Risk engineering graduate scheme

Not available in 2026

Zurich Resilience Solutions (ZRS) - our specialist risk engineering and risk management unit - helps our underwriters and customers in areas such as climate change, supply chain management, security, liability, motor, organisational resilience and flood and fire prevention.

You’ll rotate through our market-leading teams, working with experienced risk engineers, and learn how a comprehensive approach to risk management can add value to an organisation.

What pathways can I choose from?

We have two pathways within our risk engineering graduate programme:

• Property
• Workforce Strategies

Property

Through our risk engineering programme, you’ll start building your skills in identifying and managing our customers’ risks. By carrying out research to understand their risk profile, as well as undertaking detailed on-site surveys, you’ll learn - and subsequently lead - our customers’ risk management process.

Workforce Strategies

Our Risk Consulting programme will give you the opportunity to start building your skills in identifying and managing our customers strategic and operational risks. Through completing research to understand the risk profile, undertaking detailed on-site surveys, delivering bespoke risk consultancy solutions and providing training and workshops you will learn and subsequently lead the customers risk management process.

What will I need to apply?

Property risk engineering

• An engineering degree with a minimum 2:1 classification (or equivalent) predicted or recently achieved (within the last three years). A degree in civil, chemical, fire risk or mechanical engineering would be advantageous
• At least 96 UCAS points (CCC) or above from your A-levels (or equivalent) excluding General Studies.
• A minimum C/4 grade in both English & Maths at GCSE level (or equivalent)
• Full clean UK driving license upon application

Workforce Strategies risk consulting

• A risk management, occupational health and safety, business management or similar degree with a minimum 2:1 classification (or equivalent) predicted or recently achieved (within the last three years)
• At least 96 UCAS points (CCC) or above from your A-levels (or equivalent) excluding General Studies
• A minimum C/4 grade in both English & Maths at GCSE level (or equivalent)

Please ensure you have the indefinite right to reside and work in the UK before you apply as we are unable to provide sponsorship. You must have resided in the UK for a minimum of three consecutive years at the time of application. You will also need a full, clean UK driving licence upon application. 

What skills will I need?

You’ll need to be an excellent team player, with effective communication, problem-solving and organisation skills, and have a real interest in developing your own technical knowledge. You’ll also need the enthusiasm and drive to help our customers better understand and manage their risks.

What will I be doing?

Property

• Commercial property surveying – in this role, you would visit a range of sites such as schools, warehouses, offices and manufacturing plants, to help them understand and manage their risks including fire, theft, flood and other perils.
• Energy surveying – this role involves assessing and managing risks across industries like mining, power (including renewables), construction, oil, gas and petrochemicals, and heavy industries.
• Climate change resilience services – this role involves helping our customers understand and manage the risks presented by climate change, both now and in the future.
• Operations – this is the vital support function for ZRS and could include working in teams such as data analytics, proposition and vendor management, compliance and governance, and sales.

Workforce Strategies

• Liability surveys – in this role, you would visit a range of sites such as construction sites, manufacturing plants, transport hubs, retail premises, leisure and hospitality facilities, to help them understand their risks including employers liability, public liability and product liability.
• Motor fleet surveys – this role involves assessing and managing a wide variety of organisations’ occupational road risk looking at the vehicles, the drivers and the journeys.
• Strategic consultancy services – this role involves tailoring bespoke solutions to support organisations with their enterprise risk management, business continuity and organisational resilience risks. This could include workshops, health checks or facilitated meetings.
• Occupational health and safety consultancy – in this role you will deliver bespoke support to a wide range of organisations. This could include development and delivery of training courses, auditing standards of compliance and provision of advice in a variety of common risk areas, e.g. risk assessment, working at height, workplace transport and manual handling.
• Operations – this is the vital support function for ZRS and could include working in teams such as data analytics, proposition and vendor management, compliance and governance, and sales.

Depending on your role, your working week might include activities such as site visits, drafting reports for customers, using data to uncover trends behind risks, or supporting internal and external stakeholders about new and developing risks.

Alongside this, 20% of your working time will be allocated to achieving your MSc degree in risk and safety leadership. You will also be a part of the wider graduate community at Zurich. You’ll get the opportunity to attend workshops and seminars designed to help with your professional development alongside the graduates on other schemes. 

What else can I look forward to?

In risk engineering, no two days are the same. Our customers face a variety of risks unique to their circumstances. The role is both challenging and rewarding as you will use your technical knowledge to provide workable and creative solutions to help customers mitigate risk. Completing the graduate programme will put you in an excellent position to pursue a career in risk engineering, as you will gain practical experience in a wide range of areas which will be underpinned by your MSc in risk and safety leadership.

Where will I be based?

We are flexible. The role of a risk engineer is home-based, although this does include travel to customer sites and occasionally Zurich offices for training and meetings. A risk engineer would typically spend around 40% of their time on location.