We're looking for curious, collaborative and courageous people who'll help transform the performance of the infrastructure ecosystem across the UK’s transport, water, energy and defence markets.
Everything we do is rooted in delivery and organised around our customers.
Whether you’re an experienced professional looking for a new challenge, or just emerging into the workplace, we can offer you opportunities to be your very best.
If you are starting out in your career or looking for the next step in your development, we have opportunities for apprenticeships and graduate roles, internships and work experience placements.
We value the expertise and fresh insights that experienced hires can bring. To drive our future success we want the very best people.
Meet Andrew, a senior decarbonisation consultant in our transport sector. Andrew specialises in delivering infrastructure that's more sustainable, efficient and beneficial to local communtiies.
What led you to your career at Costain?
My career in construction began as a site labourer before later starting a carpentry apprenticeship. While working on various large timber frame projects, I developed a strong fascination for structural engineering principles, which subsequently led me to acquire an academic understanding. Without A-levels, I was able to pursue a Higher National Diploma (HND) at the University of South Wales, as a pathway to a BSc in Civil and Structural Engineering. That later led me to obtain a work experience opportunity in Swansea, close to where I live. This experience inspired me to pursue a career within Costain, and after a period of work experience, I was accepted onto Costain’s graduate scheme.
How does your role contribute to improving people’s lives?
Drawing on my construction background, technical expertise, and PhD in low-carbon concrete, my role as a senior decarbonisation & constructability consultant enables me to influence infrastructure outcomes. Operating within the early contractor involvement phase, I apply PAS 2080 principles, the leading standard for carbon management achieved by Costain, to drive down carbon usage on a project while ensuring that proposed solutions are practical, buildable, and resource-efficient.
By integrating decarbonisation and constructability principles, I help deliver infrastructure that’s more sustainable, efficient, and beneficial to the communities it serves.
What’s your biggest professional achievement and why?
Whilst working in London for several years on Costain’s projects supporting the delivery of London Bridge Station and Crossrail, I was still studying my masters in South Wales. For two years, I had to travel back weekly to attend lectures, which was challenging but ultimately rewarding to combine working on these fascinating projects and completing my studies.
More recently, I was delighted to complete my PhD in low-carbon concrete while balancing a busy work and family life, including raising a baby, teaching, and renovating a new house.
What do you enjoy most about working at Costain?
The opportunity to make a real impact, combining innovation, sustainability, and collaboration to shape and improve infrastructure across the UK.
What have you learned / what has inspired you during your time at Costain?
Being part of a forward-thinking team that values both technical excellence and purpose-driven outcomes is incredibly rewarding.
I have also significantly developed my professional skillset. Costain has supported my growth, first from a hands-on construction labourer to undertaking advanced research, and now into a role where I influence early-stage decisions that support constructability and a decarbonised UK.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career?
Follow your passion. This has kept me motivated for years and has been the key to getting where I am today. I never had a grand plan, I’ve just done what I enjoyed and given it everything I had.
Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.
Meet Claire, a quality engineer in our nuclear energy sector and ex professional rugby player.
What led you to your career at Costain?
"I became aware of Costain whilst working as a cleaner for a catering company at Sellafield, where Costain continues to work as part of the Decommissioning Delivery Partnership (DDP). I later secured a role in Costain as a receptionist working on Costain’s Evaporator D decommissioning project with Sellafield and subsequently held various other operations and administrative positions on the DDP framework. I then approached a crossroads in my career, during which time I have been fortunate enough to play rugby league for Wigan Warriors and the England women’s team at two World Cups, and decided I wanted to pursue a career as a quality engineer. I then become part of Costain’s quality team, progressing to a quality practitioner and in 2025 I qualified as a quality engineer, which was the result of years of hard work."
How does your role contribute to improving people’s lives?
"To mark Costain’s 160th anniversary in 2025, employees are being encouraged to donate a record number of volunteering days to support career prospects. I recently attended two schools in Cumbria where I took part in a series of mock interviews for pupils. It was a pleasure to contribute to my local community - the interviews resulted in some great discussions about career choices and many were keen to learn more about a career in engineering."
What’s your biggest professional achievement and why?
"On an individual level, I was recently nominated for the Emerging Talent award in the Women in Defence UK which came as a huge honour. At a team level, I was proud to be part of the defence and nuclear energy sector objective to achieve the ISO 19443 certification, which has helped to support Costain’s leading quality standards and allows the business to operate across a wide range of sectors and infrastructure projects."
What do you enjoy most about working at Costain?
"Being given the time and space to manage my life commitments. Costain has given me the opportunity to balance my career in engineering with my rugby league commitments, which has been hugely important in my journey to being awarded practitioner status from the Chartered Quality Institute."
What have you learned / what has inspired you during your time at Costain?
"Costain places a big focus on creating a psychologically safe workplace through six employee-led inclusion networks, and I’ve worked with no shortage of welcoming and supportive people at Costain, particularly on the DDP framework who have mentored me throughout my time since joining the quality team. I am also a passionate advocate of mental health initiatives in the workplace and I work as a Mental Health First Aider to ensure my colleagues are able to perform at their best and most comfortable."
What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career?
