Associate Director- Bridges

Buro Happold; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

Hybrid working arrangements

Private Medical Health

Company Pension Scheme

Life Assurance

Income Protection

Flexible Benefits

Job summary

A leading UK engineering firm is looking for an experienced Associate Director to join its Bridges Team. You will lead the delivery of innovative bridge and civil engineering projects, ensuring both technical excellence and strategic direction. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in UK infrastructure projects, alongside a strong understanding of public sector dynamics. This role promotes professional growth and multifaceted project engagement, ensuring a positive impact on community infrastructure.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in UK bridge engineering with leadership on major projects.
• Understanding of UK public infrastructure and procurement.
• Track record in managing multidisciplinary project delivery, including urban civil structures.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of significant bridge projects across UK public infrastructure.
• Serve as Project Director for major commissions, ensuring high-quality output.
• Oversee project finances and conduct commercial negotiations.
• Foster relationship development with clients and stakeholders.

Skills

Bridge engineering experience

Leadership of infrastructure projects

Public sector relationship development

Management of complex projects

Chartered professional status

Education

Chartered Engineer (MICE, MIStructE)

Job description

Buro Happold is seeking an experienced and knowledgeable Associate Director to join our UK Bridges Team in London or Leeds, delivering excellence on Bridges and Civil Structures projects.

Here at Buro Happold, expect the exceptional. From career-defining opportunities to an inclusive and diverse practice where we all contribute to a more equitable world. From our reputation to our relationships. Wherever your Buro Happold career takes you, it’ll be anything but ordinary.

At Buro Happold, you’ll join a purpose-led organisation where sustainability, equity, and performance are at the heart of our mission. We value integrity and bold thinking, and we’re looking for professionals who are ready to lead by example and shape the future of bridge engineering.

Our Bridges team combines technical excellence with practical construction insight to deliver efficient, buildable, and sustainable designs from concept through to completion. We are driven by a commitment to the highest standards and a passion for elegant, innovative solutions.

You will guide the delivery of multidisciplinary bridge projects, balancing technical excellence with strategic, commercial, and leadership responsibilities. This is a post for an engineer with a strong technical bridge engineering background who is motivated by winning work, executing high-profile UK and international infrastructure, and development of colleagues.

Your skills and experience

• Extensive technical experience of bridge engineering in the UK, including leadership of major public infrastructure projects.
• In-depth understanding of the UK’s public infrastructure and procurement landscape.
• Proven track record in management of complex, multidisciplinary delivery of projects including highways, rail, utilities, or urban civil structures.
• Demonstrable experience of successful work winning, commercial stewardship, and client relationship development in the public sector.
• Chartered status with a relevant professional institution (e.g., MICE, MIStructE) and commitment to professional progression.

Key Duties

• Lead the design and delivery of significant bridge and civil engineering projects across UK public infrastructure.
• Serve as Project Director/Leader on major multi- or single-disciplinary commissions, establishing robust management systems and ensuring high-quality output.
• Provide team leadership, coaching, and mentoring of engineers, promoting best practice in technical and commercial delivery in the Bridges team.
• Oversee project finances, actively managing resources, monitoring and controlling fee expenditure, and conducting commercial negotiations.
• Take a lead role in work winning: identify opportunities, produce compelling bids, and pursue strategic business development, with focus on the UK public sector and other sectors and geographies.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, collaborators, and stakeholders and fellow professionals, acting as a principal representative for Buro Happold.
• Advance knowledge of industry trends, digital best practice, sustainability, and reduction of embodied carbon in bridge design.
• Champion health, safety, environment and welfare, and improve quality standards in all activities.
• Vision for growth and development of the discipline, the team, and the wider business.

What we offer

• Holiday entitlement of 25 days per annum, exclusive of Bank Holidays.
• Hybrid working arrangements.
• Private Medical Health (family cover).
• Company Pension Scheme.
• Life Assurance.
• Income Protection.
• Flexible Benefits - including Cycle scheme, Dental insurance, Optical Cover, Travel insurance and Corporate discounts.
• Early leaving at the end of the month - Buro Happold actively encourages its employees to finish at 3pm on the last Friday of each month (depending on business demands). These hours can equate to an additional 4 days leave per month.

A place for everyone

Buro Happold values an individual's flexible approaches to working patterns as an important part of how you work and achieve balance. We welcome applications from those who are seeking flexibility in their careers.

Our exceptional portfolio of projects is the result of the diversity of thought, identities, backgrounds, and experiences that shape us. Appreciating each other’s differences is key, we want employees to feel they don’t have to mask elements of their identity to thrive.

We are working to change the lack of representation of marginalised groups in the built environment. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who feels they are underrepresented in the industry. We have much to learn from one another. Embracing differences allows us to develop the most innovative and elegant solutions.

Please let us know if there are any adjustments we could make to the application process to make it easier and more comfortable for you. Contact [e-mail] so we can work with you to support you throughout your application.