Principal Civil Engineer - Urban Development

ARCADIS; Bristol; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Arcadis Places Design Practice in Bristol is seeking a career-driven Principal Engineer to lead civil engineering and urban development design for building projects. You will oversee drainage, highways, utilities, and earthworks, while coordinating with global design teams and clients.

You will mentor engineers and technicians, ensure compliance with design standards, and deliver high-quality drawings, BIM models, and reports as part of a collaborative, safety-focused project environment.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified with Chartered or Incorporated status; near-chartered candidates considered.
• Proven track record in civil engineering/urban development design and delivery including drainage, highways, and utilities.
• Proficient in MicroDrainage/InfoDrainage, AutoCAD Civil3D, and BIM integration.
• Strong knowledge of design standards (SuDS, SfA, DMRB, Building Regulations).
• Experience in project management: planning, programming, commercial, and client relations.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering activities aligned with sustainable development and Arcadis Health & Safety standards.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure cohesive, high-quality design solutions.
• Define and implement project collaboration strategies with global design teams.
• Manage design deliverables: drawings, BIM models, reports, and specifications.
• Review team outputs and attend project meetings to maintain accuracy.
• Oversee engineering management aligned with Arcadis Integrated Management System.
• Own Designer Hazard Logs and communicate residual risks to Principal Designer.
• Coordinate project planning, resource allocation, and team management.
• Maintain Design Decision Logs and Project Assumptions registers.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers, technicians, and apprentices.

Skills

Civil Engineering

Leadership

Project Management

BIM integration

AutoCAD Civil3D

Drainage design

InfoDrainage/MicroDrainage

Education

Chartered/Incorporated status or near-chartered

Tools

AutoCAD Civil 3D

InfoDrainage/MicroDrainage

BIM software

Job description

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

The Places Design Practice is seeking a career-driven Principal Engineer with proven experience in civil engineering and urban development for building projects. Key expertise includes surface & foul drainage, utilities, ground/earthworks, and highways interfaces. Experience in Industrial Manufacturing, Tech, or Defence projects is a plus.

You will support Urban Development services, collaborating across GBA teams, GEC, and global Places experts.

Role Accountabilities

• Lead engineering activities aligned with sustainable development and Arcadis Health & Safety standards.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure cohesive, high-quality design solutions.
• Define and implement project collaboration strategies with global design teams.
• Manage design deliverables: drawings, BIM models, reports, and specifications.
• Review team outputs and attend project meetings to maintain accuracy.
• Oversee engineering management aligned with Arcadis Integrated Management System.
• Own Designer Hazard Logs and communicate residual risks to Principal Designer.
• Coordinate project planning, resource allocation, and team management.
• Maintain Design Decision Logs and Project Assumptions registers.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers, technicians, and apprentices.

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree qualified with Chartered or Incorporated status; near-chartered candidates considered.
• Proven track record in civil engineering/urban development design and delivery, including drainage, highways, and utilities.
• Proficient in MicroDrainage/InfoDrainage, AutoCAD Civil3D, and BIM integration.
• Strong knowledge of design standards (SuDS, SfA, DMRB, Building Regulations).
• Experienced in project management: planning, programming, commercial, and client relations.
• Skilled at leading teams and supporting professional development.
• Applies evidence-based engineering solutions with sound theoretical knowledge.
• Competent in manual calculation methods alongside software tools.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions.

Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people.

We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race.

A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.