Meet Georgia, a design manager, Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the ICE. From starting in the rail sector on HS2, she's currently working at Heathrow as part of our Integrated Transport sector.

What led you to your career at Costain?  

"I initially applied for a role as a constructability engineer in the rail consultancy team, as having such an influence at the pre-construction stage really interested me. This only grew when I met a few of the team during the interview stage, and I was excited to have the opportunity to do something different."  

How does your role contribute to improving people’s lives? 

"My main role has been at Heathrow Airport, where we have been commissioned to collaboratively shape, create and deliver asset renewal and construction projects. The role brings a unique opportunity to work with thousands of people and ensure that what we are delivering caters to everybody’s needs. It's important the airport is accessible to all.  

"In addition, I was the project leader for a project Costain has undertaken with the Royal Academy of Engineering called the Inclusive Leadership Programme. This has been really impactful for me as we looked at the role of introversion, gender and ethnicity within the business and how we can ensure we are supporting people’s development, including creating spaces for people to communicate in the way that suits them best." 

What’s your biggest professional achievement and why? 

"I would say being the youngest woman to achieve ICE Fellowship. Alongside my engineering role, I passionately believe that inclusive cultures should be embedded within the industry, not just so we’re creating environments for people to thrive at work, but also in the products and services we provide. There is a traditional way we look at engineering and it feels empowering to change the narrative." 

What do you enjoy most about working at Costain?  

"There is a culture of flexibility and willingness of people to help and support you. Whether that is an idea or project you want to work on, there is a genuine desire from colleagues to support and grow that into a real opportunity."   

What have you learned / what has inspired you during your time at Costain? 

"The employee-led REACH (Religion, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) network has been my opportunity to connect with so many others around the business, and being able to co-chair the network has been such a great opportunity. I have been able to learn so much about other cultures and religions.  

"Although I belong to a group that’s underrepresented across the industry, it gives me the opportunity to also learn from others and be an advocate and ally for other groups too."  

What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career? 

"Don’t wait for opportunities to be presented to you, sometimes you need to be able to say what you would like and find opportunities to make it happen. It doesn’t happen overnight but it is important you keep moving in the direction you see yourself in the future. And if it doesn’t work, just do something different and keep going."  

Connect with Georgia on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.

Meet Gareth, a chartered chemical engineer, with 25 years’ experience in the energy sector and process industries. Gareth’s focus is on delivering concept studies and advising clients on meeting their decarbonisation requirements.

In recent years, Gareth has focused on energy efficiency and carbon capture in the feasibility phase and was an Energy Saving Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) Lead Assessor (to 2020). His latest projects have focused on the potential for the hydrogen economy and battery charging to enable the energy transition to achieve net zero targets through decarbonisation.

“One of my biggest professional achievements is the development of the Hy Value scheme to produce hydrogen from waste biogas. Collaborating closely with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, I helped develop Hy-Value  (starting from a blank piece of paper!) through an initial scouting study and subsequent feasibility study, partly funded by Innovate UK. This scheme was awarded further innovation funding by Ofwat in 2022.”

Gareth also led work to study the future potential for aircraft fuelled by liquid hydrogen and whether acceptable turnaround times could be achieved. This broad study covered technical, economic, regulatory aspects as well as sustainability.

He has also led feasibility studies for large-scale hydrogen production and potential to link to carbon capture and storage (CCS) schemes, including compression and transfer by pipeline and developed pilot scheme designs to trial hydrogen for fuelling rail freight.

In his role, Gareth has had the opportunity to author technical articles on hydrogen and has lectured on the subject at the University of Birmingham and to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.  He co-authored the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) guide on Energy & Resource Efficiency and has advised the Environment Agency on management of waste gas and production of hydrogen from electrolysis (green hydrogen). He is currently participating in the IChemE working group on green hydrogen.

Connect with Gareth on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.

Connect with Prince on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.

Meet Fiona, a senior stakeholder engagement specialist with over 25 years’ experience working within the aviation industry. Joining Costain four years ago, her areas of specialism are airport operations and stakeholder engagement.

