Environment and Sustainability Engineering Graduate Scheme

Environment and Sustainability Engineering Graduate Scheme

Kick-start your Engineering career with us, helping us to improve Environment and Social outcomes in London and the UK.

Salary

£32,250, rising to £33,500 in the second year, per annum.

If you are aligned to the 3-year ICE stream, the third year salary is £37,250 per annum.

Location:

London/Hybrid

The role will be based in London. Hybrid working (typically working from home no more than 50% of the time), where your time will be split between TfL offices and home. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.

What we offer

You will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the business area but mostly include:

• Free travel on the TfL network for you and a nominee who lives in the same household
• Final salary pension scheme
• Discounted national rail and Eurostar travel
• Minimum 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
• Private healthcare discounted scheme
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers & many more

Duration

The duration of the scheme varies with each stream in line with TfL’s core Engineering Graduate schemes:

• 2 years - IET and IMechE stream
• 3 years - ICE stream

Entry requirements

Candidates must already hold or be on track to achieve a minimum of either a 2:1 MEng/MSc in an engineering or a closely related subject accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) or hold or be on track to achieve a minimum of either a 2:2 MEng/MSc in an engineering or a closely related subject accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) or the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET).

Please be advised that should you be successful in getting an offer for this graduate scheme, your offer may be subject to a satisfactory medical which may include but is not limited to: drugs and alcohol screening, eye test and hearing test.

Successful candidates must have the right to work in the UK for the duration of the scheme, as at the start date. This role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa scheme. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, or only have a right to work here for a limited time which is lesser than the duration of the scheme, you should be aware that TfL will be unable to sponsor you for this role.

Start Date

7th September 2026

What qualifications will I gain?

The scheme will set you on course to become a Chartered Engineer with your chosen institution, and Chartered Environmentalist with your chosen institution or the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP). You will also have the opportunity to undertake a range of online and in-person training courses.

Job overview

TfL’s vision is to be a strong, green heartbeat for London. Our Sustainability Strategy sets out our Environment, Social and Economic sustainability ambition, while our Corporate Environment Plan sets out our framework for tackling the climate and ecological emergency across the themes of Air Quality, Climate Change, Green Infrastructure & Biodiversity, Sustainable Resources, Water & Noise. Our Transport network and placemaking plays a massive role in the Mayor’s ambition for London to be an operationally Net Zero city by the end of the decade.

TfL’s Engineering & Asset Strategy Directorate will play a pivotal role in the delivery of TfL’s Sustainability ambitions. London never stops and the engineering challenge which we face in modernising and upgrading our systems has been likened to undertaking open heart surgery on a patient while they are running a marathon!

From strategising and solution development through to engineering design, delivery and optimisation, Engineers will be at the heart of our sustainability transformation. To meet this challenge, we are building our Environment & Sustainability Engineering capability in line with the huge amount of interesting and important work we have ahead.

Your work will be multi-disciplinary, span multiple transport modes, and cut across all elements of environment and social sustainability. You will work in teams made up of colleagues across TfL, customers, local government, suppliers, consultants and contractors to deliver city-defining programmes and transformational change to our operations.

What will I be doing?

Your graduate programme will be comprised of placements lasting between three and six months across TfL and our Engineering & Asset Strategy Directorate.

Our aim is to equip you with the range of skills and experience you need to launch a successful engineering career. You will also undertake a series of short placements in maintenance and operations teams, invaluable experience that will give you a greater appreciation of the end user in your solutions.

Everyone’s career path and ambitions are different, so every graduate's journey with us is unique. You will have the freedom to choose the placements you undertake, guided by your scheme sponsor, chartership mentor and development advisor. Placements outside of Engineering can also be arranged so you gain an appreciation of the full range of TfL activities, including Project Sponsorship, the Safety Health and Environment Office, and even the Commissioner’s Office.

Placements can also be arranged external to TfL, including the Department for Transport and Contractors. The ultimate aim is to pick up the skills and experience required to underpin your path towards becoming a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Environmentalist and provide an excellent foundation for your career at TfL.

We are looking to develop multi-disciplinary engineers, but to guide your development towards becoming a Chartered Engineer you will be asked to express a preference for an Engineering institution on your application so you follow our Engineering & Technology, Mechanical Engineering or Civil Engineering Graduate Scheme development pathway:

• IET

Aligning with the IET will mean you will have a bias towards systems, electrical, electronic, communication, or control systems engineering.Your placements could include: systems engineering that ensures Major Projects consider Environment system outcomes from the start; delivery of charging infrastructure for London’s incoming electric bus fleet; delivery of signalling strategy to reduce traction energy consumption; designing power network upgrades for renewable energy connections and more.

