People Graduate

Arriva Group; Sunderland; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Arriva Group is offering a two-year People Graduate programme designed to develop future HR professionals. You’ll gain exposure to talent, learning & development, employee engagement, organisational development, and people partnering, with a structured development path and mentoring from senior leaders.

Based in Sunderland or London with hybrid work (minimum three days in the office per week), you will work on projects that shape organisational performance and employee experience, and you may

Qualifications

• Open to graduates from all degree disciplines.
• Curiosity and willingness to learn are essential.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required.
• Interest in organisational culture and performance is valued.
• Ability to build relationships and collaborate with diverse people.
• Enjoy solving problems and finding practical solutions.
• Desire to positively influence employee and business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Gain exposure to activities that attract, develop, engage and support colleagues across Arriva.
• Work across different areas of the People function (talent, L&D, employee engagement, organisational development, people partnering).
• Participate in a two-year graduate development programme with mentoring and exposure to senior leaders.
• Possibility to work towards a CIPD qualification.
• Explore different career pathways and build a foundation for your future career.

Skills

Curiosity

Drive

Ownership mindset

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem solving

Education

Degree (2:1 preferred)

Job description

Every day, millions of people rely on transport to access the people, places and opportunities that matter most. At Arriva, we're shaping the future of passenger transport and investing in the people who will help lead it.

We are one of Europe's leading passenger transport partners, helping people get to work, education, healthcare, family and the moments that matter. Operating across 11 countries, with around 35,000 colleagues and more than 1.5 billion passenger journeys each year, we're a business with the scale to make a difference and the ambition to keep moving forward.

Through our Graduate Programme, we're looking for talented graduates who are curious, motivated to learn and ready to grow their careers with us.

If you're ready to make an impact, we'd love to hear from you.

The Graduate Opportunity

As a People Graduate, you'll gain exposure to the activities that help attract, develop, engage and support colleagues across Arriva.

Through a variety of experiences and projects, you'll develop an understanding of how People teams contribute to organisational performance, employee experience and long-term business success.

You’ll work with colleagues across different areas of the People function, gaining exposure to areas such as talent, learning and development, employee engagement, organisational development and people partnering.

Location: This role can be based at our Sunderland or London office and operates on a hybrid basis, with a minimum of three days per week in the office.

What We’re Looking For

We're not expecting you to have all the answers. We're looking for graduates with curiosity, drive and the confidence to keep learning. People who take ownership, build positive relationships and want to make a meaningful contribution from day one.

What matters most is your potential. We're looking for people who are eager to learn, motivated to grow and ready to develop their Arriva Graduate EDGE.

About You

We're open to applications from graduates of all degree disciplines. We're particularly interested in people who:

• Are passionate about supporting and developing others
• Enjoy building relationships and collaborating with different people
• Have strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Are curious about organisational culture and performance
• Like solving problems and finding practical solutions
• Want to positively influence employee and business outcomes

The Graduate Programme

Alongside your role, you'll be part of our two-year graduate development programme, benefiting from structured learning, mentoring, exposure to senior leaders and a connected graduate network across Arriva.

There may also be opportunities to work towards a CIPD qualification, helping you build your professional knowledge and develop your career in People.

The breadth of experience gained throughout the programme will help you explore different career pathways and build a strong foundation for your future career.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for this opportunity, you'll need:

• To be on track to achieve, or have already achieved, a degree (2:1 preferred, with strong 2:2 applications considered)
• The right to work in the UK permanently
• Availability to join the programme in September 2027
• Willingness to travel where required as part of the programme

If you have any questions about the role or the application process, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our Early Careers team at [e-mail]. We're always happy to help.

The closing date for applications is close of play Friday 27 November 2026. We'd encourage you to apply at your earliest convenience, as we review applications as they are received and may close this opportunity early.