2027 IT Service Operations - Service Design & Operational Readiness Graduate

At Laing O'Rourke, we deliver complex engineering and construction projects that shape the built environment. We are looking for talented and motivated individuals to join our Early Talent programmes and help drive innovation across our business. We're seeking ambitious graduates who are ready to make an impact. If you're passionate, curious and eager to challenge the status quo, you'll help us drive innovation, transform our industry and shape the future of construction and engineering.

About the programme

Through Laing O'Rourke's Graduate Development Programme, we help graduates gain practical experience, achieve professional accreditation and build the skills needed to become future leaders in the construction and engineering industry. Our Early Talent Programme will enable you to expand your networks, achieve professional and personal development, gain exposure to a variety of projects and disciplines, and develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to build a successful and rewarding career.

What Professional Accreditation can be achieved through this role:

preparation for ITIL v5

Role Overview and the Purpose of the role:

acts as the critical gatekeeper between software development and live production. This role ensures that when a project team builds a new digital service or makes a major upgrade, it doesn't break existing infrastructure and is actually supportable on day one. The core purpose is to translate high-level technical and business designs into practical operational realities.

Key Responsibilities – What you'll do:

acts as the critical gatekeeper between software development and live production. This role ensures that when a project team builds a new digital service or makes a major upgrade, it doesn't break existing infrastructure and is actually supportable on day one. The core purpose is to translate high-level technical and business designs into practical operational realities.

• Service Design Planning, authoring detailed Service Design Packages (SDPs) to map out support requirements, service level targets, and support pathways before a new system launches
• Operational Readiness Testing, running rigorous Service Acceptance Criteria (SAC) assessments to ensure engineering teams have met all infrastructure, monitoring, and compliance standards
• Knowledge Management, writing step-by-step troubleshooting playbooks, support wikis, and technical knowledge articles to prepare the frontline service desk for new releases
• Stakeholder Governance, facilitating cross-functional readiness reviews alongside product, security, and operations leads to formally approve or block upcoming production changes
• Monitoring & Alerting Setup, defining the telemetry dashboards and threshold alerts inside monitoring platforms to ensure live incidents can be caught and diagnosed instantly

Teams and Departments this role will interact with most:

CISO, Group D&A, PMO, Group Platforms and Infrastructure, potentially every business function across LOR due to customer facing nature of IT Service ops.

The following Degree Subjects are suitable for this role:

A bachelor's or associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, business management

Additional Information

Location: Dartford

We are recruiting for locations that we anticipate having Early Talent roles for at the time of our next programme commencement. Please note that due to the nature of the business, there could be changes to locations noted.

Our projects are based across the UK (National) so you'll need to be prepared to be flexible about where you work. Depending on project requirements, this may involve travelling, staying away from home during the week, or relocating closer to a project site. In return, you'll gain valuable experience working on a variety of projects, helping you develop your skills and broaden your career opportunities.

Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support with your application, or at any stage of the process, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Application Process

Please note: Due to the anticipated level of interest, we may close applications before the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received. We encourage you to apply early to ensure your application is considered.