Graduate Lighting Designer - Environmental & Planning

Job Description

Start here. Grow here.

AECOM Lighting Design offers independent lighting design and consultancy services for various projects in the UK and worldwide. We are seeking a motivated and creative graduate to join our team, focusing on the environmental impact of lighting and its role in planning and development.

Your Role

You will collaborate with experienced professionals, including Lighting Designers, Engineers, Environmental Consultants, and Architects, on diverse projects for buildings, public realm and major infrastructure. This role combines lighting design with environmental analysis, helping clients manage issues like light intrusion, glare, daylight and sunlight design and access, dark sky management and the effects of development on the nighttime environment.

You do not need to arrive with specialist experience in all these areas. We are looking for someone with a strong interest in light, the built environment and environmental design who enjoys both visual design and analytical problem-solving. Training, mentoring and guidance will be provided throughout your development.

Key Responsibilities

As part of AECOM's Lighting Design team, you will help:

• Develop lighting strategies and concepts.
• Support planning applications and environmental assessments.
• Conduct lighting surveys and assessments.
• Analyse obtrusive light, glare, and daylight access.
• Undertake technical calculations and develop visualisations.
• Use computer modelling to facilitate lighting and environmental analysis.
• Prepare technical reports and recommendations.

What You’ll Learn

In addition to gaining experience in lighting and daylight related planning matters, you'll develop an understanding of how lighting design needs to respond to the surrounding environment, including residential properties, ecological receptors, transport infrastructure, heritage assets and sensitive landscape locations.

You will gain experience in:

• Conducting lighting and environmental surveys.
• Assessing the impact of lighting for planning applications.
• Understanding how to mitigate light intrusion and glare.
• Evaluating daylight sunlight effects on buildings and amenity spaces.
• Designing lighting solutions that meet environmental and planning needs.

Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who:

• Are pursuing or have a degree in a relevant field (e.g., Lighting Design, Architecture, Environmental Science).
• Have a strong interest in lighting and the built environment.
• Possess creative and analytical skills.
• Are eager to learn software for lighting and environmental modelling.
• Can communicate technical information clearly and work well in a team.
• Are proactive about professional development.
• Previous experience with lighting calculations, environmental assessments, daylight analysis, 3D modelling, CAD or environmental design is a plus but not required.

Additional Information

• Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible since CVs will be reviewed, and candidates selected for an advanced offer start.     
• Please include a covering letter with your application and provide all predicted and/or obtained academic grades. 
• If you have a portfolio, university project, dissertation or other work demonstrating your interest in lighting, electrical engineering or the built environment, please include this as part of your application.
• You must have permanent right to work in the UK as we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. 

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.