Design Lead

MOTT MACDONALD; North East; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension contributions

Annual bonus

Professional subscriptions

33 days holiday

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

Flexible working

Job summary

Mott MacDonald Bentley is seeking a Design Lead to drive multi-disciplinary design delivery for UK water projects. You will lead teams of electrical, mechanical, civil and process designers to develop affordable, low‑carbon solutions and ensure designs meet construction needs and client expectations.

You will guide project controls, quality and cost management while maintaining strong client relationships and delivering value across programmes in a supportive, collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering and Chartered or Incorporated status or equivalent experience.
• Outline and detailed design experience in water/wastewater projects.
• Strong technical knowledge with broad disciplinary appreciation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of multi-disciplinary design for projects and programmes.
• Develop and lead teams of electrical, mechanical, civil and process designers.
• Lead affordable, low-carbon solutions and manage opportunities and risks.
• Deliver detailed designs to meet construction needs and client acceptance.
• Challenge engineering solutions to ensure best-value outcomes.
• Provide direction on project controls, quality, cost and schedule.
• Maintain positive client relationships at project level.

Skills

Multi-disciplinary design

Team leadership

Water/wastewater design

CDM 2015 knowledge

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

AutoCAD

Civil 3D

Job description

Internal applicants welcome

Mott MacDonald Bentley is a fully integrated design and build business combining the design expertise of Mott MacDonald with the contracting experience of JN Bentley to deliver award winning projects. With an annual turnover surpassing £500 million, Mott Macdonald Bentley cements its position as a leader within the industry. The sustained, robust business performance creates an ideal environment for career growth.

We joined a new partnership in Northumbrian Water’s new Living Water Enterprise, an innovative vehicle developed to deliver large scale construction programmes in AMP8 and beyond, supporting a £3.6bn workload.

Northumbrian Water supplies water and sewerage services to just under 4.4 million people and has worked closely with MMB and JN Bentley since 2001. In this time, the companies have delivered hundreds of engineering and construction projects together. This new contract will extend the relationship to at least 2030 and see MMB – which harnesses the contracting strength of JN Bentley and the design specialisms of Mott MacDonald - undertake treatment projects across the North East.

As a Design Lead you will contribute to projects that significantly impact our environment and communities. Working primarily in the UK water market, MMB provides the feasibility, design, construction, and commissioning services needed to keep water flowing and wastewater treated. You’ll work on projects that make a real difference to our environment and our communities by enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of water and wastewater treatment systems.

The role of a Design Lead includes:

• Leading the delivery of multi-disciplinary design for your projects / programme

• Developing and leading your team comprised of electrical, mechanical, civil, and process designers

• Leading the development of affordable and low carbon solutions, including managing opportunities and risks.

• Delivering detailed designs to meet construction needs and client acceptance including managing cost and programme.

• Challenging the engineering solutions and delivery effectiveness of your team to ensure we always offer the client the best value solutions.

• Providing direction and oversight of project controls and ensuring your team understands and complies with quality, programme, and cost requirements.

• Maintaining positive client relationships at project level

What you’ll need:

• Degree in Engineering

• Chartered or incorporated member of professional institution e.g ICE, IMechE, etc, or equivalent experience

• Outline and detailed design experience of water or wastewater projects and knowledge of the Designer or Principal Designer duties under CDM 2015.

• Strong technical knowledge in own discipline and an appreciation of other disciplines.

What’s in it for you:

Financial wellbeing

• MMB match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.

• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues including our annual bonus schemes.

• Payment of annual professional institution subscription costs

Health and wellbeing

• A minimum of 33 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays, with the ability to buy, sell or carry over annual leave through our flexible benefits programme.

• Access to Life Assurance / Private Medical Insurance / Critical Illness Insurance and Health Screening options

• We are happy to talk openly about flexible working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace.

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave plus the option for shared parental leave.

• Up to 2 paid additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities

Learning and development

• MMB are committed to empowering our people to grow professionally and thrive in their careers. We offer structured development schemes that support your journey toward professional chartership. From day one, employees are fast-tracked towards chartership reviews and benefit from mentorship, hands‑on experience, and tailored training opportunities

*Mott MacDonald Bentley are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.**

Other information

This is a Mott MacDonald Bentley role, employed by Mott MacDonald.
Mott MacDonald Bentley is a joint venture business, established in 1999 between civil engineering contractor JN Bentley and global management consultancy, Mott MacDonald.

Mott MacDonald Bentley offers fully integrated design and build services to its clients, combining the contracting expertise of JN Bentley and the design specialisms of Mott MacDonald.

This role is employed by Mott MacDonald but will involve working across the joint venture business, both with Mott MacDonald and JN Bentley colleagues.

About Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management and development consultancy.

Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities.

A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs.
Our values: progress, respect, integrity, drive, excellence.

We believe that because we care about what we do, we do things better.
We know that our people are our most valuable asset, so we are dedicated to investing in them, through our comprehensive training and development schemes, exposure to the wider design and build business and endless opportunities.

We are committed to creating a workplace where our people are safe, have a voice, can reach their full potential, and everyone shares in the rewards.

You’ll have the opportunity to contribute to projects that benefit our communities – from helping to secure water supplies for future generations to protecting homes and businesses from flood risk – our projects make a real difference.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
A Mott MacDonald Bentley we welcome applications from all sectors of the community. We are dedicated to building a diverse workplace where everyone feels included, has the opportunity to thrive, and is treated with respect.

Even if you don’t meet every requirement for this role but are excited about the opportunity, we encourage you to apply. Find out more about our approach to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion here: https://www.mottmacbentley.co.uk/people.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment practices are barrier‑free and as inclusive as possible. This includes making adjustments during the job application process and throughout your future career with us.

You can read more about our Equal Opportunities Policy here: Equality, diversity and inclusion - Mott MacDonald

Agile working
We are committed to providing a flexible and agile working environment that supports both our employees and the needs of the business.
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