Graduate Workforce Planner

Balfour Beatty plc; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

25 days holiday

Permanent contract from day one

Bi-annual reviews

Networking for graduates

Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc is offering a 2027 Early Careers graduate programme in Derby, focusing on workforce planning. You will work with HR, operations and finance to learn how to align people, skills and capacity with business needs while gaining hands-on experience and professional accreditations.

From day one you’ll handle real responsibilities, build analytical and commercial skills through practical projects, training, and mentoring.

Qualifications

• Graduate with a degree in HR, Business or similar and a genuine interest in infrastructure.
• Strong analytical, communication and problem-solving abilities.
• Interest in developing skills in workforce planning and analytics.

Responsibilities

• Analyse workforce data, including headcount, turnover, vacancies, absence and productivity.
• Forecast future staffing requirements based on business demand and operational needs.
• Develop workforce plans aligning capacity with organisational requirements.
• Utilise Excel, dashboards and planning systems to produce insights.
• Prepare reports and presentations for managers and senior stakeholders.
• Identify workforce risks, skills gaps and future capability needs.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication

Problem solving

Commercial awareness

Data analysis

Excel

Dashboards

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business or similar

Tools

Excel

Dashboards

Workforce planning systems

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 Workforce Planning, 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 Workforce Planner, based in Derby.

What you'll be doing

As a Graduate Workforce Planner, you’ll play an important role in helping an organisation make sure it has the right people, skills, and resources in place to meet its current and future needs. Working alongside experienced workforce planners, HR teams, operational managers, and business stakeholders, you’ll gain practical experience analysing workforce data, forecasting staffing requirements, and supporting decisions around recruitment, capacity, and resource planning. You’ll learn how organisations plan and manage their workforce effectively, using data and business information to understand staffing levels, employee demand, turnover, absence, productivity, and future requirements. Through practical experience and formal training, you’ll build strong analytical, problem‑solving, communication, and commercial skills while developing an understanding of how workforce planning supports business performance and long‑term organisational goals.

• Analysing workforce data, including headcount, turnover, vacancies, absence, productivity, and employee trends
• Forecasting future staffing requirements based on business demand and operational needs
• Developing workforce plans that align employee capacity and skills with organisational requirements
• Using analytical tools such as Excel, spreadsheets, dashboards, and workforce planning systems
• Monitoring staffing levels and identifying areas where teams may be over- or under‑resourced
• Contributing to recruitment and resourcing plans by identifying future hiring requirements and workforce gaps
• Analysing employee demand, capacity, working patterns, and resource utilisation
• Preparing reports, dashboards, presentations, and workforce insights for managers and senior stakeholders
• Developing workforce scenarios to understand the impact of changes in demand, turnover, absence, or business activity
• Working with HR, finance, recruitment, operations, and other business teams to deliver effective workforce plans
• Monitoring workforce costs and assessing how staffing decisions can affect budgets and business performance
• Identifying workforce risks, skills gaps, and future capability requirements
• Contributing to workforce reviews, planning meetings, and reporting activities
• Maintaining accurate and up‑to‑date workforce data, forecasts, reports, and planning information
• Developing knowledge of workforce planning, people analytics, recruitment planning, capacity planning, forecasting, and business strategy
• Using practical experience and formal training to develop your analytical, commercial, communication, and problem‑solving skills

Who we're looking for

We value your potential over past experience and are looking for graduates with a degree in HR, Business or similar 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.

• 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.

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.