Life at Dowds

Our success begins with our people. Our strategy is built on a simple but powerful principle: keeping our clients and our people at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to creating meaningful careers, not just jobs. That means ensuring everyone, at every level, has the opportunity to grow, develop, and make a lasting impact.

 

Our elevated employee package outlines how working at Dowds is made for real life and designed to better support our people, with enhanced options such as 41 Days Annual Leave, Private Medical Insurance and enhanced Family Friendly Policies that support you no matter where you are in your career.

Employee Benefits

41 Days Holiday Allowance
Enhanced Sick Pay - 3 months full & 3 months half
Enhanced Maternity Pay - 16 weeks full, 9 weeks half & 12 weeks statutory
Enhanced Paternity Pay - 4 weeks full
Annual Salary Reviews & Bonus Schemes
Westfield Health & Rewards Cash Plan
Private Medical Insurance includes Annual Health Assessment
Life Assurance: 4x Salary
Enhanced Pension Scheme
Referral Scheme: up to £2000
Employee Assistance Programme - Mental Health, Financial, Caring & Wellbeing Support
Miscarriage (Pregnancy Loss) & Parental Bereavement Leave & Pay
Adoption Leave & Pay
Salary Sacrifice Scheme
Hybrid Working
Training + Development

As part of our Group Strategic Training Plan 2024-2026, we have a structured programme of re-skilling and up-skilling initiatives. These have been developed in direct response to evolving workforce needs, emerging technologies, and growth ambitions. This programme is structured across four core training themes – Management Development, Technical Skills, Employability Skills, and Functional Skills – aligned to our Strategic roadmap.

Diversity + Inclusion

Our people strategy is built on visible and supportive leadership that listens and takes action, alongside continued investment in skills, wellbeing, and career progression. We foster a culture rooted in fairness, respect, and collaboration, underpinned by an unwavering commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – ensuring everyone feels they belong and that every contribution truly counts.

Outcomes + Opportunities

Site team members completing NVQ Construction Management (Levels 4–7)

Hours of training (2023/24)

Employee turnover vs UK industry average (15%)

Leadership Mindset Programme completed by promoted staff

Employees completed Microsoft Skills training

Internal promotions from management dev efforts

Staff ranking Dowds as a Great Place to Work (Survey, Dec 2024)

Investment in training in the past year alone

Placement Opportunities

At Dowds, we believe in nurturing talent and building careers from the ground up. Many of our senior leaders began their journey with us as trainees, and we’re proud of our strong track record in staff development and retention.

 

Whether you’re exploring a placement year or starting out as a graduate, we welcome fresh perspectives and are always keen to hear from new talent. While specific roles are advertised on our Careers Page, we also accept speculative applications – just send your CV to careers@dowdsgroup.com

Graduate Scheme
We are pleased to share that Dowds will be launching a new two‑year Graduate Scheme beginning in September 2026, with opportunities available for both engineering graduates and business-focused graduates.