Graduate Tunnelling and Underground Structures Engineer

Job Description

AECOM offer a comprehensive tunneling and underground structures consultancy service to clients seeking cost effective, buildable, state of the art underground infrastructure projects.  The AECOM team has proven global design experience covering a wide range of tunnels and structures in varying and challenging geological conditions.  Our collaborative team has successfully delivered sustainable projects in today’s congested cities.    

Our current portfolio of projects are wide ranging.  These include London Power Tunnels, Elephant and Castle Station upgrades, Pumped Hydro Storage schemes, Snowdonia Power Tunnels and the Thames Tideway Sewer.  We are also delivering work for Network Rail, Water Authorities and the UK’s Geological Disposal Facility for radioactive waste.   

An example project is London Power Tunnels 2 where AECOM were engaged by a contractor on behalf of National Grid to carry out the detailed design of eight deep shafts (around 15m diameter and 50m deep) in congested areas of London and a 33km tunnel connecting them.  These shafts were constructed in some challenging ground conditions and using a range of construction techniques including secant piling, sprayed concrete linings and segmental linings.  Our design included the large covering structures to the shafts and a building on top to house plant.  Tunnelling engineers worked as part of a large multidisciplinary and international team to deliver this high-profile project.  We are actively pursuing similar schemes.

Job Responsibilities 

Tunnelling and underground structures engineering graduates at AECOM will work on a range of projects including:   

• Work within a wide range of sectors offering a challenging and varied workload, including: Water transfer tunnels; Highway tunnels; rock caverns, Standard & light rail; Mining; Airport infrastructure; Onshore & offshore tunnels; Power tunnels;
• Application of civil, structural and geotechnical knowledge gained throughout your degree;
• Feasibility studies & optioneering, through preliminary and detailed design; in particular the importance of understanding how designs can be constructed safely;  
• Tunnel, shaft and cavern designs in hard & soft ground using a variety of construction methods;  
• Identifying and resolving complex engineering problems using finite element software backed up by solid empirical methods;  
• In time you will be required to lead small projects or elements of larger projects and provide support and advice to other members of the team; 
• Identifying opportunities to expand the existing business through client managers to build a broad and influential network through effective communication. 

Qualifications

• A degree in Civil or Civil & Structural Engineering with a 2:1 classification or above (or equivalent)  
• An MSc/MEng in Civil/Geotechnical/Tunnelling Engineering would be an advantage  
• Any existing construction experience achieved through the degree would also prove advantageous  
• Willing and able to work towards a professional qualification (ICE or IStructE)  
• Demonstrable interest in tunnelling projects and promoting the tunnelling activities in the transport and utility sectors  
• Capability to satisfy client and business expectations and be able to consider the wider financial and commercial implications of their actions  
• Communicate effectively to internal and external clients, both verbally & in writing  
• Structure & prioritise work effectively through close cooperation with the team as a whole  
• Ability to work independently without losing initiative & focus. 

Additional Information

• Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible since CVs will be reviewed, and candidates selected on a rolling recruitment basis for either immediate or advanced offer start.    
• Please include a covering letter with your application and provide all predicted and/or obtained academic grades and details of the dates you are able to work to/from and well as locations you would be interested in. 
• You must have the right to work in the UK. 

Professional Development 

Our Graduate Development Programme (GDP) along with our huge scope of projects across the globe will challenge and inspire you to make a real difference to the world we live in. Our GDP forms a core part of our business strategy globally, designed to develop the best talent across numerous disciplines to lead our business into the future.  We have over 750 graduates on our programmes across the UK & Ireland, from over 40 different disciplines, each and every one of them making a tangible difference to the environment we all live & work in.  

We will provide you with all the tools and support you need to achieve your professional development ambitions, including Chartership with the relevant international professional institution – where we have graduates working towards over 30 professional institutions in the UK & Ireland. We will push you to achieve the highest standards and expect our graduates to pass their professional review first time. You will be assigned a mentor to support & guide your development and undertake regular training modules throughout the programme. There will be on-the-job technical development and classroom training where required, and the opportunity to work on live client projects, with significant multi-disciplinary exposure. 

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity 

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address [email protected]  if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.