2026 Graduate Programme - Planning - Engagement

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs?

At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

We are looking for graduates for our Planning Engagement team, who have an adaptable approach and an appetite to learn in a leading Engineering and Professional Advisory services consultancy. We want you to enjoy working in a collaborative environment where you can apply your skills working for a diverse range of clients and projects.

We are recruiting for Graduates in the following locations:

• Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh and London

A little bit more about your role and the team…

Working as a Graduate in the Planning Engagement team will mean working on exciting and innovative projects. The Engagement team support our clients by helping them demonstrate they’ve engaged with the community and relevant stakeholders, shared their development and future plans and listened to feedback from the community to inform the development of their schemes.

We are an important part of the process making sure that stakeholders and the community understand what is happening by making technical information easy to understand; that stakeholders have the opportunity to find out more information by creating events, communications and online content that is accessible; creating mechanisms to capture feedback like forms and online questionnaires; and analysing data to create reports to share the stakeholder and community feedback.

Projects

As we support all WSP, we have a wide-ranging project portfolio for private and public sector clients delivering projects such as:

• Energy projects connecting on and offshore projects through new and updated networks

• Transport projects improving travel around the UK through updated road and rail infrastructure

• Environmental based projects around water and waste

• Specialist projects such as defence, aviation, development and sport projects

The Engagement team is an exciting fast paced place to work, we support clients and build relationships with hundreds of stakeholders each day in different ways, no two days are the same. As the team support all WSP, graduates joining us in 2026 will have a variety of projects to work on.

Day-to-day activities could include:

• Helping communities and stakeholders understand projects and how it may impact them by writing easy to understand communications.

• Providing stakeholders with opportunities to ask questions and offering feedback through publishing communications, organising events logistics and helping to design and run surveys to gather feedback.

• Presenting feedback to help projects develop in a responsible way by understanding and data coding and helping prepare reports.

• Proactively supporting your teams (project, location and Engagement) to deliver quality communications and engagement activity.

You will be joining a supportive environment and enthusiastic team, providing you with a challenging and fulfilling career. In this team, you will be dealing with internal and external stakeholders and collaborating with colleagues and adapting to dynamic project environments.

Graduate Development Programme

Our two-year Graduate Development programme is designed to support personal and professional development and growth through an engaging blended learning experience. The programmes include core business and professional skills training, career development workshops and resources, valuable networking opportunities, mentoring for professional registration and a breadth of on-the-job experience.

Our teams are dedicated to supporting your career growth from the very beginning, ensuring your development is a priority. Many employees have started as graduates and successfully advanced within the company.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate

You’ll have graduated with at least a 2:2 in a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant subject for the role you are applying for. To assist you in finding potential areas of the business that are relevant to you. Please visit our Graduate brochure or website Graduate brochure or Graduate Website

• Candidates must complete the application form in full answering all specific questions. This requirement applies to all candidates, inclusive of their background. Successful completion of this stage is mandatory. Candidates who pass this initial stage, will then be required to complete an online skill enabler assessment. Both the application form and the skill enabler assessment are essential parts of the early career’s recruitment process.

• You'll be looking to start work in September 2026.

• You’ll have a passion for consulting and engagement.

• You’ll have a desire for the built environment.

• You’ll have an enthusiasm for creativity and a drive to solve problems.

• You’ll want to inspire us, sharing new ideas you have.

Don’t quite meet all the criteria? Should you have the right qualifications for our positions, apply and we can see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities we have available for our Graduate programme.

For further information regarding our Application & Selection process, including timelines for recruitment, please visit our Early Careers brochure - Application & Selection

We review applications for our Early Career opportunities on a rolling basis, which means we begin progressing some candidates to the final stages before the application closing date. To ensure your application receives full consideration, we recommend submitting it as early as possible.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.

With us, you can. Apply today.