"It is never too late to switch careers and anything is possible if you apply yourself. I have not taken a conventional route into my field, but Costain has been hugely supportive in aiding my career transition. You also shouldn’t underestimate how many transferrable skills you pick up from personal and professional experiences- my rugby career has given me the ability to work well within a team and developed strong interpersonal skills – which I’ve put to use in building productive relationships within our supply chain."
Search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.
Meet Mike, a senior engineer/package manager in our defence and nuclear energy sector.
What led you to your career at Costain?
"My background is in mechanical engineering, but I had reached a crossroads in my career which led me to reassess what direction I wanted to take. I was attracted to work at Costain and their work at Devonport, and I was subsequently offered a role as a civils package manager, which I have really taken to and not looked back."
How does your role contribute to improving people’s lives?
"My role involves managing a programme that directly contributes to national security, which I find extremely rewarding given my background in the forces. The project’s scope is huge, which means Costain is also helping to provide lots of good jobs and support prosperity in the South West of England, which is where I have lived for the last 12 years."
What’s your biggest professional achievement and why?
"Being nominated for ‘Rising Star of the Year’ in the British Forces Business Awards. It came as an extremely pleasant surprise and it’s a real honour even being shortlisted."
What do you enjoy most about working at Costain?
"Without a doubt, the people. Everyone on the project and the wider business have been very helpful, particularly the team I work with every day. Coming into an industry that was brand new to me has posed its challenges, but I would never have got to where I have without the incredible Costain people that have mentored and guided me.
I am also part of the employee-led Service and Service Families’ Network, which helps ex-service people transition from the forces into a career in construction."
What have you learned / what has inspired you during your time at Costain?
"It is a long list, but what has inspired me most is the investment that Costain (and the people) have made in me. Not only has it given me the tools I need to do my job, but also the feeling that the business really cares about my personal and professional development."
What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career?
"Don’t be afraid to try something new – you never know when a good opportunity will present itself."
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.
Meet Prince, a graduate civil engineer currently working on a water project for Severn Trent. Prince joined Costain in July 2021 as part of our Graduate Programme intake.
What led you to your career at Costain?
"I studied Civil Engineering at university because I am intrigued by structures and systems, and I wanted to understand how they work in practice. Infrastructure has a vital role in improving people’s lives and I want to contribute to ensure that our modern day infrastructure is fit for purpose."
How does your role contribute to improving people’s lives?
"I work as a graduate civil engineer at Severn Trent’s sewage treatment work (STW) site in Spernal, Warwickshire. It is part of Severn Trent’s Capital Delivery Framework, where Costain is carrying out work at 16 Severn Trent Sites across the existing and new regulatory periods (AMP 7 and AMP8)."
"It is a new project that is improving people’s lives by directly improving water quality for surrounding communities. By enhancing the infrastructure that processes sewage or wastewater, we are ensuring that cleaner water returns to the environment, contributing to public health and environmental sustainability. I am proud of the contribution I’ve made to date knowing that the system we have built is helping safeguard natural resources for future generations."
What’s your biggest professional achievement and why?
"My biggest professional achievement so far has been contributing to the digitisation of the permit system at the Spernal STW Project. By helping to implement an electronic system for raising and issuing permits, I made it easier and safer for the team to digitally access permits on sites even during bad weather conditions using QR codes, while also reducing our carbon footprint by limiting the need for printing physical copies on site. This achievement was significant for me because it proves that small innovations can have a big impact."
What do you enjoy most about working at Costain?
"What I enjoy most is the supportive culture. Everyone on the team is approachable, and I never feel alone when tackling a challenge. There’s always someone willing to lend a hand or advice, and this collaborative environment has really helped me build confidence in my abilities. Additionally, Costain’s focus on sustainability aligns with my values, making me feel part of something meaningful."
What has inspired you during your time at Costain?
"Seeing how a structured, process-driven approach can improve project outcomes has been incredibly motivating. It has reinforced how interconnected roles are and how success often comes from treating each section of the project like a well-oiled production line, where every part has its role in delivering value."
What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career?
"Keep trying, ask and don’t feel embarrassed if you don’t know, but be willing to learn."
Connect with Prince on LinkedIn or search our careers page to learn about our current job opportunities.
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.
Costain is an inclusive and family friendly employer; we are committed to tackling systemic barriers to create a psychologically safe workplace, where everyone has equal opportunities to reach their full potential.
We know that by being more diverse we will be more innovative, have a greater understanding of our customers’ needs and deliver smarter, more inclusive solutions.
Our goal is to have a workforce that is representative of society and our Inclusion Strategy sets out the actions we need to take to achieve our goal.
Find out more about equity, diversity and inclusion at Costain.
Our purpose and values help create a safe and inclusive culture where everyone is included and respected.
Find out moreWe bring together a unique mix of construction, consulting and digital experts to solve increasingly complex problems. Our commitment to creating connected, sustainable infrastructure is core to all our activities within our four strategic markets of transport, water, energy and defence.
Our SectorsWe help our customers reinvent, evolve and integrate infrastructure systems, as they meet the strategic challenges created by a growing population, climate change, and a need to increase economic and environmental resilience.
Our approach to sustainability
