WSP helps clients across all sectors unlock opportunities to meet the rising demand for power, maintain secure and reliable energy supplies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and deliver future schemes to help create a sustainable world.
Water & Energy Graduate Opportunities
We help our clients weigh up difficult decisions in the face of uncertainty, by creating adaptable solutions that provide for a range of potential futures. Our work includes securing water resources for the supply of drinking water, treating wastewater, preserving, and enhancing the environment all whilst protecting communities and infrastructure from flood risk and erosion.
We know that our future world will be very different from todays in many ways. Through ensuring all our staff have an innovative growth mindset we see the future more clearly, and work with clients to design for the future as well as for today’s needs.
Within Water, we also know that being a responsible business with a clear purpose matters. It matters to our people and future recruits, to our clients, and to our growth. We have long been advocating for and championing many of the vital areas which are important to our industry: including net-zero, biodiversity, inclusion and diversity, safety, health and wellbeing, and social value creation in the communities where we work.
Most importantly, we understand it’s important to represent the diversity of the societies we are building legacies for. We therefore embrace the ideas, creativity, and skills of the widest possible range of people through the creation of a stimulating, respectful, safe work environment and supporting people with varying backgrounds and experiences to fulfil their potential, providing a fair working environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Take a look at our discipline areas below to see where you think you fit within our Water team.
Discover more - Water
Designing and developing our Water assets.
Degree backgrounds considered:
- BEng or MEng Civil & Environmental Engineering
- BEng or MEng Civil Engineering
- MEng Mechanical Engineering
- BEng or MEng Electrical Engineering
- BEng or MEng Process/Chemical Engineering
- MEng Environmental Engineering
- All degrees must be accredited by relevant institutions
Our Design team provides comprehensive design and construction support services across civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and process engineering. We work from feasibility and optioneering through to detailed design and commissioning.
By challenging assumptions and refining options, we help clients make risk-based decisions that champion no-build and low-build solutions. Our skilled multi-disciplinary design teams cover process, civil, mechanical, and electrical instrumentation, and energy.
We understand that designing and building new assets is not necessarily the best-value solution to challenges so we will always consider operational or low-build solutions. Our exacting attention to detail results in benefits across the entire water spectrum, whether in more accurately tailored solutions, greater cost savings, enhanced health and safety or environmental performance.
Our services include:
- Civil design
- Hydraulic / Transient Analysis
- CFD Modelling
- Treatment Process Expertise
- Structural design
- Mechanical & Electrical design
- ICA / SCADA design
- BIM / 3-D Digital Engineering
We have a rich knowledge of water and wastewater distribution, collection, and treatment processes in both the municipal and industrial sectors enabling us to actively engage with our clients to provide consultancy, engineering services and advice. Our unique combination of specialist skills and multidisciplinary expertise means we can focus on providing innovative solutions to improve water quality, meet tighter environmental consents, manage stormwater systems, enhance existing treatment assets, and deliver nature-based solutions to meet the demand for more sustainable infrastructure.
Degree backgrounds considered:
- BEng or MEng Civil & Environmental Engineering
- BEng or MEng Civil Engineering
- BSc or MSc Flood risk Management
- BSc/BA or MSc/MA Geography
- BSc or MSc Science (s)
- BSc or MSc Data Science (Other)
- BSc or MSc Water & Wastewater Engineering
Our Asset Management team, work with regulated water companies to assess the condition and performance of water and wastewater systems, identifying solutions to ensure sustainable operation and maintenance strategies for the future.
Asset management is not just about tools. It involves an integrated approach across people, business processes and technologies.
Our integrated skills and approach cover strategy, planning, project delivery and operations to deliver a reliable and resilient service and the best value. All are underpinned by the appropriate collection, analysis, and use of data. Getting it right delivers so many benefits to our clients.
For example, with Northern Ireland Water (NI Water), a state-owned provider of water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland, we developed a robust risk and consequence model to target, prioritise and increase the timing and efficiency of capital maintenance interventions in the trunk.
