Data-Driven Graduate Opportunity

Job Introduction

Are you looking for a graduate scheme where you can make a real difference to people’s lives?

Join one of the UK’s busiest train operators as a Data-Driven Graduate and be part of the teams that help us make data-informed decisions to benefit our customers. 

We’ll help you expand your data skills, provide a chance to explore innovation in the rail industry and set you up as a future leader in our business. 

2025 is the 200th anniversary of the first-ever passenger rail journey, so we’re celebrating our proud history and our bright future.

Will you be a part of it? Apply now. 

What you’ll do

You’ll experience four six-month placements and be part of the teams innovating our: 

• Digital revenue protection: Join the team of analysts and investigators helping to target our shared resources with Network Rail and British Transport Police to reduce anti-social behaviour, workplace violence and ticketless travel on our network.  
• Customer insights: We’re always working to provide a better, more reliable and more sustainable railway which means we closely monitor every aspect of the customer journey. Be part of the team that helps us make data informed improvements in real time.
• Engineering systems: We’re moving towards an on-demand, condition-based maintenance model, meaning we will only work on our fleet when needed, rather than at set intervals. We’re building our engineering systems capabilities to support the introduction of Automatic Vehicle Inspection (AVI) in addition to our large portfolio of systems.
• Colleague data: You’ll be joining over 4,500 colleagues who work from Hastings to London St Pancras, some who started last week and some who started over half-a-century ago! Be part of the team building and protecting all that data to turn it into business insights.
• Collaboration with Network Rail:  As one of the leading track and train alliances in the UK, we’re working ever more closely with Network Rail to share our resources, knowledge and expertise to benefit our shared customer. Help us fast-track our data sharing in a way that will be most impactful for our service.  

We will trust you to:

• Figure out what data the business needs (business analysis). 
• Work with whoever owns that data to enable us to share it (data owner engagement). 
• Take that data in its existing format and workout how we can incorporate it into our Data Warehouse (data ingestion). 
• Design our databases and table structures to best maximise how we use the data (data storage and design). 
• Use that data to produce reports, infographics and interactive dashboards to help your stakeholders make impactful business decisions (deliver against business needs). 
• Present your data insights in a clear and concise manner, tailoring it to the end user to help make change happen.  
• Lead your own small projects end-to-end – if something excites you, we want to see what you come up with! 

See the information pack attached to understand how the two-year scheme will work and the development opportunities you’ll experience. 

Who you are  

This programme is for final-year students at Canterbury Christ Church University and University of Greenwich graduating in 2025 who:

• Think ‘What if?’ – Are open minded to how new experiences and ideas can help improve your own. Are keen to learn, ask lots of questions and challenge the status quo if you think differently. Can influence others to do the same and hope to be a future leader.  
  
  
• Show you care – Are able to work well within a team and build relationships with stakeholders throughout the business to truly understand their needs and objectives. Are purpose-driven to do your best for our customers, colleagues and communities. 
  
  
• Make great things happen – Can take ownership of your work and follow through from start to finish to deliver results. Show attention to detail and can positively communicate (verbally and written) your outcomes. 

The experience you’ll need

To be considered for this opportunity we ask that you;

• Are expecting to get a 2:2 in any degree from either Canterbury Christ Church University or University of Greenwich
• Can demonstrate your data curiosity – how have you used tools to analyse data that interests you?

Maybe you’ve set up an Excel pivot table of sports results?

Made a database of your favourite movies or tracked crypto-currency trends?

Tell us your experience with data before now.  

Nice to have, but not essential: 

• Experience with Microsoft 365
• Statistical analysis experience  
• Interest in data modelling  
• Experience with data integrity validation 
• Experience with hypothesis testing

What you’ll get in return

Along with your salary, the rewards you’ll get include:

• support to find a management role within the business  
• associate membership of CIRO 
• a final salary pension
• 25 days annual leave allowance (plus bank holidays)
• free rail travel across our networks
• a range of benefits including dental and private medical insurance, cycle to work, buy/sell holidays, employee assistance programme, occupational physiotherapy service

Meaning you can feel secure in your career as well as fulfilled by your work. Click here to see our full range of amazing benefits.

The recruitment process

• Online applications will close on Thursday 27 February
• Invitations to interview and attend our assessment day will be issued in early March 
• Interviews will be held during an assessment day on Monday 31 March in our Head Office in London Bridge
• Offers will be made to successful candidates in early April 
• Role commences September 2025

As proud members of the Armed Forces Covenant and Disability Confident Scheme, we will offer you an interview if you apply under these schemes and meet the minimum criteria for the role. Find out more here. 

Other things to know

• This vacancy may close early if we receive a large number of applications. So, make sure you get yours in early.
• All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references, a right to work verification, a basic criminal record check, and a pre-employment medical assessment. Work visa sponsorship isn’t available for this role.

Find out more about our recruitment process and get tips to help you apply.

A bit about Southeastern

We’re one of Britain's busiest train operators, serving London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. We run over 1,700 trains a day, carrying more than 500,000 passengers and serving 180 stations.

However, working on our railway is more than getting passengers from A to B. It’s about all the little moments that make a difference to their journey.

It’s also about making our railway a great place to work. With a team that represents the communities we serve. This is a journey we’re fully committed to and we’re proud to have been named a ‘Great Place to Work’ at the 2023 National Rail Awards and endorsed as a WORK180 Employer for Women.

Our ways of working are what we expect of everyone at Southeastern. They are powerful. Tiny moments, every day, from every one of us, add up to massive, positive change. Improving how it feels to work here and how it feels to travel with us.

Learn more about our railway.