Graduate Programme - Planning Consultancy & Infrastructure Planning

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs?

At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

We’re seeking graduates who are eager to learn, adaptable, and ready to make a difference. You’ll thrive in our collaborative, supportive environment, where your creativity and passion for the built environment can flourish. Whether your interest is in working with communities, driving sustainable development, or supporting innovative infrastructure, your talents will find a home with us.

Imagine being at the heart of projects that shape how we live, move, work and play. Join our 2026 Graduate Programme in Planning Consultancy & Infrastructure Planning and launch your career with one of the UK’s leading professional advisory consultancies.

We are recruiting for Graduates in the following services & locations:

• Infrastructure Planning: Exeter

Graduates in Infrastructure Planning help deliver sustainable, resilient infrastructure by combining research, policy insight, and stakeholder collaboration. You’ll contribute to planning applications, site appraisals, and community engagement, guided by experienced planners. Your work will inform transport schemes, utility upgrades, and energy proposals that balance technical feasibility with environmental and social value.

Infrastructure Planning

In this team, you’ll gain exposure to multi-disciplinary groups, from ecologists to engineers and heritage specialists to hydrologists, while building core skills in GIS mapping, regulatory analysis and project coordination. The position offers a clear learning path, regular feedback, and opportunities to see your work influence real-world developments.

Day-to-day activities could include:

• Supporting the preparation, submission and management of planning applications, appeals and enquiries for infrastructure projects.
• Conducting site appraisals and feasibility studies, gathering data on transport, utilities, land use and environmental constraints.
• Drafting planning statements, design and access statements, and supporting documents under senior review.
• Researching local and national policy and preparing concise briefs for project teams.
• Coordinating stakeholder and community engagement, including public exhibitions and workshops.
• Liaising with consultants to integrate inputs into planning deliverables.
• Maintaining project trackers, monitoring deadlines, and identifying risks or resource needs.
• Using GIS mapping and data visualisations to support recommendations.
• Assisting in discharging planning conditions during delivery, compiling reports and evidence logs.

You will join an enthusiastic and supportive team, providing you with a challenging and fulfilling career. In this team, you will be dealing with internal and external stakeholders, collaborating with colleagues and adapting to dynamic project environments.

Our two-year Graduate Development programme is designed to support personal and professional development and growth through an engaging blended learning experience. The programmes include core business and professional skills training, career development workshops and resources, valuable networking opportunities, mentoring for professional registration and a breadth of on-the-job experience.

Our teams are committed to your career progression, encouraging growth from the outset. Many colleagues joined as graduates and have now advanced within the business.

We encourage you to pursue chartered status with professional bodies like the RTPI, ensuring your development is a priority. You will be fully supported through enrolment in a professional institution’s training agreement, guiding you towards chartered status.

You’ll have graduated with at least a 2:2 in a master’s degree (RTPI accredited) in a relevant…