We invest to be future ready
Degree backgrounds considered:
- BSc or MSc Computer or Data Science
- BSC or MSc Climate Science
- BSc or MSc Environmental Sciences
- BSc or MSc Water Management
- MSc Hydrogeology
- BSc or MSc Earth Sciences
- BSc or MSc Science (s)
- BEng or MEng Civil Engineering
- BSc/BA or MSc/MA Geography
- BSc or MSc Flood risk Management
- MSc Hydromorphology/River Management/River Environments
- MSc Hydrology
Our flood management teams provide specialist flood and water management services to a wide range of clients.
We help the Environment Agency and local authorities deliver flood alleviation and flood management projects, even supporting them to secure Government funding and investment for schemes. The team offers:
- flood risk assessment and development planning services
- appraisal and development of FCERM scheme business cases
- 1D and 2D hydraulic modelling for fluvial, pluvial, sewerage and coastal sources
- geomorphological analysis, river engineering design and scour assessment
- culvert capacity, condition and blockage risk assessment
- drainage and SuDS design
- water neutrality, environmental impact assessment and water framework directive assessment
Our investment in Early Careers Professionals means that we put YOU right at the heart of our thinking, ensuring that our next generation of water specialists have the skills to provide our clients with solutions to tomorrow’s problems.
We believe that for societies to thrive, we must all hold ourselves accountable for our tomorrow. Be part of the solution and join our expert team of nearly 800 colleagues as together, we can create solutions to some of the world's biggest challenges to ensure a sustainable and resilient world.
Our Energy business’ vision is to decarbonise energy. To be a leader in the energy transition to net zero. We create value for our clients globally by enabling the commercial adoption of innovative technologies, the mass adoption of renewables and the transformation of existing assets on the journey to a decarbonised society.
Our ambition is to create an inclusive environment, promoting an empowering culture and we hold ourselves accountable. Creating development opportunities for our people on great projects and offering them flexibility to deliver on their goals.
Degree backgrounds considered:
- BEng or MEng Electrical Engineering
- MEng Civil Engineering
- MEng Mechanical Engineering
The Energy Transition team delivers multi-disciplinary services to clients that together as a project portfolio deliver a net zero future. We support the full range of power generating assets from conventional generation which is vital to provide base and peaking capability to renewable generating assets such as wind and solar.
A central part of the energy transition is a need to be efficient in raw materials and resources, including embodied carbon from existing infrastructure. Our net zero services focus on this area with circular technologies that turn waste stocks into feedstocks and future fuels and the development of carbon capture projects that capture and sequest CO2 from industrial and energy activities.
By taking this holistic approach to the Energy Transition we offer our clients and industry partners broad guidance on “Energy as a System” and avoid focusing on single factors at the expense of wider opportunities.
Degree backgrounds considered:
- MEng Electrical Engineering
Our Energy Advisory team produce ideas, providing analysis, advice, and recommendations to electricity network companies and other key players in the energy sector such as regulators, Government, and local authorities. Our areas of expertise include energy policy development, regulation, techno-economic modelling, and whole energy system planning. You would be joining a team where your skills and ideas will complement those of colleagues from other sectors such as water, transport, and renewable energy. We take pride in developing our people and blending individuals with varying backgrounds and experience into Energy Strategy Consulting.
Degree backgrounds considered:
- MEng Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
Our Non-Regulated team provide project management, engineering and technical advice and support to developers, contractors, and non-regulated clients for both HVAC and HVDC power systems.
