Location
London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
The Tunnel and Lineside Mechanical and Electrical contract for HS2, awarded to Costain, involves delivering power and ventilation systems across the entire line. This complex project requires collaboration among nine different rail systems contracts to enable HS2 operations. The Systems Engineering and Technical Assurance team supports the definition, integration, assurance, and progressive acceptance of complex infrastructure systems. The team’s work spans requirements management, configuration management, system safety, interoperability, PRAMS, technical assurance, interface management, and digital engineering processes.

As a Graduate Systems Engineer, you will develop core systems engineering skills with the goal of becoming a technically authoritative professional capable of leading structured engineering decision-making in complex project environments. You will support systems engineering and technical assurance activities throughout the project lifecycle, contributing to the definition, allocation, management, and verification of requirements, hazards, configuration items, and assurance evidence.

The role focuses on developing capability in the systems engineering disciplines of PRAMS (Performance, Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety), System Safety, Interoperability, Configuration Management, and Requirements Management. You will be trained in using IBM Rational DOORS and other project software tools to manage requirements, hazards, interfaces, configuration information, assurance evidence, and technical records.

This position requires strong attention to detail, curiosity, disciplined thinking, and the aspiration to grow into a future technical authority. Initially, you will support workshops and assurance activities and progressively take responsibility for preparing, facilitating, and leading elements of systems definition, hazard allocation, and requirements allocation workshops.

Costain's Graduate Development Programme
The two-year programme supports your personal, leadership, business, and technical skills development through various formats. You will build a network of contacts to support your career growth. Graduates may rotate to different projects or sectors after 8-12 months to gain broad experience across Costain’s services.

Line managers actively support the programme, providing mentoring and structured training to help graduates work towards professional chartership. Opportunities exist to work on exciting projects across the UK in sectors including nuclear, highways, rail, water, airports, and tunnels.

Experience
- Strong interest in systems engineering, technical assurance, infrastructure, rail, digital engineering, or complex engineered systems.
- High attention to detail with an appreciation for accuracy, traceability, and controlled information.
- Good analytical skills to logically structure information and identify relationships between requirements, hazards, assets, interfaces, and evidence.
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- Confidence engaging with engineers, designers, safety specialists, delivery teams, and other stakeholders.
- Willingness to learn specialist tools including IBM Rational DOORS and other requirements, configuration, assurance, and reporting systems.
- Good IT skills, particularly Microsoft Office applications including Excel.
- Ability to work collaboratively and build positive working relationships.
- Ability to organise work, manage actions, and follow through on commitments.
- Professional attitude with aspiration to develop into a trusted technical authority.
- Awareness of systems engineering principles, requirements management, configuration management, or safety assurance.
- Awareness of infrastructure, rail, transport, energy, defence, or other complex project environments.
- Awareness of standards, assurance processes, asset information, or digital engineering environments.
- Experience with structured databases, reporting tools, dashboards, or engineering information systems.
- Exposure to workshops, stakeholder engagement, technical documentation, or project coordination.
- Interest in professional registration through an appropriate engineering institution.

About You
- Detail-focused and methodical.
- Curious and willing to ask questions.
- Comfortable working with complex information.
- Able to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Organised, reliable, and proactive.
- Open to feedback and committed to continuous improvement.
- Interested in developing technical judgement and professional authority over time.
- Comfortable supporting workshops and progressively taking on a more visible facilitation role.
- Passionate about Costain's Carbon Net Zero targets.

Qualifications
- Essential: A degree or expected degree in a relevant engineering, science, mathematics, technology, or systems-related discipline; or equivalent apprenticeship/vocational route aligned to the role.
- Desirable: Degree or modules covering systems engineering, civil, mechanical, electrical, software engineering, safety, reliability, data, asset management, or project management.
- Membership or willingness to pursue membership of a relevant professional body such as INCOSE, ICE, IET, IMechE, SaRS, IfSE, or equivalent.

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