Design Lead - Infrastructure

JN Bentley; Reading; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Annual bonus

Professional subscription

Life Insurance

Private Medical Insurance

Flexible working

Employee networks

Enhanced family leave

Job summary

Mott MacDonald Bentley is recruiting a Design Lead - Infrastructure for UK water projects, based in London or Reading. You will lead multi-disciplinary design teams across electrical, mechanical, civil and process disciplines to deliver affordable, low‑carbon solutions.

You’ll work on Thames Water programmes and other water/wastewater schemes, ensuring designs meet construction needs, budgets and client expectations, with strong emphasis on value and safety.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering.
• Chartered or incorporated member of professional institution e.g. ICE, IMechE, etc., or equivalent experience.
• Experience in Water or Wastewater infrastructure design.
• Knowledge of the Designer or Principal Designer duties under CDM 2015.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Education

Degree in Engineering

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

Experience in Water or Wastewater infrastructure design

Knowledge of the Designer or Principal Designer duties under CDM 2015

Job description

Location

London (Fleet Place) / Reading (Clearwater Court)

About Mott MacDonald Bentley

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.

About the Role

As a Design Lead - Infrastructure 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.

MMB has extended its contract with Thames Water for an additional five years. As the largest water and wastewater provider in the UK, Thames Water serves 15 million customers throughout London and the Thames Valley. This extension will carry the current workload beyond the end of AMP8 in March 2030. We are delivering work in the Thames Valley region (extending from Cirencester in the west to the M25 and from Basingstoke in the South to Banbury in the North). This sees us undertake a varied programme of sizable projects in wastewater treatment, clean water production and Infrastructure (Water and Wastewater networks).

Key Responsibilities

• 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

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering
• Chartered or incorporated member of professional institution e.g. ICE, IMechE, etc., or equivalent experience
• Experience in Water or Wastewater infrastructure design
• Knowledge of the Designer or Principal Designer duties under CDM 2015.

Benefits

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.

Immigration and Sponsorship

Mott MacDonald Bentley are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is 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.