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Posted Date:  13 Nov 2025
Posting End Date:  13/01/2026
Location:  Leicester
Company:  Water Network Ops
Department:  Water Network Ops
Salary (£):  £31,500

Graduate Operational & Environmental Leadership

Graduate Operational and Environmental Leadership Programme

 

 

LET’S CUT STRAIGHT TO IT

 

At Severn Trent, we believe everyone deserves more. More care for the environment, more sustainable initiatives, and more support for the communities we serve. That's why we're on a mission to deliver bigger and better things, and we need passionate graduates like you to help us achieve our goals. 

 

Our people and culture are the heart of our success. We're proud to be in the top 5% of utility companies worldwide for employee engagement and ranked as a Top 50 UK Employer on Glassdoor. With nearly 10,000 dedicated colleagues, we're looking for more brilliant people who are eager to turn challenges into opportunities for a better future. 

 

If you're excited to learn, and ready to make a real impact, we want you on our team.  

 

 

LET’S TELL YOU MORE

 

Fancy yourself as a future operational leader responsible for delivering ‘One of life’s essentials’, or an environmental specialist working responsibly and for the long term to protect our water quality and the environment? 

 

Our Operational and Environmental Leadership programme will help you gain an understanding of the fundamentals of what we do whilst building the foundations to become our future operational managers or environmental technical specialists.  

 

You’ll be working at the core of the business within Customer Operations where no two days are the same and in teams which operate 24/7. You’ll learn how our water is sourced, regulated and treated, how we treat waste responsibly and recycle this back to the environment, and how we strategically plan to make sure we can deliver our current and future environmental and company ambitions. 

 

We welcome all graduates from diverse backgrounds, as we know diverse minds bring new ideas and a different way of thinking. We are looking for someone who wants to build their career with us and grasp new opportunities, and in return we will support you with varied experiences, training and development to provide a grounding for your future career.

 

 

HOW WILL THE PROGRAMME WORK?

 

Placement 1 - You’ll spend 12 months gaining foundation knowledge and skills across Customer Operations helping you to understand the water and customer journey. 
 

Placement 2 - You’ll then spend 6 months understanding our business strategy and performance drivers to help develop your commercial acumen. 

 

Placement 3 - After an exciting 18 months learning the fundamentals, you’ll make a decision about your off-scheme position, and then spend your final 12 months buddying someone already carrying out this role so that you can develop your capability either as an Operational Manager, or as an Environmental Technical Specialist.  

 

In this exciting programme, you will have the chance to discuss your development and career ambitions in your 1-1 meetings with business leads, mentors, a study buddy, the cohort leader, and the New Talent Team. 

 

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

 

You will expand your knowledge of the business as a whole and give you exposure to many different areas.

 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

 

We want our employees to care and to have a genuine passion for what we do as a business. We need people who want to make a difference in providing a vital service to our customers, now and for the long-term.

 

If you have the passion to succeed that we see in our graduates every day, you’ll be a great match for our programme. We’d love you to be someone with: (skills and behaviours role requires)

 

  • Resilience – you work well under pressure 
  • A ‘can do’ attitude – willing to get stuck in, take accountability for decisions and actions and who takes pride in their work 
  • A love of variety in a role and an ability to adapt to a dynamic, fast-paced working environment  
  • Ability to quickly prioritise tasks and the initiative to dive head-first into problem solving. No two days are the same on the front line and not every day goes to plan, so you’ll need to be quick on your feet to respond!  
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills and enjoy working with multiple teams 
  • Ability to analyse and interpret information and effectively communicate this to different team members and audiences 
  • Ability to travel freely across our patch to visit different sites and travel to meetings and training days  
  • Courage to step up to the plate by supporting out of hours and stand-by rotas 
  • Curiosity to learn quickly in a reactive and dynamic working environment  

 

 

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

 

Our New Talent Team will guide you and support you every step of the way. Furthermore, your line manager, mentor and graduate buddy will be there to help you in making sure you reach your full potential here at Severn Trent.

 

Location:                                              Leicester Water Centre, Leicester, LE7 7GU          

                                                                                              

Programme Duration:                       30 months

Starting Salary:                                  £31,500

Entry Criteria:                                    Any degree discipline will be considered, however this programme would suit individuals with a passion in sciences, environmental, sustainability, geography or similar subjects

Driving Requirements:                        A driving licence and access to your own vehicle

                                                                 is essential upon starting the role.

 

HOW WE’LL REWARD AND CARE FOR YOU IN RETURN

 

It’s not just a job you’ll get here; you’ll get a career too. We have a range of benefits that reward and recognise great work and award-winning training to ensure you reach your potential. And we’ll also help you play your part in looking after the environment and the community in which we live.  

Here are some of our favourites:  

  • 28 days holiday + bank holidays (and the ability to buy/ sell up to 5 days per year)  
  • Annual bonus scheme (of up to £2,225 which is subject to eligibility)
  • Leading pension scheme – we will double your contribution (up to 15% when you contribute 7.5%)  
  • Sharesave – the chance to buy Severn Trent Plc shares at a discounted rate  
  • Dedicated training and development with our Academy
  • Electric vehicle scheme and retail offers
  • Family friendly policies  
  • Two paid volunteering days per year

 

 

As if that isn’t enough, you’ll receive an annual salary increase whilst you’re on programme and you’ll also get an increase when you move into your first job. 

 

 

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

 

At Severn Trent we are passionate about our people. We want to make sure that we continue to foster a more diverse, inclusive, and cohesive culture that represents the communities and customers we serve. We’re making sure we keep up the progress with our wonderful working groups – LGBTQ+, Women in Operations & STEM, Disability and Ethnicity, who help us with our commitments. Find out more about our commitments to Diversity and Inclusion at Severn Trent. 

 

 

LET’S GO

 

Apply now to build an amazing career and be part of a brilliant team. We can’t wait to hear from you. 

  • Roles close on 13th January at Midday (12pm)
  • Check your diary – face to face assessments will run from 16th February to 20th March 2026
  • Estimated start date- September 2026

 

To find out more about working with us, search #LifeatSevernTrent on social media.  

 

 

 

 

Apply now »