Principal Engineering Hydrogeologist

Jacobs Solutions Inc.; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible and hybrid working

Hybrid working arrangements

24 days annual leave + up to 10 extra

Enhanced pension contributions up to

Private medical cover

Digital GP access

Enhanced parental leave and family l

Employee Networks and diversity initia

Income protection

Wellbeing support

Professional memberships funded

Volunteer time & charity funding

Job summary

Jacobs Solutions Inc. in the UK is seeking a Principal or Associate Director level Hydrogeologist to lead delivery across a diverse portfolio of groundwater projects.

You’ll shape water resources, infrastructure and environmental resilience, advising on major engineering schemes and sustainable abstractions. You'll provide senior hydrogeological expertise, mentor junior staff, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across the UK and Europe, offering technical leadership and client

Qualifications

• Extensive hydrogeology experience, typically at Principal Consultant level.
• Strong groundwater conceptualisation, assessment and interpretation.
• Proven ability to design and deliver hydrogeological investigations.
• Experience with numerical/analytical groundwater modelling.
• Ability to lead technical delivery within multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience mentoring junior professionals.
• Excellent client-facing communication skills.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to site visits.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior hydrogeological expertise across groundwater assessments and water resources.
• Lead project delivery, client engagement and mentoring.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across the UK and Europe.
• Influence decisions on groundwater, infrastructure and environmental studies.
• Develop capability and technical excellence within the team.

Skills

Extensive hydrogeology experience

Groundwater conceptualisation

Hydrogeological investigations design

Groundwater modelling (numerical/anal

Lead technical delivery in multi-disc

Mentoring junior professionals

Client-facing communication

Full UK driving licence

Tools

MODFLOW

FEFLOW

MIKE SHE

SEEP/W

PLAXIS

Python

GIS

Job description

Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom

Your impact

• Shape the future of water, infrastructure, and environmental resilience across the UK and beyond.
• As a Principalor Associate Director level Hydrogeologist, you'll help solve some of the UK's most complex groundwater and environmental challenges, influencing projects that directly impact water resources, major infrastructure, sustainability, and future energy solutions.
• From supporting sustainable abstraction programmes for water companies to advising on nationally significant infrastructure and pioneering geological disposal projects, your expertise will help shape critical decisions that affect communities, the environment, and future generations.
• You'll also play a key role in developing the next generation of hydrogeologists, strengthening a growing capability and helping build long‑term technical excellence across the business.

What's In It For You

• Work on projects that genuinely matter
• Variety you won't find everywhere
• Flexibility built around you
• Accelerate your career
• Collaborate with exceptional people

You contribute to nationally important programmes across water resources, transportation, environmental management, major infrastructure, renewables, and emerging nuclear projects.

Rather than being confined to a single framework or specialist niche, you'll have the opportunity to work across the full spectrum of hydrogeology, from groundwater modelling and water resources to engineering and environmental applications.

Our hydrogeology team operates as a national, highly connected virtual team. We're open to talent across the UK and are focused on finding the right person, not forcing you into a specific location.

Whether you're an established Principal looking for broader project exposure or an experienced professional ready to step towards Associate Director level, you'll have access to meaningful progression opportunities, technical leadership responsibilities, and the chance to help shape future team growth.

Join a respected team of hydrogeologists, engineers, environmental specialists, modellers, and infrastructure experts who value collaboration, innovation, and technical excellence.

We Offer

• Compensation that reflects your skills and experience
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• 24 days annual leave plus the option to buy up to 10 additional days
• Enhanced pension contributions of up to 10%
• Private medical cover and Digital GP access
• Enhanced parental leave and family support programmes
• Employee Networks: We have a commitment to hiring a diverse workforce and supporting colleagues of different backgrounds
• Income protection for long‑term financial security
• Access to wellbeing support, including Calm and Daily Burn
• Professional memberships funded and ongoing development opportunities
• Paid volunteering time, matched charity funding, and community engagement programmes

About the Opportunity

• We're looking for an experienced Principal or Associate Director level Hydrogeologist to join our national Hydrogeology team and lead technical delivery across a diverse portfolio of projects.
• You’ll provide senior hydrogeological expertise across groundwater assessments, water resources programmes, environmental studies, ground investigations, and major engineering projects. The role combines technical leadership, project delivery, client engagement, and mentoring, making it ideal for someone who enjoys both solving complex technical challenges and helping others succeed.
• You’ll work closely with multidisciplinary teams across the UK and increasingly support projects within Europe, bringing hydrogeological insight to some of the industry's most exciting and technically demanding programmes.
• This is a role for someone who wants influence, variety, and the opportunity to make a visible impact.

Here’s what you’ll need

• Significant professional experience in hydrogeology (typically already at Principal Consultant level)
• Strong grounding in groundwater conceptualisation, assessment, and interpretation
• Experience designing and delivering hydrogeological investigations
• Numerical and/or analytical groundwater modelling experience
• Ability to lead technical project delivery within multidisciplinary teams
• Experience mentoring and developing junior professionals
• Strong communication and client-facing skills
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to undertake occasional site visits

Ideally, you’ll also bring experience of

• Water resources and sustainable abstraction programmes
• Groundwater modelling software such as MODFLOW, FEFLOW, MIKE SHE, SEEP/W or PLAXIS
• Python, GIS, or other data analysis and modelling tools
• Infrastructure, environmental, water utility, or engineering consultancy projects

The Opportunity You’ve Been Waiting For

You’ll work on some of the UK’s most complex groundwater and infrastructure projects, enjoy genuine flexibility, and help shape the future direction of a growing hydrogeology capability.

If you’re ready for a role that offers more scope, more variety, and more impact, now is the time to start the conversation.

Jacobs offers hybrid working and a standard 40-hour working week

Good luck with your application

#LI-EG1 #LI-HYBRID

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well‑being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit https://www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.