Principal Civil Engineer

Mott MacDonald; Madrid; Remote; EUR 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement

Life assurance

Professional membership subscription

Private medical insurance

Agile/flexible working

Flexible benefits: restaurant voucher,

Transport card or day care voucher

Wellbeing support and EAP services

Employer networks for LGBTQ+, gender,

Job summary

Mott MacDonald Bentley is recruiting a Project Design Manager to join a remote design and build team supporting Anglian Water’s @one Alliance, with offices in Madrid, Barcelona or Seville.

You will own design from feasibility through to handover, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, championing BIM, and driving low‑carbon, safety‑focused solutions while meeting time and cost targets.

Qualifications

• Experience leading design or engineering teams on complex infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of CDM 2015 regulations and design risk management.
• Strong ability to coordinate across multiple disciplines and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design process from concept to detailed development and design assurance.
• Ensure outputs are integrated and meet operational, commercial, and environmental goals.
• Act as Principal Designer under CDM, managing design risk and safety.
• Drive digital design excellence with BIM and 3D modelling to improve coordination.
• Promote high technical standards and low-carbon, cost-effective solutions.
• Coordinate resources with project leaders and delivery teams to stay on track.
• Build strong relationships with operators, contractors, regulators and communities.
• Mentor junior engineers and foster a learning culture.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Multi-disciplinary coordination

Digital design emphasis

Education

Degree in Civil Engineering

Tools

BIM workflows

Digital design tools

3D modelling

Job description

Mott MacDonald Bentley are recruiting for a Project Design Manager to join our office in Madrid, Barcelona or Seville and support our work with the @one Alliance as part of a remote design and build team.

As part of Anglian Water’s @one Alliance, we are on a mission to create a sustainable and resilient future for water. With an ambitious £2.3 billion capital investment in AMP8, we are revolutionising infrastructure, sustainability, and digital transformation to protect the environment and support growing communities

What you’ll be doing

As aProject Design Manager, you’ll take technical ownership of major infrastructure projects from initial feasibility through to detailed design and handover. You’ll coordinate design delivery across multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring designs are practical, sustainable, and aligned with cost, time, and quality expectations. These projects make a real difference to the community

You’ll act as a key point of contact across the project lifecycle, working closely with project leaders, engineers, construction teams, and external stakeholders to ensure seamless delivery. It’s a hands‑on, highly collaborative role that puts you at the centre of some of the most important infrastructure work happening in the region.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the design processon major capital projects, from early concept through to detailed technical development and design assurance.


• Ensuring design outputs are fully integrated, meeting the operational, commercial, and environmental objectives of the wider project.


• Acting as Principal Designer under CDM regulations, managing design risk and ensuring that safety is considered at every stage.


• Driving digital design excellence, supporting the use of BIM and 3D modelling to improve coordination, data integration, and project outcomes.


• Challenging and improving technical standards, encouraging innovation and the use of repeatable, low‑carbon, and cost‑effective solutions.


• Liaising with project leaders and delivery teamsto plan and allocate design resources effectively, ensuring all technical aspects remain on track.


• Building strong working relationshipswith internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that designs reflect the needs of operators, contractors, regulators, and the community.


• Championing best practice across quality, health and safety, and performance – both within your own team and the wider Alliance.


• Mentoring junior engineers and designers, creating a positive learning culture and helping others grow their skills and confidence.


• Driving collaboration across disciplines, promoting a one‑team mindset and helping to unlock value at every stage of the design process.

We’re looking for a confident and technically capable design leader, someone who understands the bigger picture but isn’t afraid to get stuck into the detail when needed. You’ll be calm under pressure, clear in your thinking, and passionate about delivering sustainable infrastructure that makes a genuine difference.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• A degree in civil engineering or a related discipline.


• Proven experience in a design or engineering leadership role within complex infrastructure or water-related projects, ideally experience of the UK water sector.


• A working knowledge of CDM 2015 regulations, with prior experience acting as Principal Designer or managing design risk.


• A strong understanding of project delivery in a multi-disciplinary environment.


• Experience with digital design tools, BIM workflows, and integrated design processes.


• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills – able to influence, lead, and work collaboratively at all levels.


• A proactive, solution‑focused mindset with a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.


• Available to work periodically in UK as required.

We are actively recruiting a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve. We recognise that differences in ability, skills and experience are a strength and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at [e-mail] and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Happy to talk Flexible Working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

• Holiday entitlement


• Life assurance


• Professional membership subscription


• Private medical insurance


• Agile/flexible working – because life isn’t 9‑5


• Flexible benefits that suit you, including restaurant voucher, transport card or day care voucher.


• Wellbeing support including access to an independent Employer Assistance Scheme, wellbeing champions and access to learning and support resources


• Access to our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability and parents/carers communities