Senior Design Engineer

Alexander Associates; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Alexander Associates in Edinburgh is seeking a Senior Design Engineer to lead the design and delivery of water and wastewater schemes across the UK water sector. The role focuses on pipelines, pumping stations, treatment facilities, and associated civil assets.

You will work with Principal Engineers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure compliant, innovative engineering solutions, attend reviews and meetings, and mentor graduate engineers while building strong client and supplier relationships.

Qualifications

• Degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent qualification.
• Chartered Engineer status or working towards chartership.
• Experience in municipal water and wastewater sector.
• Experience with contractors, consultancies, or design-build environments.
• Knowledge of water/wastewater assets and processes.
• Experience with NEC contracts.
• Strong communication and technical writing skills.
• Mentoring engineers and working within multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Deliver civil engineering designs for water and wastewater projects.
• Produce and review design calculations, reports, specifications, drawings, and documentation.
• Support multidisciplinary design activities and integration across disciplines.
• Ensure outputs comply with legislation, standards, and best practice.
• Provide technical support to procurement, construction, commissioning, and site teams.
• Attend design reviews, client meetings, progress meetings, and site visits.
• Mentor graduate and junior engineers.
• Build relationships with clients, suppliers, subcontractors, and internal stakeholders.

Skills

Civil Engineering

Chartered Engineer

Hydraulic calculations

Structural design (water)

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Client liaison

Design reviews

Health and safety

Education

Civil Engineering degree

Job description

Senior Design Engineer

Location: Edinburgh

Contract Type: Contract Outside IR35

We have a Senior Design Engineer opportunity with a leading Tier 1 contractor delivering major infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects across the UK water sector. The role focuses on the design and delivery of water and wastewater schemes, including pipelines, pumping stations, treatment facilities, and associated civil engineering assets.

You will play a key role within the Engineering Design Team, supporting the delivery of water and wastewater infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects. Working closely with Principal Engineers, Design Managers, Design Leads, and multidisciplinary teams, you will help deliver high-quality, compliant, and innovative engineering solutions.

You will:

• Deliver civil engineering designs for water and wastewater projects in accordance with project requirements, industry standards, and health and safety regulations.
• Produce and review design calculations, technical reports, specifications, drawings, and supporting documentation.
• Support multidisciplinary design activities and ensure effective integration across engineering disciplines.
• Ensure design outputs comply with relevant legislation, British Standards, quality procedures, and best practice.
• Provide technical support to procurement, construction, commissioning, and site teams.
• Contribute to engineering governance, maintaining quality, consistency, and compliance across project deliverables.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Attend design reviews, client meetings, progress meetings, and site visits as required.
• Support knowledge sharing and mentor graduate and junior engineers.
• Build strong relationships with clients, suppliers, subcontractors, and internal stakeholders.

About You

• Degree qualified in Civil Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent qualification.
• Experience within the municipal water and wastewater sector, working with water utility clients.
• Chartered Engineer status or working towards chartership.
• Experience within a contractor, consultancy, or design-and-build environment.
• Strong knowledge of water and wastewater assets, including buried and above-ground gravity and pressurised systems, treatment processes, settlement tanks, chambers, and associated civil structures.
• Good understanding of health and safety legislation, British Standards, and industry regulations.
• Experience working within quality assurance and health and safety management systems.
• Ability to produce and review engineering calculations, reports, specifications, and design documentation
• Experience undertaking hydraulic calculations and assessments.
• Knowledge of structural design relating to water-retaining structures and reinforced concrete detailing.
• Experience liaising with clients and developing practical engineering solutions.
• Experience leading or attending design reviews, progress meetings, and site meetings.
• Awareness of NEC contracts.
• Understanding of quality, environmental, and health and safety management systems.
• Strong communication and technical report-writing skills.
• Proven ability to work within multidisciplinary teams and deliver projects to programme requirements.
• Commitment to innovation and industry best practice.Experience coordinating suppliers, subcontractors, construction teams, and internal stakeholders.
• Understanding of design planning, programme management, and resource estimation.
• Experience mentoring and supporting less experienced engineers.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a leading Tier 1 contractor at the forefront of the UK water industry. You will play a key role in delivering critical water infrastructure projects while helping shape engineering standards, innovation, and future talent within a collaborative and supportive environment.