Associate / Associate Director Civil Engineering Water sector

Access Talent Group; Greater London, West Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Access Talent Group is seeking an experienced Associate/Associate Director to lead civil engineering in the water sector, delivering water and wastewater projects from feasibility to handover. You will manage multidisciplinary design teams, coordinate technical deliverables, and provide direction across client, contractor and regulatory interfaces.

The role emphasizes leadership, technical excellence, and the opportunity to shape the civil engineering function within a dynamic, agile consultancy

Qualifications

• A degree in Civil Engineering.
• CEng status or actively working towards Chartered status (ICE or equivalent).
• Experience leading multidisciplinary design teams.
• Strong knowledge of UK standards, legislation and CDM requirements.
• Experience preparing and reviewing calculations, reports, specifications and tender docs.
• Good project management and commercial awareness, including budgets and risks.

Responsibilities

• Lead civil design across water and wastewater projects.
• Coordinate deliverables: layouts, earthworks, drainage, pipelines, structures.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to engineers and technicians.
• Review calculations, reports, specifications and tender documentation.
• Ensure designs meet industry standards, legislation and CDM obligations.
• Coordinate with mechanical, electrical and process disciplines.

Skills

Leadership

Multidisciplinary coordination

Mentoring

Technical direction

Client liaison

UK driving licence

Education

Civil Engineering degree

Job description

Associate / Associate Director Civil Engineering Water sector

Access Talent Group is currently recruiting for an experienced Associate or Assocaite Director Civil Engineer to join its expanding water and wastewater team.

This is an excellent opportunity for a technically strong engineer to take a leading role in the delivery of non-infrastructure water and wastewater projects, working across treatment works, pumping stations, pipelines and associated assets.

You will have significant responsibility for leading civil design, coordinating multidisciplinary teams and providing technical direction throughout the project lifecycle, from feasibility and concept through to detailed design, construction support and handover.

The role would suit an ambitious engineer looking to take the next step in their career within a smaller, agile consultancy, where there is genuine opportunity to influence the development of the civil engineering function and progress into more senior leadership positions.

The Role

You will be responsible for leading the delivery of civil engineering solutions across a variety of water and wastewater projects, working closely with clients, contractors and other technical disciplines.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the delivery of civil engineering designs across water and wastewater projects.
• Managing and coordinating technical deliverables including site layouts, earthworks, drainage, pipelines, hydraulic structures and reinforced concrete structures.
• Providing technical leadership to engineers and technicians, including mentoring and supporting professional development.
• Undertaking and reviewing engineering calculations, technical reports, specifications, risk assessments and other design documentation.
• Ensuring designs meet relevant industry standards, legislation, client requirements and CDM obligations.
• Leading design reviews, value engineering exercises and constructability assessments.
• Coordinating civil designs with mechanical, electrical, process and other engineering disciplines.
• Liaising with clients, contractors, regulators and other project stakeholders.
• Supporting feasibility, concept, outline and detailed design activities.
• Providing technical support during construction, including site inspections, responding to technical queries and managing design changes.
• Supporting proposals, fee estimates, programmes and resource planning.
• Contributing to client relationship management and business development.
• Helping develop the wider civil engineering capability and supporting continuous improvement within the business.

About You

You will be an experienced Civil Engineer with a strong background in water, wastewater, utilities, infrastructure or a closely related sector.

You should have:

• A degree or equivalent qualification in Civil Engineering.
• CEng status or be actively working towards Chartered status, ideally through ICE or another relevant professional institution.
• Strong technical knowledge across areas such as pipelines, drainage, earthworks, reinforced concrete and hydraulic structures.
• Experience leading or coordinating multidisciplinary design teams.
• A strong understanding of relevant UK engineering standards, legislation and CDM requirements.
• Experience preparing and reviewing calculations, reports, specifications and tender documentation.
• Good project management and commercial awareness, including experience with budgets, programmes, resources and project risks.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to develop practical, buildable engineering solutions.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel to project and construction sites.
• Experience in the following areas would be advantageous:
• Water and wastewater treatment.
• Non-infrastructure water projects.
• Pumping stations and associated infrastructure.
• Process and multidisciplinary engineering environments.
• Instrumentation, PLC, SCADA, telemetry or automation.
• Construction, commissioning or operational environments.
• Commercial management and project cost control.
• Working within multidisciplinary design teams.

Why Join?

• This is an opportunity to join a growing specialist engineering consultancy where you can have a genuine influence on the development of the business and its technical capability.
• You will have the opportunity to:
• Take ownership of major water and wastewater projects.
• Work closely with experienced technical and project leaders.
• Mentor and develop junior engineers.
• Build strong client relationships.
• Contribute to business development and future growth.
• Develop your career within an agile and supportive environment.
• Benefit from flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
• Take advantage of structured professional development and support towards chartership.
• Play an active role in developing sustainable and resilient water infrastructure across the UK.