Principal Civil Engineer - Water Major Projects

MOTT MACDONALD; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Mott MacDonald is expanding its Major Projects capability within the Water Consultancy Division in the UK and is seeking a Principal Civil Engineer to lead delivery of major water infrastructure programmes.

You will guide projects from feasibility through outline design, drive consentable NSIP/DCO schemes and provide technical leadership across multi‑disciplinary teams, ensuring quality, innovation and strong stakeholder relationships.

Qualifications

• Chartered Engineer with a UK‑relevant degree.
• Experience on major, complex UK water infrastructure projects.
• Proven design leadership and technical delivery.
• Strong knowledge of water/wastewater standards.
• Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication.
• Mentoring and people leadership interest.
• Commercial awareness and project delivery experience.
• Commitment to technical excellence and CPD.

Responsibilities

• Lead front-end engineering delivery across multiple projects.
• Provide technical leadership and set quality standards.
• Coordinate multi-disciplinary teams and interfaces.
• Drive NSIP/DCO consentable schemes.
• Mentor engineers and staff; support career progression.
• Maintain relationships with clients and regulators.
• Ensure health, safety, environmental and quality standards.

Skills

Chartered Engineer

Leadership

Stakeholder mgmt

Technical leadership

Water sector knowledge

Project delivery

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

Civils 3D

GIS

Modelling

Job description

Location/s: Cambridge, Brighton, Reading, London, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Bristol; UK

Recruiter contact: Nicola Coyle

About the division

The Water Consultancy Division is Mott MacDonald’s centre of excellence for responding to water and wastewater challenges, offering diverse and technically challenging work. The division provides a range of services throughout the full project life cycle, from advisory services and feasibility studies to design, construction support and site supervision.

Overview

Due to continued growth and strong market demand, we are expanding our Major Projects capability within our Water Consultancy Division and are looking to strengthen our team with a Principal Civil Engineer.

Overview of the role

You will lead the delivery of major water infrastructure programmes, particularly during the earlier engineering stages of feasibility, concept and outline design. You will guide projects from early idea through to robust, consentable schemes, navigating planning and consenting processes, especially the Development Consent Order (DCO) process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) in the UK. As a technical leader across multiple projects, you will ensure consistency, quality and innovation in delivery.

Key responsibilities and duties

• Lead and oversee front‑end engineering delivery across multiple projects
• Provide technical leadership and assurance, setting standards for quality and best practice
• Lead and coordinate multi‑disciplinary teams, ensuring effective integration across disciplines
• Drive the development of consentable schemes, including NSIP/DCO processes
• Act as a senior technical reviewer/approver for key deliverables
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, regulators and strategic stakeholders
• Line‑manage, mentor and develop engineers and junior staff, supporting career progression and capability growth
• Champion technical excellence, innovation and continuous improvement across the team
• Play a key role in resource planning, team development and capability building
• Lead or significantly contribute to bids, proposals and strategic work‑winning activities
• Ensure alignment with health, safety, environmental and quality standards

Candidate specification

We are looking for a highly capable and collaborative engineer who combines technical leadership, people development and strategic thinking, with a passion for delivering innovative, sustainable and cost‑effective solutions.

Essential

• Chartered Engineer with a relevant degree
• Experience on major, complex infrastructure projects, ideally within the UK water sector
• Extensive experience in civil engineering design, design assurance and technical leadership
• Strong knowledge of water and/or wastewater standards and specifications
• Proven ability to lead multi‑disciplinary teams and coordinate complex interfaces
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and influencing skills
• Demonstrated ability to balance technical, environmental and commercial drivers
• Experience mentoring, coaching and developing others, with an interest in people leadership
• Strong commercial awareness and project delivery experience
• Commitment to technical excellence and continuous professional development

Desirable

• Strong understanding of front‑end engineering and project development lifecycle
• Experience with planning and consenting processes, including DCO/NSIPs
• Experience in pipelines, water/wastewater treatment, reservoirs, flood risk or large‑scale infrastructure
• Knowledge of CDM regulations and designer responsibilities
• Experience with digital engineering tools (e.g. Civils 3D, GIS, modelling)
• Experience driving low‑carbon and sustainable engineering solutions
• Experience of technical authoring of public facing reports
• Flexibility to travel to sites and offices as required

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.