Water Futures Early Careers Program
The program allows you to see how your work connects to our strategy, supports our purpose and delivers outcomes for customers, communities and Country. This is a purpose-led program designed to grow future leaders who understand how today’s decisions shape water services for generations to come.
The experience
As a graduate, you’ll experience a broad range of diverse and challenging experiences. With a rotation every 8-10 months (four in total) we will actively support your development and growth.
Adjusting to corporate life comes with its challenges so every graduate is supported through a personalised Learning Circle model, which includes an organisational coach, helping you focus on your long term career, your rotation supervisor who provides day to day support; and a buddy – a recent early career team member who can share practical tips and peer support. This is on top of the full support of our Program Lead and leadership team.
You will also be exposed to the broader water industry as we partner with the Melbourne Metro Water authorities to provide you with collaborative professional development opportunities alongside other graduates in our sector.
Rotations across the asset lifecycle
Working closely with other graduates, leaders and wider peers you will help us to improve customer, community and business outcomes.
Click through the icons below to read more about each milestone.
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Learn how Yarra Valley Water work, where we're heading and why.
You'll see how strategy and early decisions shape outcomes for customers and communities.
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Gain experience in end-to-end planning.
Use data and tools to support decisions and work with a range of stakeholders to balance priorities and risks.
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Support project planning, commissioning and risk assessments.
Learn how assets are delivered safely and effectively, and how the build phase fits into the broader lifecycle.
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Get hands-on experience in day-to-day operations.
Build an understanding of key systems, compliance requirements, risk management and incident response.
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See how maintenance keeps services reliable over time.
Learn how maintenance planning works, how we partner with contractors, and how safety and commercial principles are applied.
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Take time to reflect on what you've learned.
Share your impact and plan your next steps as you move through the program.
Structured and reflective progress tracking
We take a meaningful approach to tracking your progress over time. The focus is on learning and growth, not perfection – building capability, confidence and readiness for what comes next.
- Graduate dashboard and learning portfolio to set goals, capture reflections and showcase your work. Helping capture important collateral to feed into future professional accreditation requirements such as Chartership.
- Regular self-reflection through journals, short reflections or creative outputs.
- End of rotation reviews with feedback and clear next steps.
- Progression opportunities - growing your responsibility and remuneration.
Who are we looking for?
We know a diverse team will help us stay responsive to the challenges of the future. Our graduate alumni are a mixed bunch – from Chemical, Civil and Aerospace Engineers (to name a few), to those who have studied Science, Commerce, Environment and Society disciplines – even Zoology!
Where can this take you?
By the end of the program, you’ll understand how the full water asset lifecycle supports customers, communities and Country. You’ll have built strong technical and professional capability, with a portfolio that reflects your contributions and growth. Along the way you’ll form meaningful relationships across the water sector and gain the confidence to step into what comes next – shaping your career with purpose and helping us care for every drop for generations to come.
Applying
Thank you for your interest in our Water Futures Program.
Our 2026 program has commenced. Applications for future programs are not open at this time, please revisit the site in September.
Applications for our paid 12-week Summer Vacation Program also open in August 2026.
You can also visit our careers page to find out more about opportunities with us!
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to some of the most common questions, sorted by topic.
Question not in the FAQs? Feel free to get in touch with us if you want to know more about the program or our recruitment process.
What’s it like to work at Yarra Valley Water?
We’ve been recognised as an AON Hewitt Best Employer for people practices and high levels of employee engagement. We foster a workplace where people feel valued, connected and are achieving extraordinary outcomes.
Where will I be working?
Our head office is in Mitcham, we work flexibly but you will need to consult with your manager as to see what works best. However, many of our engineers are required to visit various sites in Melbourne’s northern and eastern suburbs.
What happens after I complete the graduate program?
After you’ve successfully completed the program, you’ll join Yarra Valley Water as a permanent employee. You’ll transition into other roles within the business, in line with your degree, individual development plan and career aspirations.
You will also have the option to commence casual work from the time you accept our offer until your you start your graduate program, including when you are finishing university and/or working over the December summer vacation period.
If my application for the graduate program is unsuccessful, can I apply for the program again?
Yes you can, but you will need to make sure you still meet the eligibility criteria.
Will I be provided with feedback if I am unsuccessful?
Yes, you can request feedback after the assessment session and interview stages. Due to the volume of applicants we cannot provide feedback after the initial screening stage.