Senior / Principal Water Engineer

Carrington West; City Of London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

Employee-owned company

Job summary

Carrington West in London is seeking a Senior/Principal Water Engineer to stay technically engaged while taking on mentoring, client liaison and growing leadership responsibilities.

You will work on water, drainage and SuDS projects, provide high-level design input, oversee technical work, and help shape the service offering as the business grows. The role is based in London with hybrid working and clear long-term progression within an employee-owned consultancy.

Qualifications

• Strong technical experience within water, drainage and/or SuDS engineering.
• Chartered Engineer status, or be working towards chartership.
• The confidence to communicate with clients and represent the business professionally.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to different technical challenges.
• The ability to work effectively between senior leadership and engineering delivery teams.
• An interest in mentoring and supporting colleagues.
• A desire to build a long-term technical career and grow alongside the business.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical input and guidance across water, drainage and SuDS projects.
• Undertake and oversee technical design, assessment and engineering work.
• Help solve complex technical challenges and support high-quality project delivery.
• Work directly with clients, communicating technical information clearly.
• Support and mentor other engineers as your role develops.
• Work with senior colleagues to strengthen the team's technical capability.
• Contribute ideas to the future development of the water service offering.

Skills

Water engineering

Drainage design

SuDS engineering

Mentoring

Client communication

Chartered Engineer status / workingtow

Job description

Senior / Principal Water Engineer

Permanent, London

Are you an experienced Water Engineer looking for a role where you can stay close to the technical work, take on greater responsibility and have a genuine opportunity to shape how a growing consultancy delivers its services?

My client is looking for a Senior / Principal Water Engineer to join its London team. This is an excellent opportunity if progression within a larger organisation feels limited and you are looking for a long-term position where your technical expertise and development will be valued.

A business where you can make an impact

My client is an employee-owned consultancy with an established presence in the infrastructure sector. The business is continuing to develop its water and SuDS capability and needs someone who can strengthen the technical expertise within its London team.

You will be joining an environment where attitude, aptitude and the ability to develop are valued alongside your previous experience. Rather than moving immediately into a heavily management-focused position, you will stay technically engaged while gradually developing your mentoring, client and leadership responsibilities.

There is also longer-term potential for you to contribute to the development of new services as the business grows.

Day-to-day people management will not initially be a major part of the role, making this well suited to someone who wants to continue developing as a technical specialist while gaining greater influence.

What you will be doing

As a Senior / Principal Water Engineer, you will help bridge the technical gap between the team lead and the existing senior engineering team.

You will be doing technically challenging work across water, drainage and SuDS projects, providing high-quality engineering input while becoming a trusted technical contact for colleagues and clients.

Your responsibilities will include:

• You will provide technical input and guidance across water, drainage and SuDS projects.
• You will undertake and oversee technical design, assessment and engineering work.
• You will help solve complex technical challenges and support high-quality project delivery.
• You will work directly with clients, communicating technical information clearly.
• You will support and mentor other engineers as your role develops.
• You will work with senior colleagues to strengthen the team's technical capability.
• You will contribute ideas to the future development of the water service offering.

What will help you succeed

My client is open-minded about your exact career history and is particularly interested in your technical ability, attitude and potential.

• Strong technical experience within water, drainage and/or SuDS engineering.
• Chartered Engineer status, or be working towards chartership.
• The confidence to communicate with clients and represent the business professionally.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to adapt to different technical challenges.
• The ability to work effectively between senior leadership and engineering delivery teams.
• An interest in mentoring and supporting colleagues.
• A desire to build a long‑term technical career and grow alongside the business.

Salary and benefits

Salary is £45,000 – £60,000 per year dependent on experience.

You will also benefit from joining an employee‑owned business with a bonus scheme, giving you the opportunity to share in the success of the company.

Where this role could take you

The Senior / Principal Water Engineer position is intended as a long-term appointment rather than simply meeting an immediate project requirement.

You will have the opportunity to deepen your technical expertise, develop your mentoring and client‑facing experience and potentially help shape future service offerings.

The role is based in London, with a hybrid working pattern.