Strategic Planning Graduate Scheme

Please note: This role may close soon depending on the level of interest so don’t miss out! 

 
Thank you for your interest in applying for this TfL Graduate Scheme. 

We’d like to remind you that you must ensure you are eligible for this scheme before applying. Please read through the eligibility criteria below carefully and ensure that you are eligible before applying.   

This application will also contain a series of questions to establish whether or not you are eligible. It is important that you take great care in reading and answering these questions as we will not be able to revert your application if an error is made.   

Please Note: We only allow one application for any of our Graduate or internship schemes per year. Any subsequent applications will be withdrawn. 

Strategic Planning Graduate 

Your future is shaping London’s future  

Are you looking for a career where you can shape London’s future?  We’re looking for people who are passionate about helping London grow in a sustainable way, and become a more attractive place to live, work and visit. 

Salary 

£32,250, rising to £33,500 in the second year 

Location  

London/ Hybrid 

  
NB: Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.  

6th September 2027 

Job overview 

Our Professional Services teams focus on the employees at the heart of our business. The Strategic Planning graduate scheme provides individuals with the opportunity to shape the wider business, London’s transport network and London itself.   

What will I be doing? 

As a graduate, your two-year development programme will be made up of four placement rotations. Our aim is to equip you with the range of skills and experience you need for your successful career within strategic planning.  

During your time on the scheme, you could have placements across a range of teams including Business Strategy, Spatial Planning, Local Communities and Partnerships, Innovation and Advisory or the Chief Customer and Strategy Office.   

We also understand that everyone’s career is different, so every graduate’s journey is unique so we try to tailor the placements to your interests. Here’s an idea of what yours could look like: 

Placement 1 – Transport Policy – 6 month placement  

This team sets the strategic direction of the city’s transport. We are proud to be at the forefront of the organisation’s efforts to transform the Capital’s transport to create a city where people choose to walk, cycle or use public transport and can do so free from the harmful effects of air pollution. In doing so, we play a vital role in addressing the climate emergency. You could be placed in areas such as developing the strategy to achieve net zero carbon for road transport by 2030, planning the delivery of London’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy or making freight transport safer, cleaner and more efficient for London. 

You will commission and carry out research, analyse data and engage with teams from across the organisation along with external stakeholders in order to develop evidence-based policy or scheme options. You will provide advice on your specific area of focus. You will use this to assist with drafting briefings, reports and presentations to influence and support decisions around the development and promotion of policies and projects. 

Placement 2 – Local Communities and Partnerships – 6 month placement  

This team builds connections with London’s diverse communities, local businesses, and political stakeholders.  

Through effective engagement and consultation, we help TfL understand the needs, wants, and sometimes frustrations of living, working or playing in London. By harnessing these relationships, and the intel we gather from this, we make sure our decision makers can reflect on community and stakeholder feedback to make the best possible future transport decisions for London.  

Our engagement and consultation work stretches across every facet of TfL’s transport remit. From reshaping the bus network, to building new tube lines to major policy decisions on Congestion Charge and ULEZ. 

You will support or team of engagement and consultation specialists to work with and strengthen relationships with local politicians and community leaders. This will involve supporting local engagement activities, researching key local policy areas, and supporting the delivery of local and pan London consultation delivery. You will also work with our community engagement and consultation leadership team to identify and build new proposals, projects, and initiatives to strengthen how we work with young Londoners, the seldom heard, and other underrepresented community groups.   

 
Placement 3 – Spatial Planning – 6 month placement  

This team lead TfL's work with the Greater London Authority, boroughs and developers to integrate land use and transport planning to solve London's biggest challenges including achieving net-zero and tackling the housing crisis. We develop and influence policy, secure third-party funding, masterplan changing areas of London, and make the case for transport investment. 

You will be involved in developing the London Plan (London's overarching spatial strategy) and shape local/area plans to deliver mode shift in practice, lower car ownership, reduce carbon and drive future fares revenue growth via sustainable development. 

You will be involved in planning many of the biggest and most challenging development and regeneration opportunities in London as well as early feasibility on new interchanges with a focus on sustainability and inclusion. This will involve making a compelling case to government and others for transport investment. 

Placement 4 – Chief Customer and Strategy Office – 6 month placement  

In Customer and Strategy, a broad range of disciplines are covered. We devise strategies, plan for London’s future, undertake research and engagement, and provide insight and data. The Office for the Chief Customer and Strategy Officer is at the heart of the department. As part of this placement, you’ll have the opportunity to shadow the Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, working alongside them on their priorities for our organisation. 

You’ll also learn about the governance processes which set out the processes and structure for the organisation, working with the team to prepare for Executive Committee sub-groups and various Boards and Panels.  

As part of this placement, you’ll work closely with the other Offices across TfL and the Greater London Authority; preparing briefings, reports and correspondence. No two days are the same and you’ll be working alongside a team of experts in their field. 

Sustainability 

Assessment centres for graduates and intern roles will take place from November-January, please note that many roles only have 1 assessment day and we are unable to guarantee alternative dates. We are conducting assessment centres in person and virtually (role dependent).   

Our city. Made better by you.   

TfL is a place that’s open to your ideas. Where you can make a tangible impact and see the positive results of your work on the people and places around you. It’s a place where you can thrive and achieve. Where you’re encouraged and enabled and empowered to feel pride in the work you do. The clue is in the name, really. We work together for a better London. A better place for everyone. Constantly improving and enhancing how we operate to shape a city of the future.   

Inclusive Recruitment Process 

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and aim to reflect the diverse communities we serve. We believe that a diverse workforce enables us to deliver better services and outcomes. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people. 

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we aim to offer an assessment or interview to candidates who apply via the scheme where the minimum essential criteria for skills, knowledge and experience has been met. In some circumstances, it may not be practical to offer an interview or assessment to every candidate who applies through the scheme and meet the minimum essential criteria; in these situations, we select candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than interviewing all who meet them.   

Across all recruitment activity, we recognise that selection methods may vary depending on the nature and scale of the campaign and will be applied fairly, consistently and proportionately in line with our Disability Confident commitments. 

In High Volume campaigns including Graduate, Apprentice and Intern recruitment the minimum criteria we set is achieving a pass mark in our first stage assessments, adopting a proportionate approach to the Disability Confident Offer an Interview scheme.   

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments for any stages of the application process. 

What Qualifications will I gain? 

We are able to offer the opportunity for graduates, if they wish, to undertake the Transport Planning Society (TPS) Professional Development Scheme, which TfL is a licence holder for. This can be completed in around three years, and TfL is able to provide continuing support to candidates that roll-off this 2-year graduate scheme into other TfL positions through to completion of the Professional Development Scheme. At this point, a participant will be awarded a Certificate of Completion by the Transport Planning Society and be entitled to use the post nominal incorporated Transport Planner, incTP. In achieving that, they will have completed the 'knowledge requirements' and thus the first stage in applying for the Transport Planning Practitioner (TPP) qualification. 

Contact us 

Contact the recruitment team by: 

Phone: 0203 005 1680 (Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17.30)   

Email: EarlyCareersCampaigns@tfl.gov.uk