Mechanical Engineering Design Year in Industry

SevernTrentLife; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading utility company in the UK is offering a Mechanical Engineering Design Year in Industry Programme based in Derby. This opportunity allows students to develop practical engineering skills while addressing real-world challenges in water and wastewater management. Candidates must be passionate about sustainability and have a full UK driving license. Starting salary is £23,492 with additional benefits.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Annual bonus scheme

Dedicated training and development

Family friendly policies

Community volunteering days

Qualifications

• Must have a full UK driving license and access to a vehicle.
• Student needing a placement as part of a 4-year degree.
• Interest in sustainability and engineering.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and review mechanical design deliverables.
• Write contract documentation.
• Conduct site surveys and investigations.
• Liaise with contractors for equipment supply.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Communication skills

Problem solving

Adaptability

Team collaboration

Education

Undergraduate degree in relevant field

Job description

Mechanical Engineering Design Year in Industry

LET’S CUT STRAIGHT TO IT

At Severn Trent, we believe everyone deserves more. More care for the environment, more sustainable initiatives, and more support for the communities we serve. That's why we're on a mission to deliver bigger and better things, and we need passionate students like you to help us achieve our goals.

Our people and culture are the heart of our success. We're proud to be in the top 5% of utility companies worldwide for employee engagement and ranked as a Top 50 UK Employer on Glassdoor. With nearly 10,000 dedicated colleagues, we're looking for more brilliant people who are eager to turn challenges into opportunities for a better future.

If you're excited to learn, and ready to make a real impact, we want you on our team.

LET’S TELL YOU MORE

Our Mechanical engineering Design Year in Industry Programme offers the perfect blend of personal and professional development, exposing you to the frontline and the core of our business.

Severn Trent Capital and Commercial Services design and deliver water and wastewater infrastructure, including pipelines and treatment facilities. The work you undertake will be interesting and varied.

The programme will enable you to spend time in our various capital design teams, working on the mechanical elements of treatment and infrastructure assets that present solutions to tomorrows problems.

How do we meet the challenge of population growth? How do we navigate the extreme weather events which are becoming more frequent because of climate change? How do we deal with water shortages and longer periods of drought? How do we reduce our carbon emissions and mitigate the impact our business processes have on our planet?

These are all critical business challenges our teams are currently working to tackle, and you could come work alongside engineers that are trialling some of the best technology and innovation in the industry, making ground-breaking changes for future generations to come.

You’ll get a real insight into the sheer scale of engineering that goes into our water and wastewater treatment and distribution of our water supply and waste removal services through moving across our engineering design teams. You’ll learn about different aspects of our business whilst working on a range of projects which will help address real life challenges and drive tangible change. You may be working in a waste workstream designing sewerage systems, or waste treatment designing tanks to facilitate sewage treatment; or in a clean water design team undertaking distribution pipe design or clean water treatment plant design.

HOW WILL THE PROGRAMME WORK?

You will be based at Raynesway, our engineering hub in Derby. In this exciting programme, you will have the chance to discuss your development and career ambitions in your 1-1 meetings with business leads, mentors, a study buddy, the cohort leader, and the New Talent Team.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

You will expand your knowledge of project and people management, including learning how to effectively manage and influence stakeholders. You’ll also gain a strong business and commercial acumen, developing your ability to plan strategically with time, cost, and quality in mind, and learn what it takes to successfully design and deliver infrastructure projects across multidisciplinary teams and our supply chain.

You’ll gain a deeper understanding of why and how we make sure we deliver with our customers at the heart of what we do, and how we communicate this message across our communities.

You will learn, on the job, by doing the following;

• Preparing and contributing to the review of mechanical design deliverables, including specifications, calculations, datasheets, piping & instrumentation diagrams, 3D models and schedules.
• Writing contract documentation.
• Conducting site surveys, investigations and asset condition assessments.
• Scoping solutions working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Liaising with contractors and suppliers for equipment selection and supply & installation quotations.
• Understanding British standards & regulations, including construction design management, alongside water industry specific legislation, specifications and guidelines.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We want our employees to care and to have a genuine passion for what we do as a business. We need people who want to make a difference in providing a vital service to our customers, now and for the long-term.

If you have the passion to succeed that we see in our colleagues every day, you’ll be a great match for our programme. We’d love you to be someone with:

• A ‘can do’ attitude – willing to get stuck in, take accountability for decisions and actions and who takes pride in their work
• A love of variety in a role and ability to adapt to a dynamic, fast-paced working environment
• Ability to quickly prioritise tasks and the initiative to dive head-first into problem solving.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills and enjoy working with multiple teams
• Ability to analyse and interpret information and effectively communicate this to different team members and audiences
• Ability to travel freely across our patch to visit different sites and travel to meetings and training days
• Curiosity to learn quickly in a reactive and dynamic working environment

We’d love you to be someone with…

• An interest in protecting the environment
• The desire to work with industry leading technology
• Knowledge in fluid mechanics, materials selection and pipework design
• Problem solving skills
• Excellent communication skills
• A positive, can do attitude

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

Our New Talent Team will guide you and support you every step of the way. Furthermore, your line manager and mentor will be there to help you in making sure you reach your full potential here at Severn Trent.

Location: Raynesway, Derby, DE21 7BE

Programme Duration: 12 months

Starting Salary: £23,492

Entry Criteria: Preferred individuals with an analytical mindset and a passion for Strategy, Sustainability, Transformation and Economic Regulation.

For candidates who wish to specialise in the Economic Regulation part of the team, a degree in Economics or related discipline is preferred though not essential.

You must be a student who needs to complete a placement as part of their undergraduate degree, this will normally mean you are currently in your 2nd year of a 4-year degree.

Driving Requirements: It is essential you have a full UK driving license and access to your own vehicle upon starting this role.

HOW WE’LL REWARD AND CARE FOR YOU IN RETURN

It’s not just a job you’ll get here, you’ll get a career too. We have a range of benefits that reward and recognise great work and award-winning training to ensure you reach your potential. And we’ll also help you play your part in looking after the environment and the community in which we live.

Here’s some of our favourites:

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays

• Annual bonus scheme maximum £1,500 (pro rata based on your start date, and based on company performance)

• Dedicated training and development with our ‘Academy’

• Family friendly policies

• Two community volunteering days during your placement

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At Severn Trent we are passionate about our people. We want to make sure that we continue to foster a more diverse, inclusive, and cohesive culture that represents the communities and customers we serve. We’re making sure we keep up the progress with our wonderful working groups – LGBTQ+, Women in Operations & STEM, Disability and Ethnicity, who help us with our commitments. Find out more about our commitments to Diversity and Inclusion at Severn Trent.

LET’S GO

Apply now to build an amazing career and be part of a brilliant team. We can’t wait to hear from you.

• Roles close on 13th January at Midday (12pm)
• Check your diary – face to face assessments will run from through February and March 2026
• Estimated start date- September 2026

To find out more about working with us, search #LifeatSevernTrent on social media.