Associate Technical Director - Modelling

Arcadis; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Arcadis is seeking an Associate Technical Director to lead wastewater modelling delivery for UK water sector clients, guiding projects from scoping to Concept Stage and supporting design teams through delivery. The role focuses on CSO improvements, SuDS retrofit, and environmental compliance, with a strong emphasis on cross-functional collaboration and value engineering.

You will oversee technical outputs, manage client expectations, and drive program delivery while working across organisational

Qualifications

• Proven capability of delivering wastewater modelling projects from scoping to Concept Stage.
• Ability to lead technical teams and drive value engineering solutions.
• Strong client management skills and experience delivering large projects.

Responsibilities

• Proactively manage a portfolio of wastewater modelling projects across UK clients.
• Lead technical outputs, coordinate cross-functional teams, and ensure quality deliverables.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to team members.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations and contractual requirements.

Skills

Wastewater modelling

Technical leadership

Client management

SuDS knowledge

Tools

Hydraulic modelling tools

Job description

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description

Our Wastewater network modelling team is looking for an Associate Technical Director to join the team to help lead the delivery of hydraulic modelling for primarily UK Water Company and other clients. The work is primarily focused on supporting the delivery of the WINEP drivers for CSO improvements but also includes DWMPs, catchment growth, flooding and pollution.

This work will contribute to the significant clean-up of watercourses, beaches and the marine environment planned for the next 15 years by the UK Water Industry by addressing intermittent overflows using a blend of engineering interventions increasingly focussed on SuDS and other measures to reduce and control the inflows to the foul and combined wastewater networks. The work will involve managing the cross-over from conventional urban wastewater modelling to the inclusion of SuDS retrofit schemes. The role offers an opportunity to influence the direction of projects in this important and publicly aware area of work.

The candidate will need to have proven capability of delivering wastewater modelling projects from scoping to Concept Stage and supporting engineers through the design and delivery stages. The successful candidate will provide dynamic technical leadership, co-ordination, and the identification of efficient solutions through collaborative value engineering techniques.The role will require a full understanding of the limitations of the techniques used to inform the client of the compliance risks that implementation of a given solution will bring. The candidate will need to have proven client management skills, the ability to help build and manage the technical support team and oversee technical outputs. They should have a practical understanding of commercial and contract management, and experience of delivering large projects/programmes of work. The role necessitates the ability to work effectively across organisational boundaries, both internally and externally to Arcadis, and offers a pathway towards senior management positions.

We work to protect our natural environment and water resources, while powering our world for future generations. Around the world, we’re feeling the effects climate change, rapid urbanization, loss of biodiversity. The rate at which we’re seeing large-scale, unforeseen events such as floods and wildfires, is becoming more frequent.We are here to protect our natural environment and water resources, while powering our world for future generations.

Reporting to the Service Lead for D&E, you will be joining a growing team of 90+ people across multiple offices who provide services across the whole spectrum of flood risk and hydrology, fluvial & network modelling, sustainable drainage, water resources management, water quality, river engineering, waterways, dams & reservoirs and, consultancy advisory.

Because we’re such a diverse business, we can offer you variety as standard. The work within our Unit can span across all stages of assets lifecycle, from feasibility and optioneering through concept and detailed design, modelling, planning and environmental consents, to site supervision and asset refurbishment, as well as providing tailored client services to support the development of flood alleviation and SuDS retrofit schemes. You’ll get to work on a range of different projects for regulators, local government bodies, infrastructure providers, water companies, developers and investors and you would be expected to interface and work in collaboration with the other Design and Engineering Leads in Water Management.

The candidate will need to have proven capability of delivering SuDS and Nature Based Solutions across a wide portfolio of projects. The successful candidate will provide dynamic technical leadership, co-ordination, and the identification of efficient solutions through collaborative value engineering techniques. The candidate will need to have proven client management skills, the ability to help build and manage the technical support team and oversee technical outputs. They should have a practical understanding of commercial and contract management, and experience of delivering large projects/programmes of work. The role necessitates the ability to work effectively across organisational boundaries, both internally and externally to Arcadis, and offers a pathway towards senior management positions.

Role accountabilities

Responsibilities of this role include, but are not limited to:

• Proactively managing a portfolio of projects and working in collaboration with other design disciplines and stakeholders
• Working with the client and taking ownership for the delivery of Arcadis’ portfolio of works. With potential secondment arrangement with the clients.
• Ensuring adequate resource for the delivery of the programme and identifying needs to enable strategic recruitment as necessary
• Building a profile with our Clients, and maintaining Arcadis’ reputation for high quality, innovative design
• Communicating with team members to ensure that they understand, and become engaged with, company and client processes, plans and initiatives
• Create and manage quality processes (PCRA), ensuring quality deliverables and assurance in line with company systems
• Plan, direct and control tasks, people and resources.
• Lead a team and develop staff to meet changing technical and managerial needs.
• Undertake the design and development of engineering solutions and evaluate their effectiveness.
• Providing technical leadership, direction, and pastoral care to team members, taking a proactive role in developing them to their full potential, leading by example to achieve sector/divisional goals and championing a quality, innovative and entrepreneurial culture
• Contributing to the resolution of project issues and providing guidance and support to other team members
• Being familiar with, and compliant with, relevant H&S regulations and promoting a culture of H&S awareness within the team
• Performing other duties and responsibilities as required from time to time by your Client Manager or Arcadis Senior Leadership Team

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.