At Atlassian Williams F1 Team, our early careers programmes give students, graduates and school leavers the chance to kickstart their career inside one of motorsport’s most iconic teams. Whether you’re applying for a graduate role, placement, or apprenticeship, this is your opportunity to start building experience that can shape the future.
Here are our top tips for making your early careers application as strong as it can be.
What is the hiring process for early careers programmes?
Our programmes follow a five-step process:
- Application: Apply via the website with an up-to-date CV
- Testing: Show us your skills in an online assessment
- Online interviews (Technical & Behavioural): Demonstrate teamwork with an online group task and your change to interview with the manager
- Meet the team: An invitation to our Grove HQ to meet your potential manager
- Join the mission: If you’ve been successful, we’ll guide you through the next stage of your journey
What early careers programmes can you apply for at Atlassian Williams F1 Team?
Early careers programmes at Williams are about unleashing potential. We’re looking for tomorrow’s talent and those who want to grow in a high-performance team.
There are different routes into the team, depending on where you are in your journey. We’re offering the following early careers programmes to help you find your place in the industry:
Graduate opportunities
Our graduate opportunities give you the chance to work with us for 2-3 years, learning as you go. Depending on the role or department, you may rotate or specialise in one area, all while building transferable skills and getting to know life at Williams with your cohort.
Ben Taylor, Vehicle Performance Software Graduate, shares his tips:
"A successful applicant will have a well-rounded background in Engineering, Operations, or Technology, as well as a specialty around a particular role, and an affinity to learn. The interviewers will be looking for someone who will make a good teammate, who will grow with the business, and who will help push the team to a championship level."
Work placements
Our work placement opportunities give students experience in the Formula 1 industry while they’re still studying.
Industrial placements run over 12 months, giving you real responsibility on projects that shape the future car and our wider business. You’ll grow with a cohort from day one, then head back to university with experience you can apply immediately.
As Steve Parfitt, Vehicle Performance Race Strategy Industrial Placement, shares:
“A placement year at Atlassian Williams F1 Team is a rewarding and enriching experience like no other. From day one you're trusted with responsibilities which directly impact the team's performance, allowing yourself to push the boundaries of what you thought you were capable of. My advice to students is to be relentless; to go above and beyond in whatever you do and trust that you are the best you can be.”
Apprenticeships
Our apprenticeships give school leavers a direct route into race-critical work. Over three years, you’ll work towards a recognised qualification while gaining practical experience with the team.
Amber Fennell, Electronics Apprentice, says:
“My advice? Don't wait until you feel ready. Take the risk and apply, because ambition and passion matter far more than perfection. Do your research, let your personality shine through, and be specific about what you want to bring to Williams, not just why you want to be in F1. They're looking for people who are innovative, dream of pushing boundaries and want to grow, so be bold, back yourself, and you might just end up building the future of Formula 1."
When should you start preparing for early careers applications?
Start earlier than you think. Graduate and placement roles usually go live towards the end of summer while apprenticeship roles tend to go live towards the end of the year. Exact timings can vary, so keep checking the careers site and avoid waiting until roles open before getting ready.
Applications can open a year before the start date, so roles opening in 2026 may be for people joining in summer 2027.
Before applications open, you can:
- Prepare a cover letter structure you can tailor later
- Gather links to a portfolio, personal project or examples of work
- Research our graduate, placement and apprenticeship programmes
- Check the website to understand the hiring process for each programme
- Think carefully about which roles genuinely interest you
How can you make your early careers CV stand out?
Your CV should show what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, and why it matters. It should feel personal to the opportunity and tailored to Williams.
Read the job advert and link your achievements to what it’s asking for. If the role needs problem-solving, show an example. If it needs teamwork, show where you helped a group move towards a shared goal. If it needs technical curiosity, show the project or experience that proves it.
While it’s advantageous if you do have previous Formula 1 experience, it’s not a requirement. Relevant examples can come from university work, personal projects, volunteering, part-time jobs, motorsport clubs, coding, handling quantitative data, manufacturing tasks or hobbies that show how you think.
A strong CV should make it easy to see:
- Why this role interests you
- What experience links to the job advert
- What achievements you’re proud of
- How you learn and work with others
Laura Nicholas, Early Career Talent Acquisition Partner, gives her tips for what makes a CV shine:
“A job title tells us very little. What we really want to understand is the difference you made when working in a role or on a project, even small ones. Did something run more smoothly? Did you support someone through a tough project? Did you spot something others missed? That's the stuff that shows us who you are at work, and where you could make an impact.”
Why should you include a cover letter, portfolio or personal project?
A cover letter, portfolio, or personal project can help bring your application to life. It gives us more than a list of qualifications and shows evidence of what you can do.
Your cover letter should explain why you’re applying, why the programme interests you, and why this role feels right. Keep it specific to the opportunity at hand.
If you have a portfolio, personal project or example of work, link it clearly on your CV. That could be a GitHub profile, design portfolio, engineering project, CAD work, research piece, manufacturing example, data project or motorsport-related build. Make the link easy to find, easy to open, and show us your best work.
Why should you avoid blanket applying for early careers roles?
When you want to work in Formula 1, it can be tempting to apply for every role that looks relevant. One or two focused applications will often say more than a scattergun approach.
Be selective and let your skills and passion shine through.
What happens after you apply for an early careers role?
Once you apply, keep the momentum going. All applicants will be asked to complete an online assessment, so complete it promptly and keep an eye on your inbox or your junk folder!
If the assessment link doesn’t arrive, follow up. If you need a reasonable adjustment, let us know as early as possible.
Application windows are often short. Each role will typically remain open for around two weeks, although this can change depending on application volume. We aim to publish roles at 12:00 PM on the opening day and close them at 12:00 PM on the advertised closing date.
Freddie Smith, Industrial Placement, Logistics Operations, shares his experience of applying:
“I found the online tests the most daunting but try to become comfortable with the format of these and what type of activities you may complete. When prepping for interviews, get friends to grill you, and practice how you may respond to certain questions. Throughout the whole process, remember to always display your personality, it's not a bad thing to stand out!”
How can early careers programmes help you find your place in Formula 1?
F1 early careers programmes don’t just add experience on your CV. They’re about learning where you fit and how you can contribute in a high-performance environment.
With our culture of internal mobility, your Williams story doesn’t need to finish at the end of the programme. Most who start on a graduate programme, industrial placement or apprenticeship go on to build a longer-term career here.
As Pheobe Wales, a former design apprentice who has progressed to become a design engineer, says:
“I have loved F1 since I was a kid. Growing up, I knew university wasn't going to be the option for me so I’ve always looked at apprenticeships. They really are a great way to learn on the job. Getting the opportunity to do an apprenticeship at Williams was beyond what I could've ever dreamed of.
I think early careers is a great place to start. Williams offered me so many opportunities to expand my knowledge over the course of my apprenticeship and now, being in a full time role, that foundation has helped me to find my direction and place here at Williams.
My advice is don't stop following your dreams. I’m someone who never thought she could make it into F1. It's all thanks to the early careers team here at Williams that I achieved my dream to be working here.”
Create the winning formula in early career roles
Your role of a lifetime could start with one application. If you’re curious, driven and ready to make real impact, this is your place to start.
Head to our early careers programmes today and explore graduate opportunities, placements and apprenticeships to start the engine on your application.
.jpg?v=865d53b1796fd3df4a0113a047ea64b1)
