Graduate Town Planner - Bristol - Summer 24 start

Work with Us. Change the World.

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of nearly 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and
other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

The AECOM Planning Practice projects include some of the largest, most complex and high profile development and regeneration projects in the UK for both public and private sector clients. We are a young, dynamic, planning team and work closely with colleagues in other related disciplines, including urban design, landscape, environment, sustainability, transport and economics.

Joining AECOM will provide you with opportunities for career progression within a positive culture where learning and development is actively supported and promoted.

As a Graduate you will play a role in supporting a wide variety of projects, engaging directly with clients and stakeholders to secure successful planning outcomes. Work portfolios are managed to ensure that all staff experience a breadth and depth of project opportunities.

AECOM is an RTPI Learning Partner and we offer the opportunity to network with other planners and professionals at frequent events, meet-ups and knowledge-sharing sessions to support and enable you to achieve your career ambitions.

Main duties would be to:

• Provide technical inputs to land use planning projects and work within a team of planners, urban designers, environmental specialists, landscape architects and engineers to deliver a range of projects including land development, master planning, policy planning and strategic development planning projects.
• Play a supporting role in the preparation of planning applications for a range of infrastructure, large scale residential and mixed-use schemes, working with other disciplines in multi-disciplinary teams. This would for example include writing planning statements or policy appraisals and liaising with the client and other stakeholders to achieve successful planning outcomes.
• Carry out planning research and analysis and assist with the identification of planning risk.
• Support others in the team to identify and pursue business development opportunities, and support the growth of the business through new and repeat clients. Contribute to proposals and qualification documents to secure new commissions.
• Provide effective representation for the organisation, developing and managing relationships with clients, local authorities and other stakeholders through project work and through attendance at conferences and other networking events.
• Participate in the successful operation and management of the town planning team, including playing a role in sharing technical knowledge and excellence.
• Provide assistance to the management team as required.

Examples of projects the Town Planning team are involved in include:

East Bank, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (London) - Having gained planning consent for the Legacy Communities Scheme on the Olympic Park, AECOM’s planning team have led the complex planning applications for the new UCL East Campus and the Stratford Waterfront development on the East Bank which will see the BBC, V&A, Sadlers Wells and London College of Fashion creating a new cultural heart to London at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Northern Arc, Burgess Hill - AECOM submitted a hybrid planning application for a 3,500 home urban extension to the north of Burgess Hill on behalf of Homes England. Our planning team co-ordinated the major multi-disciplinary team to produce the masterplan, Infrastructure Delivery Plan and Phasing Strategy.

Neighbourhood Planning Support - Since 2014, AECOM has been working with partners Locality to deliver technical support to neighbourhood planning groups throughout England, on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Support ranges from assessing local housing need and site assessment to design codes and masterplanning. To date we have provided support to more than 600 neighbourhood groups.

A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements – On behalf of National Highways, AECOM successfully led the Development Consent Order (DCO) to upgrade the route between the Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet roundabouts with a new 10 mile dual carriageway and junction improvements to help improve capacity, road safety and grow local economies around Bedfordshire and beyond.

Trans-pennine Route Upgrade – on behalf of Network Rail, AECOM is leading the consenting for the transformative, long-term railway infrastructure programme that will improve connectivity and help boost economic growth in the North.

Sunnica Energy Farm – AECOM have led the submission of what would be one of the largest solar farms in the UK across four sites in East Cambridgeshire and West Suffolk.

Alongside this, we are currently leading on planning applications for other solar farms, roads, airports, bridges and much more across the UK.

When a graduate starts with us we pair them with an experienced member of the team who will guide and mentor them through their initial period working on live projects.

Professional Development

Our Graduate Development Programme (ADVANCE) along with our huge scope of projects across the globe will challenge and inspire you to make a real difference to the world we live in. Our GDP forms a core part of our business strategy globally, designed to develop the best talent across numerous disciplines to lead our business into the future. We have more than 750 graduates on our programmes across the UK and Ireland from more than 40 different disciplines, each making a tangible difference to the environment in which we live and work.

We shall provide you with all the tools and support you need to achieve your professional development ambitions, including Chartership with the relevant international professional institution (we have graduates working towards more than 30 professional institutions in the UK and Ireland). We shall push you to achieve the highest standards and expect our graduates to pass their professional review first time. You will be assigned a mentor to support and guide your development, and you will take regular training modules throughout the programme. There will be on-the-job technical development and classroom training where required, and the opportunity to work on live client projects with significant multi-disciplinary exposure.

We will help you work towards becoming a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Qualifications

A graduate with a degree level qualification in Town or Urban Planning or a related discipline (minimum 2:1). A postgraduate planning degree is preferred.

• A hard working and highly motivated individual with excellent communication, presentation and report writing skills.
• Planning work experience beyond academic study (achieved either during studies, industrial placement, vacation work or since). .
• Able to work on own initiative and under pressure.
• Competent in the use of Microsoft Office including Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
• Sound knowledge of UK Planning policy and legislation.
• Interest in all aspects of Planning.
• Successfully manage time to meet project deadlines.
• Client focused with good interpersonal skills and collaborative approach with a high level of commitment to quality.
• Full current driving licence is preferred (although not essential) and access to a form of transport to travel to various sites to carry out the duties of the post. Please indicate if you hold this within your application.

Additional Information

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible since CVs will be reviewed, and candidates selected on a rolling recruitment basis for either immediate or advanced offer start.

Please include a covering letter with your application and provide all predicted and/or obtained academic grades as well as demonstrating why you are interested in this position and how your skills and education/qualifications support your application.

The successful candidate must have permission to work in the UK by the start of their employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivalled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $14.4 billion in fiscal year 2023. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.