Our services include:
- Owner’s Engineer including feasibility and front-end engineering design
- Lender’s Engineer Coordination and development of Procurement Activities for all levels of Proposal Activities
- Project Management
- Primary and Secondary Plant Design for the construction of substations, overhead lines and cables for voltages between 11kV and 500kV
- Technical Specifications
- HVDC Interconnectors
- Grid Connections for Solar, Battery and Wind projects
Degree backgrounds considered:
- BEng or MEng Electrical Engineering
- BEng or MEng Electronics & Electrical Engineering
Working in partnership with the UK Electricity Network and System Operators we support clients with:
- Planning, design, and delivery of new customer connections & network reinforcement (Substations, Cables, and Overhead Lines).
- Maintaining safe and reliable networks.
- Transition towards a low-carbon energy system.
- Innovation, adoption of new technologies and digitisation.
- Technical approval and implementation.
Degree backgrounds considered:
- MSc Renewable Energy systems
- Other related degrees maybe considered
WSP's Renewable Energy Team is focused on the delivery of services for the renewable energy industry. Our involvement ranges from commercial and industrial scale projects through to some of the world's largest utility scale projects. We have experience of working on projects across the globe, led by our team in the UK, with support from WSP's local offices and local partners.
We work with all key renewable energy technologies and specialise in the following:
- Onshore Wind
- Offshore Wind
- Solar Photovoltaics (PV)
- Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
- Hybrid Systems
The services our team provides covers the entire lifecycle of a project's development:
- Concept
- Feasibility
- Development
- Pre-construction
- Construction
- Operations
Our clients have a range of backgrounds and functions and include some of the biggest and most well-known developers and investors:
- Specialist renewable energy developers
- Commercial and industrial businesses
- Owners
- Lenders and investors, including development banks
- Contractors
Degree backgrounds considered:
- MEng Mechanical Engineering
- MSc Petroleum Engineering (must be interested in Gas & Hydrogen)
- MEng Pipeline Engineering
With rising global energy demand and evolving environmental policies, Oil & Gas companies are faced with delivering reliable, affordable, and secure energy supplies, all while transitioning to cleaner energy in the long term. WSP’s unique blend of strategic insight, environmental advice, and practical engineering helps these companies address the complex challenges of today and turn their focus to a more sustainable future. Working collaboratively, we guide our clients in making informed decisions to build business resilience and implement Low Carbon Solutions that will ultimately drive a positive impact – on their business, people, our earth, and the environment.
The Gas sector is going through one of its most critical industry wide changes in a generation. The need for Natural Gas for societal gain is as important as ever, but the future will undoubtedly contain major change which for the gas sector will come about through the introduction of Hydrogen,
The WSP Gas and Hydrogen Team has pivoted to support this changing environment to take our knowledge about the UK gas sector, world renowned for safety standards, and ensure it carries into the Hydrogen based world. Beyond Hydrogen the team is also heavily engaged with decarbonisation strategy through the implementation of Carbon Capture and Carbon Dioxide transportation. Known as a knowledge leader in this sector WSP holds some key roles supporting both industry and government in helping this emerging nascent industry to develop.
Our team of water Gas and Hydrogen experts understand the regional complexities and local subtleties of addressing water-related environmental challenges the need to decarbonise. By effectively supporting and advising the sector to change planning, managing, cleaning and restoration of our water resources we can help create a sustainable and resilient future for business operations, communities, and the natural environment.
We work with local and international teams within our Water Gas and Hydrogen discipline as well as clients in other industries, including energy, mining, nuclear and renewable energy, building services, highways and environmental & flood risk management.
Degree backgrounds considered:
- BEng or MEng Civil Engineering
- BEng or MEng Mechanical / Building Services
- BEng or MEng Project or Construction Management
The Major Projects and Programmes Team supports clients delivering projects from feasibility through design into construction. Our multi-disciplinary team of brings expertise to deliver large/complex projects or programmes to plan, engineer and control the delivery of projects to achieve client’s investment objectives. We work collaboratively with colleagues from technical specialists across WSP to provide our clients with the best expertise to deliver a wide range of projects. Our core focus is the delivery of large and complex buildings and infrastructure particularly within the Energy, Waste, Water and Environment, and Education Sectors.