Civil Principal Engineer / Discipline Head

Civil Principal Engineer / Discipline Head

Our client is looking for an experienced Principal Civil Engineer to take a leading technical role within their multidisciplinary design team in the water sector.

This position is suited to a Chartered Engineer with strong design experience who enjoys solving complex engineering problems, guiding design teams, and ensuring high standards of technical delivery.

You will lead civil engineering design across projects, mentor engineers at different stages of their careers, and provide technical leadership for the Civil discipline across our client’s water industry frameworks. The role combines hands-on principal-level design and checking work with discipline-wide technical standards, competency and governance responsibilities.

Working closely with the Design Leads and Engineering Manager, you will play a key role in ensuring projects are delivered to high professional and technical standards, while helping shape how civil engineering is delivered consistently across all of our client’s water industry frameworks.

As a Civil Principal Engineer / Discipline Head you will need to have/be:

Our client is looking for an experienced civil engineer with strong knowledge of water industry design and a track record of leading engineering solutions and providing discipline-wide technical leadership.

Essential

10+ years' design experience within the regulated water industry

Degree or HND in Civil Engineering or a related discipline

Chartered Engineer status

Experience producing hydraulic calculations and hydraulic profiles

Strong understanding of water and wastewater engineering systems and technologies

Experience delivering both infrastructure and non-infrastructure designs

Experience working on outline and detailed design stages

Knowledge of construction methods, materials and engineering drawing practices

Strong IT and digital design capability

Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle

Desirable

Previous experience in a Discipline Lead, Technical Authority or Principal Engineer role

Experience supporting the technical development of junior engineers

Familiarity with client-specific technical standards across multiple water company frameworks

Experience as an independent checker across multiple disciplines or projects

Familiarity with BIM / common data environment workflows

Experience contributing to recruitment, onboarding or competency framework development

Experience working in a design-centre or framework consultancy model

Details:

Salary: £65k – £80k depending on experience and working arrangements

Up to £450 – 550 per day outside IR35 including agency fee, depending on experience and working arrangements

Working Hours: Mon-Fri

Location: Manchester / Flexible around remote/Hybrid working

Duration: Permanent or Contract

Role of Principal Civil Engineer

As Principal Civil Engineer, you will take ownership of the civil engineering design input across a range of water sector projects, acting as the technical authority for the Civil discipline across the business.

Your responsibilities will include:

Design Delivery & Technical Assurance

• Ensuring design deliverables meet safety, quality and regulatory requirements
• Reviewing and approving design deliverables, design risk assessments (DRAs), reports and technical specifications
• Developing efficient and practical engineering solutions based on scopes, site visits and client requirements
• Communicating design solutions clearly to clients and project teams
• Directing and supporting engineers, CAD technicians and graduates
• Guiding design work to ensure compliance with technical standards, professional guidance and water company specifications
• Ensuring design changes are properly implemented and recorded within project documentation
• Working within established design processes and procedures to maintain quality and consistency
• Attending and presenting engineering solutions at design reviews, ALM and key meetings
• Reviewing, or appointing competent checkers for civil designs produced in-house or by subcontracted designers, to ensure compliance with required technical standards

Discipline Leadership & Technical Governance

• Setting, communicating and maintaining civil engineering technical standards across all live projects
• Verifying the technical competency of civil engineering staff before they are allocated to projects
• Monitor the discipline engineers' performance and utilisation
• Identifying training needs and supporting CPD planning for the civil engineering team
• Coordinating with other discipline leads on cross-discipline interface items, to ensure clear ownership where scope overlaps
• Estimating civil design hours at tender stage, and supporting resource forecasting and capacity planning across active projects
• Reviewing and interpreting technical standards, procedures and updates relevant to the civil discipline
• Championing safety-in-design principles within civil engineering, ensuring CDM 2015 designer duties are embedded across all design and checking activity
• Providing key technical guidance for both projects and tenders
• Supporting the continuous improvement of engineering standards and design practices

Benefits of working as Principal Civil Engineer

Our client offers an environment where engineers can build their skills and progress their careers.

23 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays

Additional annual leave after two years’ service

Option to purchase additional annual leave days

Cycle to Work scheme

Free fruit in the office

Monthly team brunches and quarterly social events

Regular lunch-and-learn sessions with industry specialists for CPD

Chartership mentoring and support

The building provides free access to a fully equipped gym, along with showers, changing facilities, hairdryers, towels and toiletries, making it easy to fit exercise around the working day.

Contract roles may also be available outside IR35.