United Utilities |

You may know us for keeping the taps flowing and toilets flushing for customers in the North West, but we’re also a responsible business who cares about delivering great customer service, protecting and enhancing the environment, caring for its communities, and making sure we’re investing in the region to support future growth, address climate change and work in partnership to improve river health.

Whichever scheme is right for you, you’ll be at the heart of bringing innovation and positive change to the water industry.

• Salaries start from £30,000 + £2,000 welcome bonus.
• 26 days leave excluding bank holidays. You can even buy extra days or sell them back to us.
• State of the art training facilities
• Gain industry leading qualifications & accreditations
• Award-winning pension scheme
• Dedicated mentors and managers who will support you every step of the way
• Fantastic healthcare system helping with things like the everyday costs of trips to the dentist or optician
• Eligibility to join our employee share plan, enabling you to become a shareholder in the Company

Hear more from our CEO Louise Beardmore on what a career at UU can offer you:

Throughout our graduate recruitment we use different selection techniques to enable us to find out more about you and your strengths, while also giving you the opportunity to find out more about us. Ultimately this helps us ensure we recruit the best person for the job.

Stage 1: Online application

Once you've decided which role to apply for, create a login ID and password and don't forget to upload your CV and cover letter

Stage 2: Online tests

During the selection process you will be asked to complete some aptitude tests. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.

There isn’t a right or wrong answer here, all we ask is that you respond openly and honestly.

Stage 3: Video interview

You will be sent a link to complete a video interview. This is for us to get to know you better and the type of skills you can bring to the company.

Stage 4: Assessment day

The assessment centre is your opportunity to demonstrate your skills & experience and for you to learn about the graduate programme and United Utilities so make the most of it!

An assessment centre will typically include an introductory business presentation and an interview (competency based/technical questions).*

Stage 5: Our offer to you

If you get to this stage - congratulations! When you get an offer, we'll need to see your references, proof that you can work in the UK, proof of your qualifications and medical clearance to prove that you're fit for the job - literally!

Stage 6: Keeping in touch

You will be invited to Keeping in Touch Days to meet with your Buddy and mentor and have an opportunity to meet your new team.

Successful candidates will join us in September 2025.

*For candidates applying for our Finance graduate scheme, interviews will take place after the successful completion of an assessment centre and not as part of the assessment centre itself.

Our purpose is to provide great water for a stronger, greener and healthier North West.

Our purpose drives us to deliver our services in an environmentally sustainable, economically beneficial, and socially responsible manner and create sustainable long-term value for all.

• Stronger
  We deliver an essential service, help customers in vulnerable situations, invest in local communities, and support jobs and the economy, giving the North West resilience in a changing world.
• Greener
  We protect and enhance urban and rural environments, and adapt to the challenges of climate change, allowing people, wildlife and nature to thrive, making the North West a better place to live now and for the future.
• Healthier
  We provide great quality water that people love to drink, safely remove and recycle used water, whilst taking care of beautiful landscapes in the North West every day.

Our core values demonstrate the way we work, and we want to ensure these are clear and easy for all our colleagues to apply to every situation.

They reflect the things we believe are most important to help us deliver our purpose of providing great water for a stronger, greener and healthier North West.

• Do the right thing
• Make it happen
• Be better

Our strategy to enable delivery of our purpose has six priorities, which permeate everything we do:

• Improve our rivers
• Create a greener future
• Provide a safe and great place to work
• Deliver great service for all customers
• Spend customers' money wisely
• Contribute to our communities

At United Utilities, we really value diversity. Our Diversity and Inclusion agenda underpins all aspects of the organisation and we’re committed to providing a supportive and inclusive working environment for all of our colleagues.

We need fantastic people to enable us to deliver the best public service. To do this, we make sure we are reaching and recruiting from every community. We also ensure that our employees can reach their full potential, by making them feel valued and included regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, sexual orientation or social background.

Career progress is also supported via employee networks, representing certain groups of employees that may face specific challenges. Each of these internal networks is overseen by a senior leader and sponsor.

At the Inclusive Awards 2022 we were delighted to win the Inclusive Culture Initiative Award for our ‘Better Together’ campaign (see the video below for more about Better Together), and to be ranked 11th on the 2022/2023 Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers list.

With modern challenges such as an increase in population, urbanisation, and a changing climate we need to think differently. We’re setting ourselves higher expectations for resilience and environmental performance, using our experience, skills and technology to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions.

To help showcase our environmental, social and governance approach to solving these problems, we’ve released a series of videos that demonstrate some of the issues we’re tackling, solutions we’re finding, and partnerships we’re forming.