Graduate Energy Engineer Northern Offices 2024

This is an exciting opportunity for a current student or recent graduate to join our growing Energy team in either our Edinburgh, Manchester or Leeds office. From helping shape entire cities to adapting infrastructure to deal with the climate emergency, a career at Buro Happold presents the chance to make a difference.

Join our Energy team

An exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Energy Graduate to join our Edinburgh, Manchester or Leeds teams. This role will see you consulting on energy use in individual buildings through to national level strategy.

Our Buro Happold Energy team specialise in design and techno-economic analysis for supply, distribution and demand. In fact we are one of the few consultancies who can fully design energy systems and also accurately model their commercial performance.

We have three Energy-related Graduate roles available for an Autumn 2024 start. A Graduate Energy Engineer role in London and our Northern offices, then a Commercial & Utilities role in London and a SMART (Electrical or Chemical) role in Leeds, London or Bath.

Please review all job adverts on our careers site and we request that you choose one role to apply to which interests you most.

What sort of projects would I work on

We are one of the few consultant Energy teams that offer opportunities to work at the full scale of projects both nationally and internationally, including;

• National spatial analytics using innovative techniques in mapping and big data
• District energy feasibility studies, re-configuring the way we generate, distribute and use energy
• Campus scale systems; modelling, designing and helping our client transition to net zero carbon
• Building retrofit; trading off the potential to reuse our existing building versus building new.

We work on projects throughout the lifecycle from research to concept to design to implementation, including also optimising and decarbonising legacy systems. Example UK projects include:

Leeds University Net Zero Carbon Pathway

In ascertaining how best to meet the net zero objective, Buro Happold’s energy reduction specialists undertook a technical, commercial and institutional feasibility review of the available pathways. We worked with our client to review existing information and collaborated on the emerging systems and approaches, ultimately creating a tangible implementation plan and set of tools. Selected via analytical rigour by our specialist team, a suitable approach could then be recommended with confidence.

Communiheat

How one rural community’s commitment to transition from oil to low carbon heating is fuelling the UK’s intention to reach net zero by 2050. CommuniHeat seeks to develop a roadmap and ‘write the book’ that will enable rural communities to switch from expensive and carbon intensive fossil fuels to low carbon heating over the next 10 years. With fossil fuel based domestic heating accounting for 18% of the UK’s carbon emissions, this would be a considerable victory in the struggle to save our planet. Our Energy team are working on a range of innovative first of a kind projects which will impact directly on not just the immediate client but also influence policy and thinking throughout the industry.

Olympic Park Energy Centre, London, UK

Legacy venues and infrastructure will deliver a reduction in operational carbon emissions of 50%+ versus a 2006 baseline (original target). Electrical utilities resilience assessments, including peak energy demand modelling for the site, venues and environs, and risk assessment management for all utilities, shaped the System Recovery Plans in case of critical failure. Buro Happold have continued to work on this truly amazing area of London, supporting existing and new development clients on optimized building systems, and with the energy company to further decarbonise and extend the system.

Cornwall Energy Island, UK

Energy is essential to provide our daily needs and power economic activity. However, our current energy systems are primarily fossil fuel based, contributing to more than 50% of global GHG emissions. Many places are reliant on imported energy, leading to a flow of wealth out of the local economy, as well as reduced resilience.

These dynamics are particularly visible in islands, where the technical constraints that islands face are often met with ingenuity and innovation. We wanted to explore how island thinking can promote creativity in a context which is not quite an island - the peninsula of Cornwall.

What would I do

• Contribute to live projects from the start and have real responsibilities and deadlines; advise clients, other engineers, architects and urban planners on holistic solutions
• Specific project exposure will include district energy projects and masterplan development including Energy Centre design, load calculations , conventional and renewable technologies and energy policy
• Working alongside experienced engineering colleagues and attending client meetings, you will have your own workload to manage and we will encourage and support you to make an impact from the start
• Undertake testing, reporting and presentations to develop design concepts. Think 'outside the box' to demonstrate creativity and diversity when approaching engineering problems to arrive at workable solutions
• You will be engaged in wider Energy team activities so you feel ownership for its success; being at the centre of our online presence and technical development.

About you

• An Energy related Engineering degree (e.g. Energy, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical or Civil), or Environmental Science with spatial systematic skills and energy content.
• A passion for engineering design, sustainability, research and making a meaningful contribution to society
• Possesses initiative and thrives in a team environment
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Highly motivated and committed to professional development.

Whats in it for you

• Broad insight within a team, mentored by a subject matter expert. The opportunity to experience our culture and value, and learn what sets us apart from other organisations. Exposure to a wide range of portfolios, including local community led projects and global large scale clients. The diversity of the projects we work on is one of the many reasons Engineers love to work at Buro Happold.
• A plethora of interesting and challenging projects to stretch your professional skills, a friendly and close knit team, flexible working and a competitive reward package. The opportunity to work on multidisciplinary projects aside a range of specialist engineers and designers both within Buro Happold and our collaborators.
• Opportunity to be supported (or even join) our Young Employee's Forum in your local office, join bi-annual events/trips, and contribute your experience and learnings to the next generation of engineers through various outreach activities.
• Our Graduate Connect program allows our Graduates to learn the fundamentals of design and technology whilst building a base in consulting and professional skills. This is a blended learning programme where participants gain experience against our internal professional and technical frameworks in relation to their specialism.
• We see membership of a professional body and professional registration as crucial to the development of our engineers and offer substantial support to those aspiring to achieve this. We aim to support employees to achieve the highest level of membership and registration their academic background allows.

Please see our Early Careers Candidate Pack for further guidance and information.

How long does the process take

The recruitment timeline can vary depending on the role and team you are applying to. Successful applications are progressed to interview stage within 2-3 months from the closing date of the advert, but it is good to know that the whole process can take up to 6 months. We will endeavour to keep you informed throughout the time that your application is being considered, however, due to the volume of applications received and the size of our team, we are not able to respond to individual requests for status updates.

Interested? Intrigued? Inspired?

This role is for current students or recent graduates for an Autumn 2024 start.

A place for everyone

Buro Happold values individual's flexible approaches to working patterns as an important part of the way you work and achieve balance. We welcome applications from those who are seeking flexibility in their careers.

Our exceptional portfolio of projects is the result of the diversity of thought, identities, backgrounds and experiences that shape us. Appreciating each other’s differences is key, we want employees to feel they don’t have to mask elements of their identity to thrive.

We are working to change the lack of representation of marginalised groups in the built environment and are particularly keen to hear from anyone who feels they are underrepresented in the industry. We have much to learn from one another. Embracing difference allows us to develop the most innovative and elegant solutions.

Please let us know if there are any adjustments we could make to the application process to make it easier and more comfortable for you. Contact recruitment@burohappold.com so we can work with you to support you throughout your application.