Civil Design Lead

Our fast growing Water engineering and design consultancy client is seeking a Civil Design Lead to support design packages with major Water frameworks with fully remote working available.

They do have offices in Glasgow, Newcastle, London and the Midlands which candidates can opt to work out of. They pride themselves on fostering a collaborative, ambitious, and agile culture. Their focus is on delivering long-term value to end clients, employees, and partners while supporting the successful delivery of critical water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

As they continue to grow, we are looking for a technically strong and proactive Civil/Design Lead/ Principal Civil Engineer. This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in major water and wastewater projects, shape project outcomes, mentor junior engineers, and drive excellence in design delivery across multidisciplinary teams.

Our client are a smaller consultancy and the work environment creates greater opportunities for career progression, professional development, and personal impact.

They offer:

Structured career development plans with clear progression targets and timelines.
Support towards professional qualifications and chartership.
Exposure to challenging and high-profile water infrastructure projects.
Flexible and remote working opportunities (subject to project requirements).
A collaborative and supportive working environment.
Direct access to company leadership and decision-makers.

Role

As a Design Lead/ Principal Civil Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in leading the development and delivery of complex water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

Working collaboratively with clients, stakeholders, and multidisciplinary teams, you will provide technical leadership throughout the full project lifecycle, including:

Planning and feasibility studies
Detailed design
Construction support
Project delivery and close-outYou will be responsible for delivering innovative engineering solutions while ensuring technical quality, programme adherence, and commercial performance.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design and delivery of major water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
Provide technical leadership to multidisciplinary project teams.
Mentor and develop junior engineers and designers.
Review and approve engineering designs, calculations, reports, and technical specifications.
Manage project programmes, budgets, resources, and project risks.
Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, standards, and health & safety requirements.
Support client relationship management and stakeholder engagement.
Contribute to business development activities and project bids where required.
Promote best practice, innovation, and continuous improvement throughout project delivery.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Degree (or equivalent) in Civil Engineering.
Chartered Engineer (CEng) status or actively working towards chartership through a recognised professional institution (e.g. ICE).
Significant experience delivering civil engineering projects within the water, utilities, infrastructure, or related sectors.
Strong technical knowledge of:
Water and wastewater infrastructure
Pipelines
Drainage systems
Earthworks
Reinforced concrete design
Hydraulic structures
Proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Sound understanding of:
Industry design standards
CDM Regulations
Health & Safety legislation
Experience preparing and reviewing:
Technical reports
Engineering calculations
Specifications
Tender documentation
Construction support information
Strong commercial awareness and project management capability.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
Strong communication and relationship-building abilities.
Full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle due to site travel requirements.

Benefits

£65-75k - open to negotiation
Discretionary annual bonus
Employer pension contribution
25 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays
Life insurance
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
Flexible working arrangements
Flexible bank holiday options
One professional membership subscription paid annually
Ongoing training and development opportunities
Support towards chartership and professional accreditation
Clear career progression opportunities
Exposure to complex, high-impact infrastructure projects
Collaborative and inclusive team environment