In her role as key account director for aviation, Fiona is committed to helping to shape the future of airport operations and infrastructure. She is passionate about what she does, providing strategic advice to help airport operators transform the customer experience and transition to net zero aviation.

“I really enjoy the collaborative aspect of my role and I believe passionately that together we are far stronger than the sum of our individual parts. I am delighted to have recently been elected as Deputy Chair of the British Aviation Group’s Airport Consultants Group, a fantastic forum for the aviation industry to address the biggest challenge of our time; the transition to net zero. In this role, alongside the Chair and my fellow Deputy Chair, I will be shaping opportunities to deepen collaboration across organisational boundaries, to share best practice and lessons learned, and to widen access to our fantastic industry.”

Fiona started her career as a retail buyer for major brands such as John Lewis and Jane Shilton. Once she started a family, she sought a more flexible career where she could balance being challenged with bringing up three sons! Fiona started working with British Airways at Heathrow, initially part time and then moving to full time as the boys got older.

“My first managerial role was overseeing the Terminal 5 readiness project. This role came with a lot of responsibility and was a fantastic chance to show just what I could do. I was accountable for overseeing the recruitment of the teams that would carry out the T5 proving trials, making sure that the new space would work for employees and that they had all been familiarised with the new terminal before its opening.”

Fiona then went on to lead significant change programmes for BA, honing advanced stakeholder engagement skills. Highlights include managing the Terminal 3 ramp and baggage programme and introducing new ways of working for the team, heading up the T3 and T5 dispatch teams as they efficiently readied aircraft turnarounds, leading the implementation of T5’s biggest ramp change management programme and ultimately heading up a team of over 1500 people in T5 baggage.

How Fiona's role contributes to improving people's lives:
“We’re committed to being a net zero business by 2035 at the latest. A big part of this is helping our customers to decarbonise their operations. As a business, we are playing an active role in defining the role of hydrogen within the wider energy mix, and how it can enable the transition to sustainable aviation. Flagship projects in this space include FlyZero, where we assessed the turnaround requirements at airports for hydrogen-fuelled aircraft and Connected Places Catapult’s Zero Emissions Flight Infrastructure project, where we explored the infrastructure requirements to support the at-scale adoption of hydrogen. We’re even walking – or driving! – the talk, with our own hydrogen-fuelled car.”

“My top tip for those looking to build a career in aviation would be to learn from those around you – how do they handle successes and how do they respond when things are challenging? I think a healthy dose of realism is important too – a career trajectory is rarely linear, and if you expect a direct route to your dream job, you may well be disappointed. Gaining a broad insight into your chosen field will always stand you in good stead, even if you specialise as your career progresses.”

Connect with Fiona on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.

Meet Jason South, a Risk consultant who joined Costain after 25 years in the Armed Forces.

Jason is currently advising on new major UK infrastructure and transportation projects, such as National Highways M60 Simister Island project and the A12 Chelmsford to A120 widening scheme.

His role involves speaking to the discipline leads involved in a project, such as in construction, design and commercial teams, to understand any potential risks, and subsequently managing and implementing measures to ensure they are effectively mitigated. Another key part of the role is providing and maintaining communication with senior stakeholders.

Prior to joining Costain, Jason had a successful career serving in the Reconnaissance Regiment 9th / 12th Royal Lancers for 25 years. This included providing strategic advice to Division/Brigade HQ, assessing information and risk analysis to assist with battlefield command. He also served as a Global Operations Manager at Crisis24, a risk management and crisis response firm, before starting his career in construction.

Jason found his role with Costain with the support of Buildforce UK, an organisation that helps service leavers transition from the military to a career into the construction industry.

Costain works with Buildforce UK and other careers services such as the Careers Transition Partnership and the Officers Association, providing bespoke support to those moving into new roles, which as Jason says, is not necessarily a straightforward task:

“As soon as I joined Costain, the business has supported my development and helped me set clear goals and objectives. The work has been rewarding, stimulating, but most importantly, always interesting. But finding a new career doesn’t happen overnight. There are new skills to learn and a new environment to adjust to. My advice would be to consider your skillset and join careers networks who can aid your development that can make you more employable.”