• IMechE

Aligning with the IMechE will mean you will have a bias towards mechanical engineering and materials. Your placements could include: investigating groundwater pumping rates at London Underground stations to quantify available ground source heat; delivery of TfL’s Building Decarbonisation programme across stations, depots and offices; developing heating & cooling technical strategies for different operational systems; working with our Human Factors team to design accessible and inclusive spaces, and supporting trials of novel low carbon construction materials.

• ICE

Aligning with the ICE will mean you will have a bias towards civil and structural engineering. Your placements could include a wide range of activities that blend engineering with environmental stewardship: developing Whole Life Carbon Management Plans for Major Projects; evaluating climate change risks and developing technical strategies on nature based solutions to improve resilience; guiding design teams in the development of integrated and multi-functional outputs (green and blue infrastructure) to achieve social, environmental and economic benefits; optimising structural design to minimise whole life carbon emissions; developing environment management tools and training; working with concrete suppliers to scale low carbon concrete production in London.

Regardless of your institution alignment, you will undertake a range of challenging placements that will give you an overview of environment and sustainability at TfL and help kickstart your career as an Engineer. The placements listed here are indicative – you will have unparalleled freedom in building your own scheme, selecting opportunities to learn and deliver work that suit your skills and aspirations.

Sustainability

Sustainability is intrinsic to TfL’s work ethos, and we ensure that we operate in a sustainable way to protect and regenerate the natural world.

Where can this career take me?

Our Engineers make a huge impact. Upon completion of the scheme we would expect you to move into our Environment & Sustainability Engineering team or another of our engineering teams, where you will then continue to develop your career as an engineer. You will progressively take on more challenging assignments as you build your sustainability and engineering competencies.

Within five years, we would expect you to be taking on increasing responsibility, leading engineering delivery and liaising with internal and external stakeholders to deliver complex engineering solutions and develop sustainability strategies. This will in turn facilitate your application for Chartered Engineer and Environmentalist status. Our Engineering graduates go on to undertake engineering management roles on multi-discipline projects of national importance or to lead discipline engineering teams.

What training and support will you get?

Whilst on the scheme, we’ll support your technical development through on-the-job practical experiences from your placements. You’ll also attend a combination of classroom-led and online training courses, mentoring and structured networking opportunities with scheme alumni.

You'll also receive one-to-one guidance throughout the programme from your:

• Placement manager: Responsible for your day-to-day management and support with your development
• Scheme sponsor: A senior manager who acts as a technical and professional adviser and has line manager responsibility
• Chartership Mentor: To support and guide you in your path to becoming a Chartered Engineer/ Environmentalist
• Buddy: Usually an apprentice or graduate who gives support to you and ensure that you feel welcomed in the organisation
• Development adviser: Supports your professional development through providing career coaching and career progression at TfL

Sustainability is intrinsic to TfL’s work ethos, and we ensure that we operate in a sustainable way to protect and regenerate the natural world.

What do we look for?

Our core values are extremely important to us, and we desire candidates who are:

• Caring about our colleagues, our customers and our work
• Open to each other, to new ideas and to working together
• Adaptable to diverse needs and willing to innovate

Application process

The application process consists of 5 steps, including online assessments which will need to be completed within an allocated time frame. We highly recommend that you read through this document thoroughly so that you can familiarise yourself with the process.

If you already hold your qualification certificates, please upload copies of these to your application. If you are due to sit final exams or need to replace any certificates, these must be provided at a later stage.

You will receive information and guidance around each assessment stage as you progress through your application.

Please pay close attention to emails and deadlines provided noting you have 1 week to complete online assessments and we cannot re-issue these tests once the deadline passes.

Assessment centres for graduates and intern roles will take place from December-January, please note that many roles only have 1 assessment day and we are unable to guarantee alternative dates. We are conducting assessment centres in person and virtually (role dependent).

Our city. Made better by you.

TfL is a place that’s open to your ideas. Where you can make a tangible impact and see the positive results of your work on the people and places around you. It’s a place where you can thrive and achieve. Where you’re encouraged and enabled and empowered to feel pride in the work you do. The clue is in the name, really. We work together for a better London. A better place for everyone. Constantly improving and enhancing how we operate to shape a city of the future.

Inclusive recruitment process

We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria.

In High Volume campaigns including Graduate, Apprentice and Intern recruitment the minimum criteria we set is achieving a pass mark in our first stage assessments, adopting a proportionate approach as part of the Disability Confident scheme.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments for any stages of the application process.

What Qualifications will I gain?

You will be developing your professional portfolio for Chartership with the Institution of Civil Engineers. The expectation is that you will have signed-off 80% of the experience required for Chartership by the end of your 3-year scheme and be ready to sit for your Chartership review within 2-4 years after you finish on the Graduate scheme.

Contact us

Phone: 0203 005 1680 (Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17.30)

Email: EarlyCareersCampaigns@tfl.gov.uk

How to apply

To apply for this role and to find out more, please click on the apply button. Please note that applications may close before the application deadline, so apply early to avoid disappointment.