At Scottish Water, our graduate programmes empower you to drive change, tackle real challenges, and shape Scotland’s future. This is more than just a launchpad for your career – it's an opportunity to make a meaningful impact. As part of our team, you’ll play a key role in delivering essential services and infrastructure that help Scotland flourish every day.
You’ll be joining us at a fascinating time, as we transform into a more agile, innovative organisation that delivers outstanding service, delivers great value for money, and works in an environmentally sustainable way that goes beyond Net Zero. Start a career that’s built for you, today.
What you’ll do
Our Digital Directorate provides the technology that enables us to serve our customers and perform at our best. Their goal is to deliver the right technology, at the right time, to the right people, for the right cost and benefit.
Join one of our Digital programmes to collaborate across the organisation and help shape our technology future. You’ll be involved in leading strategies for emerging technologies, delivering cloud-based solutions (DevOps), using data analytics for organisational improvements, optimising user experience, building relationships with technology partners, and delivering projects efficiently and on budget.
Take a look at the team hiring
Digital Strategy & Architecture
This team is driving Scottish Water’s IT evolution through three core functions: Enterprise Architecture, Technology Architecture, and Digital Innovation. They play a crucial role in shaping and governing strategic IT plans, architecture principles, and standards. As a centre of excellence, the team provides expert support across the entire project lifecycle, from initial design to delivery and ongoing service. Their work is key to accelerating Scottish Water's progress toward its corporate vision, ensuring that technology is a powerful enabler of business success.
Over your two years with us, you’ll receive dedicated training to become a fully qualified Digital Specialist, building the skills and confidence needed to succeed. With role rotations every six months, you’ll gain valuable experience across various teams, preparing you for a rewarding career at the forefront of Scottish Water’s business transformation.
How does the graduate programme work?
- You’ll be employed on a permanent contract from Day One, with a starting salary of £29,000.
- As you progress through the programme and reach key milestones, you’ll be rewarded with salary increases that recognise your growth and commitment to ongoing learning. Upon completing the programme, you’ll also have the opportunity to advance into a Digital Specialist role, starting from £33,560.
- You’ll be part of a cohort of c.30 graduates, giving you an instant and invaluable network of contacts throughout the business.
- There is plenty of support. As well as your day-to-day manager, we’ll match you up with a mentor who will support and coach you as you go through your programme.
- You’ll have access to both structured and informal training designed to equip you with the skills you need now, and in the future.
What you’ll need
You’ll have graduated within the last three years (or be on track to graduate next summer). Your degree should ideally be in an IT or Software Engineering discipline, e.g. Computer Science, Computer Systems Engineering, Information Environments, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Cyber Security, Digital Project Management, Data Analytics, Data Science or Product Design., etc. And we’re looking for a minimum of a 2:2 classification.
We’re looking for someone who’s curious about things like analysis, asset management, business strategy, and data science. You’ll be someone who enjoys building connections and working with different people. If you’ve been involved in a change project that made a real impact, that would definitely be a bonus.
You’ll need to live within commuting distance of one of our main office hubs, e.g., Edinburgh, Stepps, Dundee, Inverness.
In terms of essential requirements? That’s it.
But here’s the thing: We get thousands of applications for our Graduate roles each year. What makes the best candidates stand out?
Here are a few things we love to see
- CVs that tell us more than what grades you earned over the years. Show us what you’ve learned. What you love. What your aspirations are.
- Cover letters that tell us why you’re interested in Scottish Water (and in this role)
- People who use their application to show that they are Bold, Responsible, Inspiring and Caring.
Looking out for you
While the work we do is important, it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.
You’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take paid time off to volunteer in your community.
When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.
For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), as well as life assurance.
As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.
What happens next?
- The closing date for applications is Sunday 22nd December.
- Assessment activity will kick off in January with some surprisingly fun (no, really!) online testing.
- Final face-to-face interviews will happen during February. Where you can give us a good grilling too.
- If you accept a place on the programme, you’ll go through some pre-employment screening during the Spring, including a criminal record check.
- All our new Graduates will start together in September, with a week-long induction event in Glasgow. You’ll learn more about the organisation, meet our leaders, visit some of our operational sites, start making friends, and have a lot of fun.
A few final things worth knowing
Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!
Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.
As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.
