Graduate Sustainability Consultant

Help shape the transition to a net zero built environment. As a Graduate Sustainability Consultant at Max Fordham, you'll work alongside experienced specialists to deliver client‑facing advice on BREEAM, embodied carbon, circular economy strategies, and industry‑leading sustainability standards, including the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard. From your first day, you'll contribute to projects that influence the environmental performance of buildings and support our vision of a beautifully engineered, net zero carbon world.

This position is available for an immediate start. If you are interested in working with us, alongside your CV, please provide a conversational cover letter within the application form, that tells us how your skills match the rolecriteria, and your interests align with our vision of a beautifully engineered net zero carbon world for a sustainable future. We are keen to hear from you.

Here, sustainability is not just a guiding fundament but an everyday practice, woven into the fabric of our projects and professional culture. As you expand your expertise, you’ll play a vital role in delivering technical solutions that advance both environmental responsibility and engineering quality, ensuring every project meaningfully contributes to the legacy of the built environment.

Max Fordham is an award‑winning MEP engineering practice that is owned by the people who work here, and we are all committed to leading the industry in tackling the challenges posed by the climate and biodiversity crises.

We believe it is a shared responsibility to look after each other, care for our communities, and create a sustainable world. We pride ourselves on providing an open, inclusive and supportive environment for our employees and partners.

Graduate Sustainability Consultants are part of our Sustainability group with a particular focus on BREEAM, embodied carbon and circular economy. Based in our Cambridge office, you will work collaboratively with colleagues across all five offices and with our building services engineers to help clients set, test and deliver ambitious sustainability outcomes. You would be working in a purpose‑led, employee‑owned practice working on projects across multiple sectors, from early strategy and brief‑setting through to design, construction and completion.

You will have the chance to build specialist knowledge in environmental assessment and carbon reduction while contributing to wider strategic sustainability advice (UKNZCBS, early‑stage brief‑setting). You will start by specialising in supporting environmental and wellbeing (BREEAM and WELL) assessments, contribute to embodied carbon modelling and reporting, and explore circular economy opportunities that reduce waste and improve resource efficiency. You will learn how to shape client ambitions and project decision‑making through providing pro‑active advice.

From the start, you will be in a client‑facing role, be encouraged to combine analytical thinking, clear communication and curiosity. You will also work with architects, engineers and contractors to turn sustainability targets into practical actions, helping to coordinate evidence, prepare reports, review design information and challenge approaches where they may lead to poor environmental outcomes.

As your experience grows you will have opportunities to learn broader services within our Sustainability group such as:

• BREEAM strategy, assessment management and evidence coordination
• Embodied carbon and whole life carbon modelling, reporting and reduction advice
• Circular economy strategies, resource efficiency and design for adaptability, reuse and recovery
• UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard
• Sustainability strategies for buildings, estates and masterplans
• Scope 3 assessments
• Building performance, energy benchmarking and climate resilience advice
• Health, wellbeing and wider social and environmental outcomes

The successful candidates will gain experience across the breadth of our sustainability consultancy work while developing a clear technical pathway. You will be supported to understand how standards, planning requirements, client briefs…