Principal Design Engineer

Bennett And Game Recruitment; Henfield; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Principal Design Engineer to join their innovative team near Henfield. This role offers the opportunity to work on complex civil engineering projects, focusing on water, infrastructure, and coastal protection. You will be instrumental in delivering temporary and permanent works designs, guiding junior designers, and driving innovation through BIM and digital modeling. With a competitive salary and excellent benefits, this is a chance to shape the future of engineering in a supportive environment that values professional growth and safety.

Benefits

25 Days holiday + BH

Pension up to 10% match

Performance Bonus

Qualifications

• Degree in Civil/Structural Engineering and Chartered status required.
• Strong experience in Eurocode and Temporary Works Coordination.

Responsibilities

• Deliver creative and robust designs from bid to build.
• Guide junior designers and manage input from external specialists.
• Produce high-quality design documents meeting QHSE standards.

Skills

Eurocode

Temporary Works Coordinator

AutoCAD

BIM

Geotechnical Design

Structural Design

Education

Degree in Civil/Structural Engineering

Chartered Engineer (ICE or equivalent)

Tools

Building Information Modelling

Common Data Environments

Job description

A leading civil engineering contractor is looking for a Principal Design Engineer to join their growing team near Henfield offering a competitive salary of up to £75,000, plus excellent benefits. The company delivers complex projects in water, infrastructure, and coastal protection - managing schemes from concept to completion.

This is an exciting chance to shape innovative designs, advise on geotechnical investigations, Temporary Works Design, develop BIM models, and drive smart new techniques - all within a business that values safety, wellbeing, and professional growth.

Principal Design Engineer Job Overview

• Support the delivery of outline designs at tender stage, temporary works and permanent works designs at contract stage
• Follow company procedures, keep your manager informed, and suggest smarter ways of working.
• Deliver creative and robust temporary and permanent works designs from bid to build.
• Guide and support junior designers while managing input from external specialists.
• Check and sign off designs to ensure they're accurate, safe, and compliant.
• Build strong relationships with clients and partners to enhance designs and uncover new opportunities.
• Produce clear, high-quality design documents that meet QHSE and CDM standards.
• Drive innovation by championing BIM, digital modelling, and cutting-edge tools.
• Take an active role in shaping the company's success and future direction.
• Stay sharp and up to date with the latest design technologies and software.
• Make BIM and Common Data Environments central to how every project runs.

Principal Design Engineer Job Requirements

• Degree in Civil/Structural Engineering + Chartered (ICE or equivalent).
• Strong Eurocode, CDM, and Temporary Works Coordinator experience.
• Skilled in AutoCAD, BIM, CDEs, and geotechnical/ground stability design.
• Technically competent in Structural Design & Geotechnical works
• Knowledge of Building Information Modelling, CDEs and information management systems
• Design experience in temporary works design, including shoring, foundations, and ground stability analyses.
• Experience in interpreting ground information for soil stability analyses and current piling practices.

Principal Design Engineer Salary & Benefits

• Salary - £65,000 -£75,000 Dependant on experience
• 25 Days holiday + BH
• Pension up to 10% match
• Performance Bonus

Bennett and Game Recruitment are a multi-disciplined technical recruitment agency based in Chichester, West Sussex operating across the UK with specialist teams covering a range of industries.

We are acting as a Recruitment Agency in relation to this vacancy, and in accordance with GDPR by applying you are granting us consent to process your data, contact you about the services we offer, and submit your CV for the role you have applied for.