Design and Development Graduate Scheme

The Opportunity - Design and Development Graduate Scheme

The Opportunity - Design and Development (Mechanical Engineering) Graduate Scheme 

Start Date - September 2027, typically for 24 months

Minimum Entry Criteria – You’ll need to be near to, or have completed, an appropriate bachelor’s or master’s degree such as mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, motorsport engineering, aeronautical engineering and be on track to secure a 2:1 or higher

What does the Design and Development (Mechanical Engineering) Graduate Scheme involve day-to-day?

This exciting 18-month programme gives you the chance to rotate across different areas of the business whether that be machine focused, working with one of our components such as attachments. This scheme will cover Design, Development, Product Innovation and offers the opportunity to experience a commercial placement to truly broaden your understanding of our business. We’ll help you figure out just where your passion lies (not to mention your skills), as you learn to connect the conceptual thinking behind one set of Engineering problems.

What could I be doing?

Current product - There are always updates required to suit changing legislation and customer demands, so part of the team focuses on keeping what the production line is building every day up to the latest and greatest specification it can be. This includes upgrading parts in assemblies, designing new features and developing existing ideas.

New product - To stay ahead of the market trends, we must constantly look at what we offer to our customers; part of the team designs the next machines, which will be on sale in years to come. Working on elements of our five-year product plan includes reviewing challenges to create solutions, testing machines with new parts, and talking with customers to understand their needs.

Development and Endurance - JCB machines are used in harsh environments and are relied upon to be robust. Part of the team focuses on testing our designs to fail to find what needs to be improved. Working this way lets us catch issues before they get to the customer, making our machines action ready. 

What comes next?

1. We’ll be reviewing applications against the essential criteria then shortlisting and sending out links to our online assessments in November 2026 - January 2027 (we’d recommend you keep a look out for emails at this point as you’ll hear from us either way).

2. Once you’ve fully completed your online assessment, we’ll review it and provide you with an update within a few weeks. Please note, if you’ve not completed your online assessment then we won’t take your application further (we’ll send you a few reminders to make sure you don’t forget). If you've been progressed, you’ll be sent an invite to attend one of our in-person Assessment Centres.

3. In-person Assessment Centres will take place from January to April 2027 (we’ll send you all the details you need).

4. Following your Assessment Centre, whether you’ve been successful or not, our promise to you is that you’ll receive a call with feedback.

5. If successful, congratulations! We’ll now take you through the onboarding process, which will include a familiarisation day.

6. Welcome to JCB – our Emerging Talent cohorts ordinarily start in early September.

What's in it for you?

When you join JCB, you'll enjoy a great package designed to reward, support and help you make the most of every day:

•33 days' holiday (including most bank holidays)

•Market leading company pension scheme through Royal London

•Access to an in-house doctor, dentist, and an award winning Occupational Health team

•Onsite gym to help you stay active

•ULEV car scheme

•Bupa Private Medical Health Scheme 

•Exclusive discounts through the JCB Rewards Hub

•Cycle to Work scheme

•Professional outdoor development programme

•We also encourage our cohorts to network and get involved in our “NextGen” society.

A business that genuinely invests in its people

And that's just the start. At JCB, you'll be part of 

Building a Brighter Future

We value diversity and welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

We’re committed to ensuring our recruitment process is fair and inclusive. If you face any accessibility challenges with your online application and require additional support, you have the option of speaking to a member of our Resourcing team who can support you to complete an application in an alternative format. If you would benefit from this support, please email recruitment@jcb.com, and a member of the team will be in touch.