Job No. BBUK19195

Balfour Beatty plc; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car or car allowance

25 days annual leave

Pension savings scheme

Discretionary annual salary reviews

Refer and Earn scheme

Job summary

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering is seeking a Senior Design Engineer to lead complex geotechnical design for bids and tenders in the UK. You will develop innovative ground solutions, review client requirements, and ensure designs meet codes and project needs.

The role requires collaboration with estimators, operations, and external designers, with a focus on risk management and value engineering. You will mentor junior engineers, stay current with industry software, and contribute to winning

Qualifications

• Degree level in civil engineering or substantial piling/ground engineering experience.
• Minimum 5 years in piling or geotechnical industry.
• Chartered Status of ICE or equivalent.
• CSCS card is required.
• Experience designing geotechnical foundations (load bearing piles/retaining walls).
• Knowledge of WALLAP and OASYS preferable.
• Develop Repute and Plaxis abilities and train others to support work winning.
• Able to work to tight deadlines.
• Capable of effective communication and presentation to internal/external stakeholders.
• Self-starter with initiative; learns quickly.

Responsibilities

• Develop winning solutions through technical competence and client relationships.
• Review drawings to ensure code-compliant, accurate designs.
• Assist estimators to plan work with reference to operations.
• Keep up to date with geotechnical design thinking and innovation.
• Review tender submissions to ensure complete and compliant designs.
• Assess risks and integrate into pricing strategy.
• Communicate designs to operations team; highlight methods and outputs.
• Prepare preliminary and general pricing for tenders where required.

Skills

Strong customer focus

Effective communication

Presentation skills

Team collaboration

Education

Civil Engineering degree

Tools

WALLAP

OASYS

Plaxis

Repute

Job description

About the role

Our projects are more than just your opportunity to make your mark. They are an opportunity to stretch, test and develop your expertise. Join our Ground Engineering team as a Senior Design Engineer and you will deliver complex work that really matters to our business and the world around you.

Role purpose: To be a senior member of the team to develop bids and tenders to win work for the business. Generate innovative solutions in challenging ground engineering conditions for every bid. Maximise our opportunity and develop solutions that provide added value to the Client whilst meeting the Clients specification.

The business requires the safest and most efficient solution for every tender and contract, meeting the desired quality metrics and compliant with the delivery requirements of the customer. To check and ensure compliance to design codes and standards and support junior team members.

What you'll be doing

The successful candidate will work with the Estimator and support the work winning process to develop accurate solutions based on client requirements, by carrying out the following:

• To develop and produce ‘winning ‘solutions, through technical competence and development of key customer relationships;
• Review customer’s drawings and specifications and prepare accurate designs which are code compliant and meet the client’s requirements;
• Assist the estimator and Pre-construction manager to plan the work based on sound previous experience or with reference to the operational team;
• The designer must keep up to date with latest innovations and thinking in the geotechnical and wider design community;
• Review tender documents and submission requirements, ensuring all technical information is identified and provided and accurate compliant design proposals are included;
• Assess project and technical risks associated with the schemes, mitigate them or captured in the pricing strategy. A principle role is to ensure we protect Balfour Beatty’s interests by ensuring all risks are evaluated, captured and communicated to the relevant parties/stakeholders;
• Communicate and review designs with the operations team to be able to highlight and include the key methods, programme, outputs and plant selection;
• For some tenders, manage and coordinate the preparation of preliminary and general pricing;
• Complete designer risk assessments;
• Assist the Pre-construction Manager to prepare tender settlement / gate papers;
• Understand the market design solutions and benchmark our solutions to increase our success rate;
• Provide considered responses to customer questions including post tender queries;
• Support the Pre-construction Manager with customer contact, present tender proposals to customers and contribute to customer meetings during the tender process;
• Review tender submissions from other bid teams;
• Once tenders are at a 1-2-1 stage with the successful client / main contractor, the designer must prepare and communicate the design history, philosophy and current design proposal to the operational delivery design team;
• Build effective client relations and strong relationships with external structural designers;
• To carry out checks of designs completed by other members of the team;
• Complete contract designs for submissions to Structural Engineers post contract award;
• Carry out site visits and technical audits on site to ensure compliance;
• Respond to and close out non-conformance issues on site.

Who we're looking for

The following qualities and experience are required to fulfil the requirements of the role:

• To be qualified to degree level in civil engineering or similar or have substantial experience in piling and ground engineering operations and design.
• Minimum 5 years working in piling industry or the geotechnical industry.
• Working towards or achieved Chartered Status of ICE or similar.
• Must have a valid CSCS card.
• Experience of designing geotechnical foundations (load bearing pile and retaining walls) and have in depth technical and market knowledge of Ground Engineering and has as an ability to demonstrate a strong customer focus.
• Some experience in the use of WALLAP and OASYS software is preferable.
• Will be expected to develop Repute and Plaxis abilities and train others in all these activities to support the work winning team generally.
• Able to work to and achieve tight deadlines.
• Capable of communicating effectively to both their own team and to external stakeholders.
• Sound presentation skills are required.
• Demonstrate complete focus and determination to achieve successful outcomes.
• Is a self-starter, and takes the initiative in situations.
• Learns quickly, adapting thought and action to changing customer demands. Is energised by change.
• Proactively builds knowledge capability through sharing knowledge, ideas and expertise with others.

Why work for us

Our people are our biggest asset and we focus on recruiting, training and developing the people who can apply innovation to deliver the infrastructure of the future. We nurture these talents, offer a great benefits package in addition to a competitive base salary and continually invest in developing the skills of our people at every level.

Some of our key benefits are:

• An attractive/negotiated salary;
• Company car or car allowance;
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays;
• Pension savings schemes;
• Enhanced maternity/paternity and family friendly policies;
• Access to our Refer and Earn scheme;
• Discretionary annual salary reviews.

About us

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering is one of the UK’s leading specialist geo-technical contractors, providing innovative piling and ground improvement solutions across all sectors.

Our comprehensive ground engineering capabilities, equipment and experience provide the solid foundations for infrastructure and buildings of any height, ranging from city skyscrapers to cross-country rail and road projects.

Our reputation as one of the UK’s leading specialist geo-technical contractors is earned through the delivery of ground engineering solutions on some of the UK’s largest and most prestigious projects including HS2, The Shard, Wembley Stadium, Reading Station Viaduct, Marble Arch Place, Battersea Power Station redevelopment and the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement project.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone D&I Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

We are a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

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