Principal Engineer (civil)

United Utilities; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

United Utilities is seeking a highly experienced Principal Civil Engineer to provide technical leadership across the business, shaping water and wastewater infrastructure strategy and delivery.

You will lead multi-disciplinary teams, drive engineering excellence, and mentor the next generation of engineers while upholding health and safety, governance and industry standards.

Qualifications

• Chartered Engineer with extensive post-chartership experience in senior roles.
• Proven ability to lead complex engineering activities and projects.
• Strong leadership and influence across a large organisation.
• Experience delivering capital projects and programmes end-to-end.
• Excellent governance, policy and technical assurance knowledge.
• Deep knowledge of water, wastewater and sludge treatment processes.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience producing technical reports, specifications and engineering standards.
• Commitment to health, safety and safe design principles.
• Established relationships with universities and industry bodies.
• Experience presenting technical papers at industry conferences.
• Knowledge of international engineering standards.
• Experience influencing engineering strategy within large infrastructure organisations.
• Experience coaching engineers towards professional qualification.

Responsibilities

• Provide civil engineering leadership and governance across United Utilities.
• Lead teams of technical professionals and ensure high-quality outputs.
• Take accountability for technical decision-making and engineering assurance.
• Support delivery of complex capital programmes and strategic projects.
• Provide expert advice across the full project lifecycle from concept to handover.
• Ensure activities comply with standards, legislation and best practice.
• Contribute to development and improvement of UU engineering standards.
• Promote governance across all business functions.
• Act as Designer under CDM regulations and champion safe design.
• Raise UU profile through industry engagement and technical publications.
• Mentor engineers and support professional development.
• Collaborate with universities and research organisations to advance knowledge.

Skills

CEng

Senior leadership

Capital projects

Governance & standards

Water/wastewater design

Technical publications

Safe design

University partnerships

Mentoring engineers

Industry engagement

Public speaking

International standards

Engineering strategy

Education

Chartered Engineer (CEng)

Job description

United Utilities’ (UU) purpose is to deliver great water for a stronger, greener and healthier North West of England. We are committed to providing our services in a way that respects the environment, supports the economy, and benefits society.

We value diversity, inclusion and innovation in our workplace, and we foster a culture where our people can grow, excel, and be themselves.

We uphold our ethics, values and business model to fulfil our mission and, by setting clear goals and objectives, we create sustainable long-term value for our colleagues, customers and communities. Whether you work with a team that shares your vision or join a network of peers with similar interests, you will find a welcoming and supportive organisation to be part of.

We’ve got a lot to offer. You’ll be part of a thriving FTSE 100 company and will enjoy a range of core benefits that reflect your value and value contribution.

The role

Location: Lingley Mere, Warrington (Hybrid Working)
Salary: Competitive Salary + Bonus & Car Allowance
Contract Type: Permanent
Employment Type: Full Time

Lead the Future of Engineering at United Utilities

At United Utilities, our purpose is to deliver great water for a stronger, greener and healthier North West. Every day, millions of customers rely on the infrastructure, assets and engineering expertise that keep our services running safely, efficiently and sustainably.

We're looking for an exceptional Principal Civil Engineer to provide technical leadership across the business, helping shape the future of water and wastewater infrastructure while influencing engineering excellence at the highest level.

This is a rare opportunity to combine strategic leadership, technical authority and people development within one of the UK's largest infrastructure organisations. You'll lead complex engineering challenges, support major capital investment programmes and play a critical role in developing the next generation of engineering talent.

If you're a highly experienced Chartered Engineer looking for a role where your expertise can influence projects, standards and engineering strategy across an entire organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

Key duties and responsibilities

As Principal Civil Engineer, you will provide civil engineering leadership across United Utilities, acting as a recognised technical authority and trusted adviser to the business.

Working closely with engineering disciplines, project teams, operational stakeholders and delivery partners, you will ensure technical excellence, consistency and governance are embedded across engineering activities.

You will lead and develop teams of technical resources, mentor engineers across the organisation and contribute to the continual development of engineering standards, policies and best practice.

In addition, you will play a key role in raising the profile of United Utilities within the wider engineering community through industry engagement, technical publications and collaboration with research organisations and universities.

What You'll Be Doing

Technical Leadership

• Provide civil engineering leadership and governance across the business.
• Lead teams of technical professionals, ensuring high-quality engineering outputs.
• Take accountability for technical decision-making and engineering assurance.
• Support the delivery of complex capital programmes and strategic projects.
• Provide expert advice across the full project lifecycle, from concept development through to commissioning and handover.
• Ensure engineering activities are delivered in accordance with company standards, legislation and industry best practice.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of United Utilities engineering standards and procedures.
• Promote technical consistency and governance across all business functions.
• Act as Designer under CDM regulations and champion safe design principles.

Industry Influence & Innovation

• Raise the profile of United Utilities through technical leadership across the water sector and wider engineering community.
• Develop and present technical papers and thought leadership at industry forums and conferences.
• Maintain strong relationships with universities, research institutions and industry organisations.
• Identify emerging technologies, methodologies and opportunities for innovation.
• Lead, mentor and develop engineers and technical professionals across United Utilities.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, professional development and engineering excellence.
• Coach and support engineers working towards professional registration.
• Act as Company Administrator for the Institution of Civil Engineers Training Scheme within six months of appointment.

Stakeholder Management

• Develop strong relationships with internal customers, delivery teams and engineering disciplines.
• Work collaboratively with programme and project teams to ensure successful outcomes.
• Provide technical guidance to both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
• Influence decision-making at senior leadership level through technical expertise and sound judgement.

About you

About You

You will be an accomplished Chartered Civil Engineer with significant post-chartership experience operating in senior engineering leadership roles.

You'll combine deep technical expertise with strong leadership capabilities and be recognised for your ability to influence, mentor and inspire others.

You will be comfortable operating within complex technical environments, balancing strategic thinking with practical problem-solving and bringing together multidisciplinary teams to deliver exceptional outcomes.

Most importantly, you'll be passionate about engineering excellence and committed to developing the future of the profession.

Skills, Qualifications & Experience

• Chartered Engineer (CEng) with substantial and sustained post-chartership experience in senior engineering positions.
• Proven track record of leading complex engineering activities and exercising authoritative technical judgement.
• Strong technical leadership skills with the ability to influence engineering decisions across a large organisation.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams within complex engineering environments.
• Experience delivering capital projects and strategic programmes through the complete project lifecycle.
• Excellent understanding of engineering governance, standards, policy and technical assurance.
• Strong knowledge of water, wastewater and sludge treatment processes, hydraulic design and associated infrastructure.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience producing technical reports, specifications and engineering standards.
• Demonstrated commitment to health, safety and safe design principles.
• Established relationships with universities, research organisations and industry bodies.
• Experience presenting technical papers at industry conferences and forums.
• Knowledge of international engineering standards and best practice.
• Experience influencing engineering strategy within large infrastructure organisations.
• Experience coaching and mentoring engineers towards professional qualification and career progression.

This is more than a technical leadership role. It's an opportunity to influence the future of engineering across one of the UK's largest water companies, helping to shape infrastructure that will serve millions of customers for decades to come.

If you're looking for a position where your expertise, leadership and vision can make a lasting impact, we'd love to hear from you.

We rely on every employee to ensure our customers receive the best possible service, day in, day out. In return, we ensure that you will be well rewarded for your efforts, from an excellent salary through to development opportunities that will really kick start a thriving career here at UU.