Graduate Communications Officer

We have an exciting opportunity to join our leading-edge Graduate programme for a Communications Officer - The role will start from September 2022

This role relates to the delivery of three schemes along the A1 corridor in Newcastle and Northumberland and one scheme on the M60 at Junction 18, with more schemes in the future pipeline across the NE region. Reporting to the Community Relations Manager, the Communications Officer will play a crucial role in supporting the stakeholder engagement team with external and internal communications. The role will be responsible for supporting the team implementing project communications and engagement strategies, helping to create, manage, and measure comms across the multiple internal and external channels used to ensure that project and brand messages are communicated and audiences are meaningfully engaged.

About the project

The Regional Delivery Partnership is a framework contract with National Highways, the government-owned company charged with managing England’s motorways and strategic A-roads. Costain, with design partner Jacobs, have been awarded packages of scheduled highways works within the East and North regions with an estimated value over £1bn. 

*The intention will be that this role is generally carried out from the North East at our Hub located in Blaydon, Newcastle, with occasional travel to other offices. Some remote working will also be possible, particularly during the current climate.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Supporting the Communications and Stakeholder team planning and managing activities
• Helping write and manage customer correspondence
• Support the preparation of communications materials; advanced notification of works letters and flyers, newsletters, brochures, posters, social media posts etc
• Preparing and helping at Public Information Exhibitions and meetings
• Assisting with the Considerate Constructors Scheme; collating information and creating presentations / reports
• School Liaison – help with school or site visits and with organising volunteers/STEM Ambassadors to speak to students
• Help with meetings with community organisations and local stakeholders
• Provide project updates and news for websites and social media channels
• Assist with production of graphics to be included in presentations and external publicity (including flyers)
• Performance reporting
• Support the work winning teams with project information for bids

Costain's Graduate Development Programme

The programme will focus on helping you to grow your personal and leadership skills, alongside business and of course, the technical skills you will learn day-to-day on the job.

The programme is delivered in a variety of formats throughout the 2 years and will allow you to establish a network of contacts that will help and support you through your first 2 years and beyond. We expect some of our graduates to rotate after a period of 8-12 months, to another project/sector of the business to fully understand the depth and breadth of the services offered by the company.

Our line managers are fully supportive of the Graduate Development Programme and will be involved in helping you along the way.

In addition to the programme, we offer mentoring and support in every area of work, as well as a structured training programme to enable graduates to work towards achieving Chartership.

Graduates may have the opportunity to work on a number of exciting and progressive projects around the UK during the 2-year period, in sectors including nuclear, highways, rail, water, airports and tunnels.

About you

• You will have or expected to achieve a good result in a relevant discipline
• Have passion for Costain's Carbon Net Zero targets
• IT proficient
• Able to work accurately and appreciate its importance to the team
• A willingness to learn with appropriate instruction
• Excel at building and maintaining positive relationships
• The ability to thrive in pressured situations
• The ability to empathise and communicate with all people, regardless of their background or circumstances
• Excellent organisation, communication, and time management skills
• Mobility to work on various projects over the 2-year programme throughout the UK

*Please note that if you are invited to interview, we will require you to produce your passport and/or right to work documentation.

As some of our project sites are based in remote locations, it is worth noting that you will be required to have the ability to travel to site

About Costain

Costain helps to improve people’s lives with integrated, leading edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK’s energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, de-carbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK’s leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. We offer our clients leading edge solutions that are digitally optimised through the following five services which cover the whole lifecycle of their assets: future-shaping strategic consultancy; consultancy and advisory; digital technology solutions; asset optimisation and complex programme delivery. Our culture and values underpin everything we do.

Your application

Should you require any adjustments to support you in your application, please do not hesitate to contact us: earlycareers@costain.com

We welcome all applicants regardless of age, race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, socioeconomic background and physical or neurological disabilities.

We welcome you to ask about the flexibility you need for dynamic working. Such as, working part-time, remote working, or compressed hours. In return, we will explore what is possible.

Right to Work & Security Checks

Understandably given the nature of our business, everyone who is employed at Costain must undergo thorough referencing checks. We will need different information depending on the job we have offered you. For all roles, we'll carry out a criminal record check and we’ll ask to see evidence that you have the legal right to work in the UK.

For some of our roles, you may be required to obtain and maintain security clearance of at least Security Check level (or SC clearance). To satisfy the requirements, you will need to have been a legal UK resident for a minimum of 5 years and have successfully complete all stages of the vetting process.

Closing date

Please note that Costain reserves the right to bring forward the closing date of any of its job vacancies if we receive a suitable number of quality applications from which to make a shortlist. Therefore, we recommend at you apply as soon as possible rather than wait until the published closing date.