Technical Director (Numerical Modelling)

COWI; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days holiday

Private health care

Hybrid working

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Maternity/Paternity leave

Cycle-to-work

EV lease

Gym membership

Rail card

Job summary

COWI is seeking a Technical Director in Geotechnical/Numerical Modelling to lead advanced numerical modelling across diverse infrastructure projects. You will oversee PLAXIS-based analyses, guide a multi-disciplinary team, and ensure rigorous modelling governance.

The role blends strategic leadership with hands-on technical excellence. Based in the UK with a hybrid Office/Home arrangement, you will drive design integration, client communication, and business development opportunities while

Qualifications

• Chartered civil engineer status required (MICE or equivalent).
• Experience in geotechnical projects and numerical modelling.
• Ability to lead project teams and mentor engineers.
• Strong communication and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate development and review of advanced numerical models using PLAXIS 2D/3D.
• Design, validate and optimise geotechnical FE models with appropriate assumptions and boundary conditions.
• Provide specialist technical oversight for soil/rock structure interaction on major infrastructure projects.
• Integrate modelling outputs into wider design processes with civil and ground engineering teams.
• Prepare high-quality technical reports communicating modelling approaches and findings to clients.
• Coordinate delivery of projects to time and budget with high technical quality.
• Maintain client relationships and identify potential business opportunities.
• Assist with bids and tenders and support Directors in business development.
• Produce design calculations, reports, drawings and models for contract deliverables.
• Guide junior engineers in modelling techniques and best practices.
• Contribute to innovation: automation workflows, parametric modelling, scripting and advanced visualization.
• Act as technical point of contact for numerical modelling in client and internal meetings.

Skills

Leadership

Geotechnical experience

Numerical modelling

Client communication

Education

Chartered Civil Engineer (MICE or equivalent)

Tools

PLAXIS 2D/3D

Job description

Technical Director (Geotechnical/Numerical Modelling)

London/Glasgow/Derby/York or Bristol

Permanent

Office/Home Hybrid Working

Do you want to be a part of our senior Ground Engineeringdiscipline? Can you lead on projects across a diverse team? Are you experienced in numerical modelling in geotechnicaldesign? Then, this could be the next adventure in your career.

Create Solutions that will enable a better tomorrow

To further strengthen the discipline, we are looking for a Technical Director to join our Ground Engineering team.Working in the Geotechnical space on various infrastructure projects, you’ll be responsible for leading numerical modelling within our ground engineering projects.

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Coordinate the development, execution, and review of advanced numerical models for complex soil/rock–structure interaction problems using industry standard tools (primarily but not limited to PLAXIS 2D/3D).
• Design, validate, and optimise geotechnical FE models, ensuring that modelling assumptions, boundary conditions, constitutive soil models, and FE predictions are aligned with industry best practice guidance.
• Provide specialist technical oversight for soil/rock structure interaction assessment on major infrastructure projects (tunnels, deep excavations, foundations, retaining systems, offshore structures, etc).
• Integrate numerical modelling outputs into wider design processes, collaborating closely with civil and ground engineering teams.
• Prepare high‑quality technical reports that clearly communicate modelling approaches, assumptions, sensitivity analyses, and engineering implications to clients and stakeholders.
• Coordinating the delivery of your projects to time and budget, ensuring a high standard of technical quality and compliance with our internal management systems.
• Maintaining and enhancing client relationships through your project work, including identifying and realising any potential business opportunities.
• Assisting with the preparation of bids and tenders and supporting the Directors in pursuing business development opportunities if required.
• Production of engineering design, assessment or checking work including preparation or checking of calculations, written reports, drawings, models and other contract deliverables.
• Support and guide junior engineers in numerical modelling techniques, good modelling practice, verification/validation processes, interpretation of complex outputs supporting the growth of technical excellence within the team.
• Contribute to innovation within the Ground Engineering discipline, including development of automation workflows, parametric modelling, scripting, and advanced visualisation of soil structure interaction behaviour.
• Act as the technical point of contact for numerical modelling in client and internal meetings, providing advice on modelling‑led design decisions.

Your skills. Our team. Together we design the future.

Like us, you believe that leadership success comes from setting a clear and meaningful direction for your team and supporting them in taking ownership of their work. You always delegate responsibility and ensure an open and safe dialogue, and you coach your people to achieve their aspirations through constructive, fact-based feedback. Attracting and nurturing a diverse group of high-potential team members is at the top of your agenda, as is creating an inclusive, caring and trusting culture in your team.

On top of that,you’llhave:

• Hold Chartered Civil engineer status(MICE or equivalent)
• Experience working in the Geotechnical space of projects
• The ability to lead project teams and oversee the delivery of projects, either as client's or contractor's designer
• Accomplished team leader skills with the ability to support, mentor and develop less experienced engineers
• The interpersonal skills and aptitude to work collaboratively in a diverse multi-disciplinary team
• A technically background, able to demonstrate a deep understanding and enthusiasm for geotechnical engineering
• Solid grasp of geotechnical engineering design principles and their integration with numerical modelling outputs, demonstrating the ability to translate complex analyses into clear engineering recommendations.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, enabling effective collaboration in a diverse, multidisciplinary environment.
• A collaborative approach to problem‑solving, with a commitment to quality, rigour, and best‑practice modelling governance.

A place to work and so much more

At COWI, we work together with our customers to shape a sustainable and liveable world. We do it by applying our knowledge and curiosity – and sometimes even our courage – to create the solutions the world needs today to enable a better tomorrow. We support our customers’ transition towards increased sustainability. We strive to lead by example by embedding environmental management, social responsibility and good governance into our business practices and the options we provide to our customers.

We value differences and development and cultivate an environment of belonging and having fun. Because that is what brings out the best in you, at work and at home.

With offices primarilylocatedin the Nordic region, the UK, NorthAmericaand India, we are currently more than 7,500 people who bring theirexpertisein engineering, architecture,energyand environment into play.

What we also offer

To us, a fair reward is more than a competitive salary. We want to take care of our people professionally and personally as well.

Some of our benefits include:

• 28 days' holiday plus all UK bank and public holidays
• Formalised development plans and yearly promotion opportunities
• Private health care, for you and a contribution from you for your immediate dependents
• Flexible and hybrid working conditions
• Annual subscription fees paid for your membership of two Professional Institutions
• Group personal pension scheme – salary exchange
• Life assurance
• Maternity Leave: 1-20 weeks full pay, 21-26 weeks half pay, 27-39 Statutory (SMP) 40-52 weeks unpaid (eligibility criteria will apply)
• Paternity Leave: 12 weeks full pay (eligibility criteria will apply)

Optional benefits include:

• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Electric vehicle lease
• Corporate gym membership
• Annual Rail card (available for under 30s)

Got more questions?

If you have any unanswered questions about the role or what we have to offer, please reach out to Ciaran [e-mail].

Get to know us even better at our website,www.cowi.com,where you can learn more about our projects, our strategy, what we want to achieve and what life is like at COWI.

Equal opportunity employer

. COWIprovidesequal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants foremployment without regard to ethnicity, colour, religion, gender, national origin,ageor disability. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.