Senior Associate Process Engineer

MOTT MACDONALD; Croydon; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering consultancy is seeking a Senior Associate Process Engineer to lead complex water and wastewater projects across the UK. This role requires strategic leadership and technical guidance in designing innovative solutions. Candidates should have a degree in Chemical Engineering, Chartered Engineer status, and extensive experience in water treatment. The position offers opportunities for professional growth and a commitment to diversity and inclusion in a hybrid work environment.

Benefits

Private medical insurance

Flexible benefits programme

33-35 days holiday annually

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in municipal water and/or wastewater treatment.
• Strong track record in developing and delivering process designs.
• Exceptional technical writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex projects in water and wastewater treatment.
• Oversee compliance and technical excellence in designs.
• Mentor and develop technical teams.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Technical direction

Process design

Client engagement

Optimisation strategies

Education

Degree in Chemical Engineering

Chartered Engineer (CEng) status

Job description

Location/s: Cardiff, London, Croydon Cambridge, Reading, Brighton, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow; UK

Recruiter contact: Nicola Coyle

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee‑owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the Division

The Water Utilities Division is Mott MacDonald’s centre of excellence for responding to the UK and Ireland’s water and wastewater challenges. The work we do is at the frontier of ensuring safe water supplies for future generations, preventing urban flooding, and improving the health of our rivers and coastal environments. Our multidisciplinary teams provide a variety of services throughout the full project life cycle, from advisory services and feasibility studies to outline and detailed design. Together, we deliver best‑in‑class solutions to our clients while offering diverse and technically stimulating opportunities to our people.

Overview of the role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Associate Process Engineer to join our team and play a pivotal role in delivering innovative water and wastewater solutions for clients across the UK and Ireland. This senior position offers the chance to lead complex projects, shape technical strategy, and influence the future of water and wastewater treatment.

Key responsibilities and duties include:

• Provide strategic leadership and technical direction across feasibility, concept, preliminary, and detailed design stages for water and wastewater treatment projects
• Oversee and approve process designs, including block flow diagrams, P&IDs, mass balances, and equipment sizing, ensuring technical excellence and compliance
• Drive optimisation initiatives by analysing operational data and applying advanced process modelling and simulation techniques
• Author and review high‑quality technical reports, proposals, and presentations for senior stakeholders and clients
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients, building strong relationships and influencing decision‑making
• Champion quality assurance by checking and approving process deliverables
• Mentor and develop technical teams, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence
• Collaborate with resource managers to shape team capability, support recruitment, and lead training initiatives
• Play a key role in business development by guiding proposals, tenders, and strategic pursuits in the water and wastewater sector
• Contribute to setting and challenging technical standards, ensuring adoption of best practice and emerging technologies

Candidate specification

• Degree in Chemical Engineering or a related discipline
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) status with a recognised professional institution
• Extensive experience in municipal water and/or wastewater treatment, including leadership of complex projects
• Deep understanding of conventional and emerging treatment technologies
• Proven ability to conduct root‑cause analysis and deliver optimisation strategies
• Strong track record in developing and delivering feasibility, outline, and detailed process designs
• Exceptional technical writing and communication skills, with the ability to engage senior stakeholders
• Demonstrated leadership in reviewing technical deliverables and ensuring compliance
• Strategic mindset with experience in business development and client engagement
• Commitment to continuous professional development and staying ahead of industry trends
• Active contributor to technical knowledge networks and advocate for best practice

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as 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.

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well‑being, flexibility, and trust.

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.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at [e-mail] and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5 % and 7 %.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 × your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 × your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long‑term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33‑35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years' service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high‑street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self‑development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.