Senior Civil Engineer - Contracts Advisor

The Scottish Government; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pay supplement £7,862

Hybrid working

Job summary

The Scottish Government seeks a Senior Civil Engineer (Contracts Adviser) to support Transport Scotland's major infrastructure delivery. You will provide expert contractual, commercial and procurement advice, oversee NEC4-based procurements, and help shape procurement templates and processes for high-value projects like the A9 Dualling programme.

Reporting to Contracts Team leadership, you will collaborate with consultants, contractors and policy officials, working across the Directorate to

Qualifications

• Degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent.
• Chartered engineer member (CEng) registered with Engineering Council.
• Experience with NEC4 contracts on major infrastructure projects.
• Proven procurement and contract management experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide contractual, commercial and procurement advice across Infrastructure Projects.
• Lead procurement of professional services and supplies in line with public procurement law.
• Develop and maintain contract templates (NEC4 and bespoke) and related notices.
• Support end-to-end procurements for major projects with multidisciplinary teams.
• Advise on insurance, variations, GDPR, BIM and parent company guarantees.
• Manage disputes, claims and relationships with CECA and partners.

Skills

NEC4 contracts

Contract management

Civil engineering

Stakeholder liaison

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in Civil Engineering

Chartered Engineer (CEng)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Procurement software

Job description

Are you a talented and experienced Senior Civil Engineer (Contracts Adviser) looking for an opportunity to support the delivery of nationally important infrastructure projects?

Transport Scotland is looking for an experienced individual with a passion for supporting infrastructure delivery and a desire to help shape Scotland's transport future. In this role you will play a key part in helping to achieve the Scottish Government’s Purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, in particular, supporting the delivery of the Scottish Government’s flagship A9 Dualling Programme.

Transport Scotland’s Infrastructure Projects Directorate is responsible for the design, assessment, promotion, procurement and construction of major transport infrastructure projects. These include the A9 Dualling Programme, A83 Rest and Be Thankful project and the A96 Dualling Inverness to Aberdeen, along with new projects emerging from the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). The Directorate also leads and advises on other procurement and contract management matters for Transport Scotland.

This is an exciting and challenging engineering position, contributing to maintaining Transport Scotland’s status as a centre of excellence for the delivery of major projects. The post will be within the Contracts Team which supports the Infrastructure Projects Directorate by providing expert advice on procurement, contract and commercial issues. The team is also responsible for the delivery of end-to-end procurements for the Directorate when required, as well keeping and updating contract and procurement document templates. This includes supporting the delivery of high profile and complex major transport infrastructure projects, many of which are high value/high risk.

The Contracts Team leads on the delivery of specialist advice to the Scottish Ministers and Senior Management within Transport Scotland on a wide range of particularly complex and sensitive procurement, contractual and commercial issues, and has an important role to play in supporting the delivery of sustainable procurement across Major Projects. The team also represents the interests of Transport Scotland on Scottish Government initiatives, such as the development of the Scottish Government National Civil Engineering Framework Dynamic Purchasing System and wider industry initiatives such as the Scottish Construction Accord.

The post holder will report to a C1 Contracts Team Leader and will work within a multi-disciplinary programme team; you will provide technical leadership and engineering expertise to support the delivery of projects, including the A9 Dualling Programme, through the procurement and construction phases. You will work closely with consultants, contractors, stakeholders and colleagues to ensure delivery aligned with project objectives on time, to budget and in a manner that delivers a quality solution safely and efficiently.

Whilst this post is for a role within the Contracts Team, flexibility will be required to work across the Directorate as priorities and workloads dictate.

Responsibilities

• The provision of contractual, commercial and procurement advice, support and guidance for teams across Infrastructure Projects and the wider Agency, ensuring value for money, and adherence with current legislation, policy and best practice and most appropriate route to market. This includes, but is not limited to, high value and high risk construction projects and programmes with significant input to the ongoing procurement and NEC4 contract management of the A9 Dualling: Perth to Inverness Programme.
• Supporting/guiding teams through various procurements (e.g. the A9 Dualling procurement delivery plan) and managing the procurement of key professional services and supplies in line with Scottish Public Procurement Legislation, to support Project Delivery Teams and Design Teams within Major Projects.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of suitable procurement and contract templates for professional services and (construction) works contracts for Infrastructure Projects, based on different contract forms (e.g. NEC4 and bespoke contracts), including Instructions to Tenderers, Contract Data, Scope and Conditions of Contract.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of a schedule of templates for the full procurement process, including letters (e.g. standstill and award letters), notices (e.g. PIN, and contract award notices) and procedures (e.g. opening and evaluation procedures), complete with guidance notes.
• The provision of contractual and commercial advice in key areas including: insurance, lane occupation charges, variations, liquidated damages, GDPR, intellectual property rights, building information modelling (BIM), parent company guarantees; and retentions and bonds.
• Support and management of disputes, claims and contractual issues.
• Assist in the delivery of call-offs from the Scottish Government’s Civil Engineering Framework Agreement, and work in collaboration with the Civil Engineers Contractors Association (CECA) to support the construction sector.
• Assist policy officials and senior management on emerging trends and procurement approaches associated with new and emerging Scottish Government policy, including Fair Work First and Climate Emergency (including the transition to Net Zero).
• Assisting senior staff and to attend engagements where necessary. This may involve deputising during events or meetings where necessary. The post holder is expected to interact with colleagues across a wide range of business areas in Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government during the procurement and delivery of major transport infrastructure projects.

Qualifications

You must hold a suitable degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent and be a chartered member of an appropriate professional body (e.g. CEng) and registered with the Engineering Council.

https://www.ice.org.uk/join-ice/attributes-for-professionally-qualified-membership

Proof of qualifications will be checked at the assessment stage.

Success profile

Success profiles are specific to each job, and they include the mix of experience, skills and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.

Technical / Professional Skills

• Experience in major infrastructure projects with a particular emphasis on the procurement of works and contract management.

You can find out more about the skills required, here: Government science and engineering: career framework - GOV.UK

Experience

• Demonstrable experience in the use of NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contracts for civil engineering or transport infrastructure projects.
• Proven experience of providing contractual and commercial advice on the procurement and construction of civil engineering or transport infrastructure projects.
• Ability to manage concurrent work programmes/projects.
• Strong communication skills with ability to network and manage relationships with a range of internal and external groups, agencies and individuals with an emphasis on customer focus.

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions – Level 3
• Communicating and Influencing – Level 3
• Working Together – Level 3
• Managing a Quality Service – Level 3

You can find out more about Success Profiles, here.

Recruitment Principles

As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.

About Us

Transport Scotland is the national transport agency, seeking to deliver a safe, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable transport system for the benefit of the people of Scotland. Transport Scotland is accountable to Parliament and the public through Scottish Ministers, with a budget of around £4 billion per year. Transport is a vital feature of the Scottish Government's focus on increasing sustainable economic growth, and transport investments and policies have major impacts on the economy, people, and the environment.

The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working pattern

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role.

Transport Scotland staff in hybrid-compatible roles should aim to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location.

Security checks

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Following appointment further security checks may be required depending on the nature of work undertaken.

Pay supplement

This post currently attracts a £7,862 annual engineer pay supplement, applicable after a 3 months competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role. Pay supplements are reviewed regularly and there is one currently underway. Changes will be communicated when the review is concluded.

Equality Statement

We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Sponsorship

Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

Further information

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

For more information on this role, please contact John Docherty by email at [e-mail].

Apply before: 23 November 2026 (23:59)