Summer Internship Programme 2025 – Construction & Engineering Project Management

This role offers hybrid working, so you can be based anywhere in Scotland as long as you’re within commuting distance of one of our main office hubs, such as Edinburgh, Stepps, Dundee, or Inverness.

Ready to own your future? At Scottish Water, our Summer Internship programme empowers you to gain hands-on experience, tackle real challenges, and contribute to shaping Scotland’s future. This isn’t just a summer job – it’s an opportunity to make a real 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.

Graduating in 2026? Kickstart your career with a 12-week summer placement and start building your future today.

What you’ll do

At Scottish Water, we’re committed to providing high-quality water and wastewater services to over 5 million people across Scotland. As part of our £1bn per year investment programme, we’re continuously improving and maintaining our infrastructure to meet the needs of today and the future.

This is your chance to explore diverse opportunities across every stage of the project lifecycle while gaining hands-on experience in delivering major Capital Investment projects. For example, you might be involved in the project management of civil or mechanical and electrical (M&E) projects associated with the supply and treatment of water and wastewater assets—ensuring the delivery of safe and reliable services across Scotland.

You could also delve into specialised projects like studying the costs and carbon benefits of district heating systems using heat from wastewater as a low-carbon heat source. This work might involve comparing wastewater heat with other sources, such as river and air source heat pumps, to evaluate their effectiveness and environmental impact over a total project lifecycle.

Collaborating with experienced project teams, you’ll gain insights into design processes, stakeholder management, and the financial and commercial aspects of delivering infrastructure projects. You’ll also observe our unwavering commitment to safety, ensuring that our people are protected while carrying out these vital initiatives.

Additionally, working alongside our supply chain partners, you could visit construction sites and witness cutting-edge projects in action – building valuable skills to shape your future in the construction and engineering sector.

This is a paid summer internship with an hourly rate of £12.60, aligned with the Real Living Wage. This is typically a full-time position (35 hours), but we’re open to discussing flexible working patterns where possible to suit your needs. For a 35-hour week, the equivalent annual salary would be around £23,020, pro-rated for the length of the internship

What you’ll need 

You’ll be in the penultimate year of university, or maybe about to do a Masters. Either way, you’ll be on course for at least a 2:2 degree. And it goes without saying that you will be available for the full placement time: 12 weeks.

You’ll be studying towards a degree in Engineering or Construction Management discipline, or a similar field of study.

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 internships 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 our Project Management Internship in particular).
• People who use their application to demonstrate that they are Bold, Responsible, Inspiring and Caring.

What happens next? 

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 9th of February. Please provide a Cover Letter (max. 500 words), alongside your CV – multiple attachments can be uploaded at the application stage.

If you’re shortlisted, 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 Interns will start together at the beginning of June for a 12-week Summer Internship, finishing at the end of August. 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.