures/early-careers/ ;

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit https://www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.