Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.
GraduateProgramme2026 – Project Manager (SW Horizons)
Ready to own your future?At Scottish Water, our graduate programmes empower you to drive change, tacklereal challenges, and shape Scotland’s future. This is more than just a launchpad for your career -it'san opportunity to make a meaningful impact. As part of our team,you’llplay a key role in delivering essential services and infrastructure that help Scotland flourish every day.
You’llbe joining us at a fascinating time, as we transform into a more agile, innovative organisation that delivers outstanding service, providesgreat valuefor money, and works in an environmentally sustainable way that goes beyond Net Zero. Start a careerthat’sbuilt for you, today.
As a Project Manager Graduate,you’llbe embedded in Scottish Water Horizons, supporting the delivery of water and wastewater infrastructure to enable economic growth and sustainability across Scotland. From day one,you’llcontribute to projects that support new housing developments,hydrogenproduction,anddata centers.
As part of the ScottishGovernments HydrogenActionPlanyou will work on supporting thehydrogeneconomy,investigatingsustainable solutionsforwater useto help drive thereductioningreenhouse gas emissions.
You’ll gain hands-on experience in project delivery, stakeholder engagement, and milestone tracking.You’llwork with delivery partners,monitoringprogressand reporting to senior managers.You’llalso helpmaintainand improve relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring projects are delivered safely, on time, and to a high standard.
Over thethree-yearprogramme,you’llrotate through a variety of placements that willgrowyour knowledge, confidence, and technical skills. With structured training, mentoring, and real-world responsibility,you’lldevelop into a capable, trusted Project Manager.
At the end of theprogramme,you’llmove into a permanent role as a Project Manager, whereyou’llcontinue to make a real impact on Scotland’s infrastructure and sustainability.
How does the graduateprogrammework?
You’llbe employed on a permanent contract from Day One, with a starting salary of £33,000.
As you progress through theprogrammeand reach key milestones,you’llbe rewarded with salary increases thatrecogniseyour growth and commitment to ongoing learning. Upon completing theprogramme,you’llmove into a permanent Project Manager role, starting from £44,030.For more details, please visitwww.scottishwater.co.uk/graduates.
There is plenty of support. As well as your day-to-day manager,we’llmatch you up with a mentor who will support and coach you as you go through yourprogramme.
You’llhave access to both structured and informal training designed to equip you with the skills you need now, and in the future.
You’llhave graduated within the last three years (or be on track to graduate this summer) with a degree in a relevant discipline such as Engineering, Project Management, Environmental Science, or a related field.We’relooking for aminimum2:2classification.
You’ll need to be passionate about infrastructure, sustainability, and making a positive impact every day. An understanding of project delivery and stakeholder engagement is key. You should also be someone who works well with others, takesinitiative, and brings energy and enthusiasm to every challenge.
A valid UK driving licence and regular access to a vehicle may be required, as some placements will involve travel to sites across Central Scotland.
In terms of essential requirements?That’sit.
Buthere’sthe thing: We get thousands of applications for our Graduate roles each year. What makes the best candidates stand out?
Here are a few things we love to see:
While the work we do is important,it’snot the only thing that matters.That’swhy we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.
You’llget plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take paid time off to volunteer in your community.
When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working andoperateon a ‘Balanced Hybrid’ approach, meaning we encourage people to spend half of their time in a Scottish Water location.
For your future,there’sour pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), as well as life assurance.
As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.
All our new Graduates will start together in September, with a comprehensive induction event to set you up for success from day one.You’lllearn more about the organisation, meet our leaders, visit some of our operational sites, start making friends, and have a lot of fun.
A few final things worth knowing…
Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!
Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.
As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.
Please note, Scottish Water takes the safety, health and wellbeing of our employees, colleagues and customers very seriously and as such you may be subject to Drug & Alcohol testing in line with our policy.
Finally (finally!), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted.
We’re here to help. Ask us anything at SWRecruitment@ScottishWater.co.uk
