Lead Design Engineer / Design Manager, Water

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

AECOM is seeking a Lead Design Engineer / Design Manager for its Water team in Manchester. You will lead multidisciplinary design work on potable water, wastewater, and flood infrastructure projects with a hybrid working model.

You will manage from feasibility to construction, overseeing teams and collaborating with high-profile clients to deliver innovative solutions that improve water infrastructure and public health across the UK.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing the technical delivery of water and wastewater engineering projects with multi-disciplinary knowledge, ideally including treatment schemes and/or pipeline design.
• Relevant experience in a similar role for a water company, consultancy or contractor.
• Hands on experience, designing complex wastewater treatment solutions.
• A degree or equivalent in a related engineering subject (e.g. civil, electrical, mechanical) and/or equivalent experience.
• Chartered or Incorporated with a relevant institution e.g. ICE, CIWEM or working towards it.

Responsibilities

• Lead: drive technical delivery of water, wastewater, and flood infrastructure projects.
• Manage key work packages from concept to handover with clients and suppliers.
• Collaborate with clients and partners to ensure stakeholder buy‑in.
• Develop junior staff and mentor team members.

Skills

Team leadership

Water/wastewater design

Project delivery

Multi-disciplinary design

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

• Full-time


• Business Group: DCS


• Legal Entity: AECOM Infrastructure and Environment UK Limited


• Business Line: Water


• Work Location Model: Hybrid


• Operating Group: International


• Primary Location: UK - Leeds

Company Description

Work with Us. Change the World.

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

Start here. Grow here.

Ready to lead a multidisciplinary design team and shape the future of water infrastructure?

Join our dynamic Water team as aLead Design Engineer / Design Manager, based in Manchester, with the benefit of our flexible hybrid working model.

At AECOM, we’re at the forefront of delivering exceptional water programmes and projects through long-term partnerships with leading clients, including Wessex Water, Thames Water, Welsh Water, Severn Trent Water, South West Water, and international contractors.

In this role, you’ll work on high-impact projects ranging from potable water and sewage networks to treatment works and flood mitigation schemes, covering all stages of design and delivery—from feasibility to construction, operation, maintenance, and asset management.

Local and High-Profile Projects

Our North & Midlands team is engaged in some of the UK’s most high-profile, industry-leading infrastructure projects, as well as international programmes. Recent projects include:

• Wanlip Sewage Treatment Works (Leicestershire): Major upgrade delivering improved water quality.


• Mansfield Strategic Flood Resilience Project (£76m): Largest Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) retrofit in the UK.


• Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme: Technical advisor providing protection to over 1,000 homes and 470 businesses.


• M54–M6 Link Road (Staffordshire): Flood risk and drainage consultancy.


• Scottish Water Primary Designer 2027–2033: Leading water and wastewater infrastructure projects nationally.


• International Flood Mitigation Works: Projects including Al Ula, Saudi Arabia.

We also advise national and government clients such as Network Rail, DEFRA, and National Highways, providing design guidance and legislative support that keeps us at the forefront of the UK water industry.

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Lead: Drive technical delivery of water, wastewater, and flood infrastructure projects, managing multidisciplinary teams to deliver innovative, value-added solutions throughout the design lifecycle.


• Manage: Oversee key packages of work from concept to handover, interfacing with AECOM teams, clients, and suppliers to create seamless technical solutions.


• Collaborate: Work closely with clients and AECOM partners to ensure stakeholder buy-in for solutions, contributing to AECOM’s wider technical capability and innovative approach.


• Develop: Perform line manager duties and support the development of junior team members, managing their input to projects and mentoring them.

If you're passionate about innovation and turning bold ideas into reality, AECOM welcomes you. Join our team, where we don’t just deliver infrastructure solutions—we safeguard human health and the environment. Follow our AECOM Water page on LinkedIn to stay updated on the impactful projects we’re delivering across the UK.

Come & Grow with Us.

Become part of our dynamic Water business, which boasts around 700 experts across the UK & Ireland. Collaborate with top-tier engineers and consultants to deliver a variety of captivating projects, from small initiatives to large-scale ventures, all the way from concept to completion.

Enjoy the Perks.

At AECOM, you’ll thrive in an inclusive and forward-thinking environment where your contributions are valued - and let's not forget about the perks! You'll enjoy a range of core and personalised benefits designed to support your future and well-being, customised to fit your lifestyle. Take advantage of career development opportunities, technical practice networks, AECOM University, volunteering days and our flexible hybrid working model to ensure a work-life balance that suits your lifestyle. We recognise that everyone’s circumstances are different, so we’re happy to discuss part-time or flexible working arrangements that suit you.

Why Join Us:

• Be part of a dynamic team that tackles challenging and impactful water projects.


• Work alongside industry-leading professionals and thought leaders.


• Engage in a collaborative and inclusive work environment.


• Access to continuous learning and development opportunities.


• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.


• Enjoy the flexibility to work in a way that fits your lifestyle while supporting a healthy work–life balance.

Qualifications

Ready to push the limits of what’s possible?

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Experience in managing the technical delivery of water and wastewater engineering projects with multi-disciplinary knowledge, ideally including treatment schemesand/or pipeline design. You will also have experience leading multi-disciplinary design teams.


• Relevant experience in a similar role for a water company, consultancy or contractor.


• Hands on experience, designing complex wastewater treatment solutions.


• A degree or equivalent in a related engineering subject (e.g. civil, electrical, mechanical) and/or equivalent experience.


• Chartered or Incorporated with a relevant institution e.g. ICE, CIWEM or working towards it.


• Experience of undertaking feasibility studies, options appraisal and concept design, and/or outline and detailed design for water company clients and design and build contractors.

We celebrate diversity, including neurodiversity, and believe it enriches our team. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities. If you are an applicant with a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us [e-mail].

If you meet some of the requirements above or have transferable skills you believe would benefit us, we would be delighted to hear from you!

Additional Information

Interested in the role or curious about life at AECOM?Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to explore our AECOM voices, employee stories, latest projects, and much more!

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options.Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility.As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.

We are aDisabilityConfidentEmployer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address [e-mail] if you would like to apply through theDisabilityConfidentInterview Scheme.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.