Drainage Engineer (Highways & Energy)

Fairhurst; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension

Personal health care plan

Life insurance

33 days annual leave (incl. public)

Bonus schemes

Interest-free travel loan

Job summary

Fairhurst LLP is seeking a Drainage Engineer to deliver a wide range of drainage projects, including major infrastructure, masterplanning, and renewables schemes. You will be responsible for design, technical delivery, and client coordination, with opportunities to develop project management and client-facing skills.

The role requires strong technical capability, a commitment to high-quality design, and progression toward Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status.

Qualifications

• Working towards Incorporated Engineer or Chartered Engineer status as defined by the Engineering Council.
• Strong experience in drainage, water, and infrastructure engineering across varied project types.
• High competence in Causeway Flow and/or InfoDrainage.
• Competent Civils3D user
• High competence in Manual for Contract Document, Specification of Highway Work, Sewer for Scotland and Ciria guidelines

Responsibilities

• Design highway drainage systems for new-build, improvement, maintenance, and major infrastructure schemes.
• Develop drainage strategies from feasibility through detailed design and construction.
• Coordinate drainage design with highways geometry, earthworks, structures, utilities, landscaping, environmental, and geotechnical requirements.
• Attend meetings, workshops, and site visits; driving licence required.
• Prepare drainage design reports, calculations, specifications, schedules, drawings, and technical submissions.
• Ensure designs satisfy health, safety, environmental, planning, and constructability requirements.
• Contribute to technical approvals and guide junior team members.

Skills

Drainage design

Project management

Client communication

Team mentoring

Education

Incorporated/Chartered status (Engineering Council)

Tools

Causeway Flow

InfoDrainage

Civils3D

Sewer for Scotland

Job description

About Fairhurst LLP –Fairhurst LLP is one of the UK’s largest private multidisciplinary partnerships of consulting engineers, delivering civil, structural, geotechnical, environmental, transportation, planning, water, and landscape architecture services across 16 principal offices in the UK. Fairhurst specialises in providing cost‑effective, sustainable engineering solutions and prides itself on high-quality service delivery, technical excellence, and long-standing client relationships.

Our team is passionate about supporting and managing how engineering projects interface with, protect, and ensure the sustainability of our water environment. We deliver successful engineering outcomes that serve the water environment including large master-planning strategies, transport infrastructure, road and highway infrastructure, renewable energy and sustainable drainage schemes for the present and the future.

Role Overview – The Drainage Engineer is responsible for delivering on a broad and diverse range of drainage projects, including major infrastructure, masterplan development, and renewables/energy schemes.
The role requires strong technical capability, a commitment to high quality design, and an ambition to develop experience in both project and client management.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Design & Technical Delivery

• Design highway drainage systems for new-build, improvement, maintenance, and major infrastructure schemes.
• Develop drainage strategies from feasibility through detailed design and construction.
• Design surface water drainage systems including:
  • Highway gullies and carrier drains
  • Pipe networks and culverts
  • Filter drains and linear drainage systems
  • Headwalls and outfalls
  • Attenuation and storage systems
  • Swales, ponds, wetlands, and other SuDS features
  • Pumped drainage systems where required
• Undertake rainfall/runoff calculations and assess design storm events and climate-change allowances.
• Undertake hydraulic calculations and network modelling using Causeway Flow and/or InfoDrainage to assess capacity, surcharge, flooding, and exceedance.
• Oversee and produce accurate models, drawings, and technical reports.
• Coordinate drainage design with highways geometry, earthworks, structures, utilities, landscaping, environmental, and geotechnical requirements.
• Assess existing drainage infrastructure and identify capacity constraints, defects, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop flood mitigation and exceedance-flow solutions.
• Assist in technical reviews, ensuring designs align with best practice and project specifications.

Project Management

• Support the planning, coordination, and delivery of engineering tasks and project packages.
• Monitor progress, manage priorities, and contribute to forecasting, resources, and project reporting.
• Develop experience in commercial awareness, risk management, and programme control.
• Take ownership of assigned tasks and deliverables, ensuring compliance with deadlines and quality standards.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Attend meetings, workshops, and site visits (driving licence required).
• Communicate proactively with clients, consultants, contractors, and regulators.
• Represent Fairhurst professionally, clearly conveying technical information to varied audiences.
• Build strong, long‑term working relationships with partners and stakeholders.

Quality & Compliance

• Apply relevant highway, drainage, water, flood-risk, and environmental standards and guidance.
• Demonstrate an understanding of requirements from organisations such as National Highways, local highway authorities, Lead Local Flood Authorities, water companies, and the Environment Agency.
• Prepare drainage design reports, calculations, specifications, schedules, drawings, and technical submissions.
• Ensure designs satisfy relevant health, safety, environmental, planning, and constructability requirements.
• Contribute to technical approvals and departures from standards where required
• Support and guide junior team members, sharing knowledge and encouraging professional development.
• Assist in developing skills within the team and contribute to a positive, collaborative working environment.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Working towards Incorporated Engineer or Chartered Engineer status as defined by the Engineering Council;
• Strong experience in drainage, water, and infrastructure engineering across varied project types.
• High competence in Causeway Flow and/or InfoDrainage.
• Competent Civils3D user
• High competence in Manual for Contract Document, Specification of Highway Work, Sewer for Scotland and Ciria guidelines

WHAT WE OFFER YOU

• A collaborative, partner‑led environment with access to multidisciplinary expertise.
• Career and professional development and opportunities on high‑profile projects.
• Competitive salary and benefits, aligned to experience and location.
• A culture built on responsiveness, flexibility, and sustainable, value‑adding engineering.
• Competitive salary and excellent flexible benefits package
• Contributory pension, personal health care plan and life insurance
• 33 days annual leave (inclusive of Public Holidays) including annual leave purchase and buy-back scheme
• Bonus Schemes including loyalty bonus and qualifications award
• Interest‑free travel loan

You can learn more about our staff benefits here.

ETHOS

We, at Fairhurst, know that progress within the industry is all about people. That’s why we’re working together to build a better, more inclusive and diverse future for engineers and the engineering industry.

We are committed to providing a workplace that is respectful, fair and inclusive for all employees. We recognise the value of different perspectives and backgrounds, and we are committed to creating an environment where everyone can contribute and succeed.