Highways & Traffic Graduate Scheme

Licensed sponsor London Full-time Posted 1 hour ago

Please note: This role may close soon depending on the level of interest so don’t miss out!

Thank you for your interest in applying for this TfL Graduate Scheme. 

We’d like to remind you that you must ensure you are eligible for this scheme before applying. Please read through the eligibility criteria below carefully and ensure that you are eligible before applying.

This application will also contain a series of questions to establish whether you are eligible. It is important that you take great care in reading and answering these questions as we will not be able to revert your application if an error is made.

Please Note: We only allow one application for any of our Graduate schemes per year. Any subsequent applications will be withdrawn.

TfL Engineering - Highways & Traffic Graduate Scheme

Graduate Testimonials

‘The Highways and Traffic graduate scheme has given me the opportunity to become the person I am today. I've been trusted with real parts of projects reshaping London's streets, with actual budgets that are now out there on the network, with senior engineers always there to help but never micromanaging...’ - Sam Malkin, Emerging Leaders

‘The biggest satisfaction from this job is being able to walk around London and see the positive changes you are making to this great city every single day. The ability to point at a road or junction and say ‘I built that’ is a bragging right like no other!’ - Lixi Pan, Senior Engineer Leader (Highways)

Salary

£32,250 per annum, rising to £33,500 in the second year

Location

London/Hybrid

The role will involve a mixture of office, site, and hybrid working. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.

What We Offer

You will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the business area but mostly include:

Free travel on the TfL network for you and a nominee who lives in the same household
Final salary pension scheme
Discounted national rail and Eurostar travel
30 days annual leave (Pro rata dependent on role) plus public and bank holidays.
Private healthcare discounted scheme
Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
Retail, health, leisure and travel offers & many more

Duration

2 years

Entry Requirements

A minimum of 2:2 degree in any STEM subject (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

What is important to us is a passion for engineering and successful applicants will need to demonstrate a yearning to develop in the industry. Emphasis will be on the applicant to demonstrate how they would add value, building on their educational base to date.

Start date

6th September 2027

Job Overview

TfL keeps London working, moving and growing - but we can only do this through our talented people. We’re a high-profile organisation with countless opportunities to offer that will enhance your skills and develop your career. Our work is high profile, delivering the Mayors Transport Strategy and ensuring London is constantly evolving, so we look for the best people who are passionate about the continued success of London.

Our engineers focus on the assets that form the foundation of our transport system. As a graduate engineer within Highways & Traffic you will gain vast knowledge in a range of engineering areas associated to the highway and contribute actively into the delivery of improvements that make a real difference to London. Your involvement will be wide ranging - you could be designing and commissioning traffic signal layouts, identifying and analysing the results of highway investigations, proposing London’s next cycle routes, or designing inclusive schemes to improve the safety of the travelling public.

What will I be doing?

Skills

As a graduate, your two-year development programme will be made up of up to five placement rotations. Our aim is to equip you with the range of skills and experience you need for your successful career. We also understand that everyone’s career is different, so every graduate’s journey is unique. Here’s an idea of what yours could look like:

Placement 1 – Traffic Engineering – 6 to 9 months Placement 1 – Traffic Engineering – 6 to 9 months
Developing new junction layouts to improve road safety
Designing a new cycle route to increase attractiveness for cyclists of all ages and abilities
Reviewing traffic survey data to understand how new layouts might affect traffic flow

Placement 2 – Highway Engineering – circa 6 months

Developing intrusive investigation strategies to inform project designs
Pavement design of asphalt carriageway renewals on London’s busiest roads
Technical assessment of 3rd party proposals to assess suitability for TfL’s highway
Placement 3 – Traffic Control Engineering – 6 to 9 months
Designing and upgrading traffic signals to improve connectivity and safety
Commissioning traffic signals and making sure they are safe and work on street
Writing traffic signal specifications and testing to ensure they are fit for purpose

Placement 4 – Road Safety – circa 1 month

Undertaking collision analysis studies and making recommendations to improve road safety
Undertaking Road Safety engineering to design road safety improvements
Supporting Road Safety Auditing of scheme’s ensuring proposals are as safe as practical
Placement 5 – Arboriculture & Landscape – circa 1 month
Learn about the benefits of green infrastructure and the importance of a flexible approach when working with or near urban trees
Support auditing the annual tree survey recommendations and the management of the tree planting programme
Assist operational and other technical colleagues by providing guidance and information to keep our green infrastructure safe and healthy

Placement lengths are flexible and can be tailored to an applicant’s individual career aspirations. All placements are, however, compulsory because as an organisation we are keen for our graduates to gain as much varied experience as possible.

