Graduate Town Planner - Birmingham or Manchester - start July 2025 onwards

Company Description

Work with Us. Change the World

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world's most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

Start here. Grow here 

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of nearly 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

Our Planning Teams in Birmingham and Manchester  have a fantastic graduate opportunity available with a start date of July 2025 onwards. 

About our Team

The AECOM Planning Practice projects include some of the largest, most complex and high profile development and regeneration projects in the UK for both public and private sector clients. We are a young, dynamic, planning team and work closely with colleagues in other related disciplines, including masterplanning, landscape, environment, sustainability, transport and economics.  

Projects

Examples of projects the Town Planning team are involved in include: 

East Bank, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (London) - Having gained planning consent for the Legacy Communities Scheme on the Olympic Park, AECOM’s planning team have led the complex planning applications for the new UCL East Campus and the Stratford Waterfront development on the East Bank which will see the BBC, V&A, Sadlers Wells and London College of Fashion creating a new cultural heart to London at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  

Northern Arc, Burgess Hill - AECOM submitted a hybrid planning application for a 3,500 home urban extension to the north of Burgess Hill on behalf of Homes England. Our planning team co-ordinated the major multi-disciplinary team to produce the masterplan, Infrastructure Delivery Plan and Phasing Strategy.   

Neighbourhood Planning Support - Since 2014, AECOM has been working with partners Locality to deliver technical support to neighbourhood planning groups throughout England, on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.  Support ranges from assessing local housing need and site assessment to design codes and masterplanning. To date we have provided support to more than 600 neighbourhood groups. 

Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade – on behalf of Network Rail, AECOM is leading the consenting for the transformative, long-term railway infrastructure programme that will improve connectivity and help boost economic growth in the North.

Sunnica Energy Farm – AECOM have led the submission of what would be one of the largest solar farms in the UK across four sites in East Cambridgeshire and West Suffolk.

Sustainability Appraisals - for over 100 local plans throughout the UK. 

Alongside this, we are currently leading on planning applications for other solar farms, roads, airports, bridges and much more across the UK.

When a graduate starts with us we pair them with an experienced member of the team who will guide and mentor them through their initial period working on live projects.

Here's what you'll do: 

Joining AECOM will provide you with opportunities for career progression within a positive culture where learning and development is actively supported and promoted.   

As a Graduate you will play a role in supporting a wide variety of projects, engaging directly with clients and stakeholders to secure successful planning outcomes. Work portfolios are managed to ensure that all staff experience a breadth and depth of project opportunities (including plan making, development management and infrastructure projects).    

AECOM works closely with the RTPI to provide comprehensive training and support to our graduates undertaking the Assessment of Professional Competence. We offer the opportunity to network with other planners and professionals at frequent events, meet-ups and knowledge-sharing sessions to support and enable you to achieve your career ambitions.

Main duties would be to: 

• Provide technical inputs to land use planning projects and work within a team of planners, environmental specialists, landscape architects and engineers to deliver a range of projects including land development, infrastruc