Principal Civil Engineer

Macstaff; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Choice of Cardiff or Bristol office

Excellent benefits

Job summary

Macstaff seeks a Principal Civil Engineer – Highways Design in Cardiff or Bristol, offering a £60,000–£65,000 salary with flexible, hybrid working. You will head highways and civil infrastructure schemes, mentor engineers and engage clients, shaping project outcomes and the future growth of the Civil Engineering team.

This role combines technical leadership with hands-on design work, and you will work closely with the Associate Director to deliver high‑quality projects and develop talent within

Qualifications

• Degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent.
• Experience delivering highways and civil infrastructure projects.
• Strong project leadership and client relationship skills.
• Knowledge of UK highways design standards and approvals.
• Chartered status or progress towards Chartership is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead highways design projects from feasibility through delivery.
• Provide technical direction, reviews and quality assurance.
• Mentor engineers and technicians across the team.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary inputs and manage budgets.

Skills

Highways design

Project leadership

Client engagement

Mentoring engineers

Standards compliance

Education

Civil Engineering degree

Job description

PRINCIPAL CIVIL ENGINEER – HIGHWAYS DESIGN

Cardiff or Bristol | £60,000–£65,000 Negotiable + Excellent Benefits

You will like

Leading highways design projects and developing engineering talent for an established, independent multidisciplinary engineering consultancy with an excellent reputation and ambitious plans for continued growth.

Operating across civil and structural engineering, project management and cost consultancy, this respected practice delivers interesting and varied projects across highways, infrastructure, development, active travel and the wider built environment.

With an established Cardiff headquarters and growing Bristol presence, this is an excellent opportunity to join a collaborative, people‑focused consultancy where you can take technical ownership, influence projects, develop engineers and contribute to the future growth of the Civil Engineering team.

You will be

Joining as Principal Civil Engineer – Highways Design, based in either Cardiff or Bristol, and working closely with the Associate Director to lead the successful delivery of highways and civil infrastructure projects.

You will combine technical highways design expertise with project leadership, client engagement and team development. You will remain actively involved in engineering while providing technical direction, mentoring engineers and technicians, and helping maintain consistently high standards across the team.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading highways design projects from initial feasibility and concept through detailed design, approvals and delivery.
• Taking technical ownership of highways, infrastructure, development and Active Travel schemes.
• Managing and coordinating multidisciplinary project inputs to ensure successful delivery.
• Producing, reviewing and approving technical designs, engineering drawings, specifications, calculations and reports.
• Providing technical leadership, guidance and quality assurance across highways design projects.
• Managing project programmes, resources, budgets, risks and deliverables.
• Ensuring projects are completed safely, efficiently and to the required technical, commercial and quality standards.
• Applying relevant UK highways design guidance, legislation and industry standards.
• Supporting the preparation and delivery of highway infrastructure associated with development projects.
• Contributing to Section 38 and Section 278 highway adoption and improvement schemes.
• Liaising effectively with clients, developers, local authorities, statutory bodies, contractors and other project stakeholders.
• Building and maintaining strong, trusted relationships with new and existing clients.
• Managing, mentoring and supporting engineers and technicians at different stages of their careers.
• Reviewing the work of junior team members and supporting their technical and professional development.
• Working closely with the Associate Director to support team performance, resource planning and continued growth.
• Identifying opportunities to improve technical standards, project delivery and engineering processes.
• Supporting fee proposals, bids and business development activity where required.
• Representing the consultancy professionally at client meetings, design reviews and stakeholder discussions.

You will have

To be successful as Principal Civil Engineer – Highways Design, you will be an experienced highways design professional with strong technical capability and the confidence to lead projects, support colleagues and build effective client relationships. Plus you will have a healthy mix of the following:

• A degree, HNC/HND or equivalent qualification in Civil Engineering or a related discipline.
• Significant highways design experience gained within an engineering consultancy environment.
• Strong experience delivering highways and civil infrastructure projects through multiple design stages.
• Proven experience leading projects and coordinating engineering design delivery.
• A sound working knowledge of UK highways design standards, guidance and approval processes.
• Experience producing and reviewing highways designs, drawings, specifications and technical reports.
• Knowledge of highway geometry, junction design, access infrastructure and associated civil engineering works.
• Experience of Section 38 and Section 278 agreements and local authority technical approvals.
• Experience working on development infrastructure, highways improvement or Active Travel projects.
• The ability to manage project programmes, budgets, resources and competing priorities.
• Experience providing technical guidance and mentoring engineers and technicians.
• Strong communication, presentation and stakeholder‑management skills.
• A confident, professional and collaborative client‑facing approach.
• The commercial awareness required to deliver high-quality engineering solutions efficiently and profitably.
• The ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Chartered Engineer status with the ICE or an equivalent professional institution, or demonstrable progress towards Chartership, would be advantageous.
• Relevant highways design software capability would also be beneficial.

You will get

As Principal Civil Engineer – Highways Design, you will enjoy a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package alongside genuine opportunities for professional development, technical influence and career progression. The package will include:

• £60,000–£65,000 salary, negotiable according to experience and qualifications.
• Excellent company benefits package.
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities.
• Choice of Cardiff or Bristol office location.
• Interesting and varied highways, infrastructure, development and Active Travel projects.
• The opportunity to lead technically challenging projects from concept through to delivery.
• Genuine influence over engineering standards, project outcomes and team development.
• The opportunity to mentor and develop talented engineers and technicians.
• Support towards professional development and Chartership where applicable.
• Clear opportunities for continued career progression within a growing consultancy.
• A collaborative, supportive and people‑focused working environment.
• The accessibility and influence available within an established independent consultancy.
• The opportunity to contribute directly to the continued growth of the Civil Engineering and Highways team.

You can apply

To Principal Civil Engineer – Highways Design by pushing the button on this job posting or by sending your CV in confidence.

UK-based highways design experience will be highly relevant, and applications are welcomed from experienced Principal Engineers, Senior Civil Engineers, Highways Design Engineers and Design Leads who are ready to take greater ownership of projects, people and technical delivery.

All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.