Principal Temporary Works Engineer

Laing O'Rourke group; Dartford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Laing O'Rourke group in the UK seeks a Principal Engineer / Design Team Leader to head the Temporary Works Design team across infrastructure and construction projects. This role blends hands-on engineering with leadership, mentoring engineers and overseeing project delivery.

You will manage calculations and drawings, advise on buildability and construction methods, liaise with clients and design partners, and push digital engineering and safety improvements across the function.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in temporary works design within civil engineering, infrastructure, or construction.
• Chartered Engineer status is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of temporary works and associated permanent works solutions.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of engineers, ensuring high-quality technical output.
• Provide buildability, construction methodology, and value engineering advice for projects and tenders.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, standards, and company quality and safety procedures.
• Review and approve calculations, drawings, and technical documentation.
• Liaise with project teams, clients, permanent works designers, and external design suppliers.
• Provide technical support throughout project delivery, including site visits where required.
• Drive innovation, digital engineering, and process improvements within the design function.

Skills

Temporary works design

Engineering leadership

Civil engineering

Project oversight

Stakeholder engagement

Mentoring engineers

Job description

Principal Engineer / Design Team Leader – Temporary Works

We are seeking an experienced Principal Engineer / Design Team Leader to lead our Temporary Works Design team. This is a key leadership role responsible for delivering innovative, safe, and cost‑effective temporary works solutions across a diverse portfolio of infrastructure and construction projects.

You will lead a team of engineers, providing technical expertise, mentoring, and project oversight while acting as the primary design contact for allocated schemes. The role combines hands‑on engineering with team leadership, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of temporary works and associated permanent works solutions.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of engineers, ensuring high-quality technical output.
• Provide buildability, construction methodology, and value engineering advice for projects and tenders.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, standards, and company quality and safety procedures.
• Review and approve calculations, drawings, and technical documentation.
• Liaise with project teams, clients, permanent works designers, and external design suppliers.
• Provide technical support throughout project delivery, including site visits where required.
• Drive innovation, digital engineering, and process improvements within the design function.

About You

• Significant experience in temporary works design within civil engineering, infrastructure, or construction.
• Strong technical knowledge of structural design using steel, reinforced concrete, timber, and Eurocodes.
• Experience with falsework, formwork, shoring systems, and construction methodologies.
• Proven leadership experience managing and developing engineering teams.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and problem‑solving skills.
• Geotechnical design experience would be advantageous.
• Chartered Engineer status (CEng, MICE, MIStructE or equivalent) is desirable.

What You'll Bring

You will be a driven and collaborative engineering leader with a strong commitment to safety, quality, innovation, and developing people. You'll combine technical excellence with commercial awareness to deliver practical and efficient engineering solutions that support successful project outcomes.

About Us

Laing O'Rourke are an international engineering and construction company delivering state‑of‑the‑art infrastructure and buildings projects for clients in the UK, Middle East and Australia.

Certainty, reliability, quality – this is what our clients want. And at Laing O'Rourke, we have more than 150 years of experience delivering it. Laing O'Rourke's story is one of energy, passion, ambition, people and teamwork. We harness the power of our experience, stretching back over a century and a half to deliver certainty for our clients.

As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we would like to enable access to candidates with long term conditions and disabilities through the ‘Offer an interview scheme'. This supports applicants that meet the essential criteria by offering an interview for the advertised position.