Sustainability

Sustainability is intrinsic to the way we work, and we ensure that we operate in a sustainable way to protect and regenerate the natural world. Much of what we do, directly contributes to the decarbonisation and public health of London.

Where can this career take me?

A career with us can be varied and will depend on your own individual aspirations and whether a leadership type role and/or technical specialism interests you. Typically, you will obtain professional membership of a relevant institution and be working towards Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. This could open up opportunities to be a Senior Engineer overseeing projects and programmes and responsible for making key technical decisions. This could then lead on to a range of leadership positions, managing your own team and making strategic decisions on design, strategy, and processes.

What training and support will you get?

Whilst on the scheme, we’ll support your technical development through a wide range of on-the-job practical experiences and placements. We’ll also support your professional development; this could include a combination of classroom-led training courses, online training courses, mentoring opportunities and structured networking opportunities with scheme alumni as appropriate to your chosen path.

You'll also receive one-to-one guidance throughout the programme from your:

Placement manager: Responsible for your day-to-day management and support with your development
Scheme sponsor: A senior manager who acts as a technical and professional adviser and has line manager responsibility
Buddy: Usually, an apprentice or graduate who gives support to you and ensure that you feel welcomed in the organisation
Development adviser: Supports your professional development through providing career coaching and career progression at TfL

What do we look for?

Our core values are extremely important to us, and we desire candidates who are:

Caring about our colleagues, our customers and our work
Open to each other, to new ideas and to working together
Adaptable to diverse needs and willing to innovate

Everything We Do As An Organisation Is To Ensure That Our Evolving City Remains Future-proofed For Millions Of Londoners. Our Talented Graduates Form a Vital Part Of That Vision, So It’s Important That We Find The Best People To Help Us Do This. We’re Looking For People Who

Are ambitious with an inquisitive mind
Relish a challenge and are driven to succeed
Thrive as part of a diverse team and are motivated to add value

As a member of the team, we’ll give you responsibility and the opportunity to add value from day one. If you are excited by inspiring and influencing the future of London and are up for a challenge and thrive under pressure, then this is the career path for you.

Application Process

The application process consists of 5 steps, including online assessments which will need to be completed within an allocated time frame. We highly recommend that you read through this document thoroughly so that you can familiarise yourself with the process.

Please click on this link for which describes each stage of the Graduates Application Process

If you already hold your qualification certificates, please upload copies of these to your application. If you are due to sit final exams or need to replace any certificates, these must be provided at a later stage.

You will receive information and guidance around each assessment stage as you progress through your application.

Please pay close attention to emails and deadlines provided noting you have 1 week to complete online assessments and we cannot re-issue these tests once the deadline passes.

Assessment centres for graduates and intern roles will take place from November-January, please note that many roles only have 1 assessment day and we are unable to guarantee alternative dates. We are conducting assessment centres in person and virtually (role dependent).

Our city. Made better by you.

TfL is a place that’s open to your ideas. Where you can make a tangible impact and see the positive results of your work on the people and places around you. It’s a place where you can thrive and achieve. Where you’re encouraged and enabled and empowered to feel pride in the work you do. The clue is in the name, really. We work together for a better London. A better place for everyone. Constantly improving and enhancing how we operate to shape a city of the future.

Inclusive recruitment process

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and aim to reflect the diverse communities we serve. We believe that a diverse workforce enables us to deliver better services and outcomes. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people.

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we aim to offer an assessment or interview to candidates who apply via the scheme where the minimum essential criteria for skills, knowledge and experience has been met.

In some circumstances, it may not be practical to offer an interview or assessment to every candidate who applies through the scheme and meet the minimum essential criteria; in these situations, we select candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than interviewing all who meet them.

Across all recruitment activity, we recognise that selection methods may vary depending on the nature and scale of the campaign and will be applied fairly, consistently and proportionately in line with our Disability Confident commitments.

In High Volume campaigns including Graduate, Apprentice and Intern recruitment the minimum criteria we set is achieving a pass mark in our first stage assessments, adopting a proportionate approach to the Disability Confident Offer an Interview scheme.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments for any stages of the application process.

Contact us

Contact The Recruitment Team By

Phone: 0203 005 1680 (Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17.30)

Email: EarlyCareersCampaigns@tfl.gov.uk

Final Note

We appreciate the time and effort you put into your application and wish you the very best of luck. Joining TfL as a graduate is the start of an exciting journey, and we look forward to welcoming talented individuals who are ready to help shape London’s future.