Graduate Planner

About us

Every day, we deliver one of life's most essential services to millions of people across the North West. From providing safe, high-quality drinking water to protecting the environment and supporting thriving communities, the work we do matters. We're now in the second year of our £16.5 billion investment programme, one of the largest transformation programmes in our history. It's an exciting time to join us as we improve our services, enhance environmental performance, embrace innovation and create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

There's more to us than just great water. We are where purpose flows.

What you can expect being a graduate in the Planning, Landscape, Ecology and Access team

As an Environmental Planning Graduate you will be providing support and collaborating with teams across the business to ensure we meet our planning and environmental responsibilities. Ensuring that environmental objectives, policies and standards are accounted for in project designs and through to construction. You will develop a broad range of skills through working closely with both internal and external stakeholders and approval bodies across the region. You will develop a detailed technical knowledge of the planning approval process and other necessary environmental consents needed to support United Utilities capital investments.

What you’ll be getting stuck into day to day:

• You will be given responsibility at an early stage across a wide variety of projects. We’ll expect you to be highly motivated and develop your understanding of how both the planning system and the business works, on the job. However, we won’t expect you to know everything from day one, and we’ll support you every step of the way as you learn the ropes.
• You’ll be part of our Planning, Landscape, Ecology and Access team challenging and influencing our teams to produce designs acceptable to consenting bodies, stakeholders, and customers, in line with our company targets and policies
• You will work alongside business experts to help deliver projects within budget and on programme and ensure that all planning and consenting risks to sites and projects are identified and dealt with in an appropriate manner
• You will develop strong working relationships with project teams, including contractors and suppliers and work with colleagues in other organisations such as planning authorities, the Environment Agency, Natural England.
• There will also be opportunities to represent the company at community consultation events where you will speak to the general publicabout our projects
• You will be part of a wider network of graduates across the business with the opportunity to work together to develop a broader understanding of United Utilities and the water sector
• You will begin the journey towards professional chartership with an appropriate body, such as the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management or the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.

What you’ll bring to the team:

• Knowledgeable about the environment and an awareness of the key challenges faced, and an interest in infrastructure planning
• We require our Environmental Planner graduate to have a minimum 2:2 in a relevant technical degree such as: Geography, Town Planning, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Management, Earth sciences etc.
• An excellent communicator (both verbally and in writing to a range of audiences)
• Able to build relationships within a multi-disciplinary team
• Able to work independently and proactively
• Able to prioritise workloads effectively
• Able to identify risks and help work to solve problems.

Why join United Utilities as a Graduate?

By joining us on our 3-year graduate scheme, you'll not only get first-class training and support, but we'll also provide you with an in-depth understanding of your business area, ultimately giving you the confidence, skills and knowledge required to become one of our future operational, technical or people leaders, driving meaningful change.

What's in it for you?

We know that delivering a great service starts with supporting you, our people. That's why we offer a range of benefits designed to help you thrive both at work and outside of it.

• Starting salary of at least £32,250 + £2,000 welcome bonus
• 26 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after 4 years + bank holidays
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave policies
• Up to 14% employer pension contribution
• Access to colleague wellbeing programmes and dedicated mentors who will support you whilst on scheme
• We’ll contribute up to £500 towards driving lessons and tests to help to get you on the road

Want to learn more about life at United Utilities and explore our full benefits package? Take a look at our Flexa profile here: United Utilities | Verified Employers | Flexa Careers

Our commitment to opportunity for all

We're committed to creating a workplace where you feel you can belong and can succeed. Our colleague networks play an important role in this, these are;

• GeneQ – supporting gender equality, parents and carers
• Multi-Cultural & Faith
• LGBTQ+
• Armed Forces
• Ability – supporting colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions

We recommend that you are open and honest with us throughout the process and make us aware of any reasonable adjustments you may require. Rest assured, we don't use AI to screen your application at any stage of the process. A real person will review your application.

To ensure a fair recruitment process, we ask that you apply for only one Graduate role per recruitment year. Take a look at all our opportunities and apply for the one that interests you most.

Key dates to consider:

• Applications close on 21st October 2026.
• Once applications have closed, a member of the Early Careers team will review your application to ensure it meets the minimum requirements for your chosen role.
• We anticipate this review process may take up to two weeks following the closing date.
• Interviews are expected to take place between 17th and 30th November.