Jason’s advice for those considering a change in career:
“Don’t discount your existing strengths and experience – your skills are highly transferrable. My role at Costain requires discipline, respect, problem solving and above all, a can-do attitude, all of which I have been able to develop throughout my career.”

Costain’s support for the Armed Forces extends to partnerships with the Forces Families Jobs Forum and the Military Coworking Network. This is to support the employment of service spouses and partners, offering advice, support and coaching.

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.

Meet Katherine Lockley, a Graduate project manager currently working on the Major Infrastructure Projects (MIP) at Babcock’s Devonport facility for the Submarine Delivery Agency and the Royal Navy.

Katherine joined Costain in September 2023 and started on her first commission in October 2023.

“I graduated in 2013 with a degree in Biological Sciences from The University of West England. I went on to serve in the Royal Navy. I applied to Costain’s Graduate Programme because it offered on the job training in a large variety of sectors and in different job roles, the opportunity for remote working and a chance to be part of a highly respected company.”

The Costain Graduate programme covers a variety of diverse disciplines, from traditional roots into civil engineering, quantity surveying, electrical and mechanical engineering through to data developers, finance, consultancy, digital innovation, cyber security, environmental advisors and project controls/management.

“I have begun studying for my APM Project Fundamentals Qualification alongside my current role. It’s great to be able to combine hands on experience with the course content and really see the theory put into practice.”

Katherine is currently at Devonport, working in Costain’s joint venture to provide support to Babcock through assisting with onboarding of new staff, inductions, audits, communications engagement, resourcing and social value activities.

“I really like the ‘family’ feel of Costain. Colleagues are always happy to help in both a professional and personal way so there is always an opportunity to ask questions as I am finding my feet. There are a few different channels in which the P3M team can keep in touch, which has been really useful as I work primarily at home. I am also part of the Women’s network and the Parenting & Carers Network which is a great way to meet the wider Costain community.”

A final word of advice from Katherine for those looking to apply to the Graduate Programme:

“Having been in the Royal Navy for eight years, the move to a corporate role could have been daunting. However, seeing the support networks in place at Costain through the Service and Service Families Network as well as the opportunities to work on major infrastructure projects across the UK, I knew that there was a structure in place where I could use my transferrable skills and develop a whole range of new ones! I would advise anyone who wants a career change to just do it. It is daunting, however ended up being the best decision for me and my Family.”

Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.

Meet Tasha, a graduate electrical design engineer who joined Costain in September 2022 on our graduate development programme, after completing a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Sussex.

The two-year programme is designed to fast track graduates to chartered status with a wide number of professional institutions within five years.

Tasha works in our joint venture with MWH Treatment, CMDP, which delivers several multi-million-pound contracts for our customer Southern Water.

CMDP’s projects with Southern Water include upgrading and maintaining drinking water and wastewater treatment works (WTW). Tasha has been involved in several different projects at both drinking water and WTW sites, creating and reviewing EICA (electrical, instrumentation, control and automation) documents to aid the delivery of projects, as well as working with mechanical and civil engineers within the project’s design team.

Tasha has had plenty of exposure to both on and off-site work. This included a six-month placement working on-site at Barcombe WTW in East Sussex, which aided her understanding of how design concepts are deployed, in turn helping her learn from those implementing the concepts first-hand.

Whilst on the graduate programme Tasha has had several opportunities to develop her learning and overall skillset. She has received mentoring and support from her direct team and those in different disciplines, and has also enrolled in external training courses related to building regulations and managing risk.

“My skillset has improved immeasurably since joining the graduate programme. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a range of projects across the JV as well as pick up useful learnings from colleagues in other disciplines, which I would not have had the opportunity to do in many other graduate schemes. But above all, I’ve had the pleasure of working with so many great people in a friendly, encouraging and fulfilling working environment.”

As well as Electrical Engineering, the graduate programme covers a variety of disciplines, from traditional roots into civil engineering, quantity surveying, through to data developers, finance, consultancy, digital innovation, environmental advisors and project controls/management.

Connect with Tasha on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.