Water Infrastructure Lead

Arup; Durban; On-site; ZAR 400,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering consultancy in Durban is seeking a Water Infrastructure Lead to manage innovative water projects. Ideal candidates will have relevant qualifications, extensive experience in water project delivery, and proven leadership skills. This role offers opportunities for professional growth and participation in significant projects that impact communities. The company provides competitive benefits including profit sharing.

Benefits

Profit sharing

Medical aid

Ongoing training and development

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in delivering water projects such as pipelines, pump stations, and treatment plants.
• Established market connections in the water sector.
• Proven leadership experience in motivating and managing teams.

Responsibilities

• Building and maintaining client relationships with water utilities and public agencies.
• Leading proposals and ensuring team alignment.
• Coordinating with leaders to shape delivery teams.
• Leading projects for quality outcomes and strategic hires.

Skills

Client relationship management

Project delivery

Team leadership

Business development

Education

Relevant tertiary qualification (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical)

Job description

Joining Arup

Arup’s purpose, shared values, and collaborative approach have set us apart for over 75 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

Arup is an independent, multi-disciplinary firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants, and technical specialists, working across every aspect of today’s built environment. Together, we help our clients solve their most complex challenges—turning exciting ideas into tangible realities as we strive to find a better way and shape a better world.

Watch this short clip to discover how Arup is shaping a better world and how you could be part of it!

The Opportunity

Our South Africa team is seeking a strategic, experienced Water Infrastructure Lead to join our dynamic team working on innovative and exciting water infrastructure projects in Africa and globally across Arup. This is a rare opportunity to build and lead a team in a high-priority growth area for Arup, with strong backing from global and regional leadership.

The suitable candidate will have deep experience in technical areas such as pipelines, pump stations, water treatment, and wastewater treatment, with a proven track record of cultivating long-term client relationships, securing impactful work, and delivering projects successfully. Key responsibilities include:

1. Building and maintaining client relationships with water utilities, public agencies, and private entities. Identifying and pursuing high-impact opportunities aligned with Arup’s strategy.
2. Leading proposals and major pursuits, ensuring alignment with team capability and vision.
3. Coordinating with discipline leads, project managers, and other business leaders to shape integrated delivery teams. Leading, managing, and developing teams, providing mentorship and coaching.
4. Leading projects to ensure delivery of high-quality outcomes meeting client and Arup expectations; identifying strategic hires and developing internal talent.

At Arup, you belong to an extraordinary collective—where individuality is encouraged to thrive. Our strength comes from respecting, sharing, and connecting diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas.

You will have the opportunity to do socially useful work that has meaning—for Arup, your career, our members, and the communities we serve.

Is this role right for you?

• A relevant tertiary qualification (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, etc.) and professional registration with ECSA.
• Extensive experience in delivering water projects such as pipelines, pump stations, water/wastewater treatment plants, and water reuse, with a track record of client-facing business development in the water sector.
• Established market connections with clients and partner organizations, with the ability to win work related to water supply, water resource management, and wastewater.
• Proven leadership in the water sector, with the ability to lead, motivate, and manage teams.

What we offer you:

At Arup, we care about each member’s success so we can grow together. We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom and personal responsibility to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit sharing is a key part of our rewards, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

We offer an environment that provides the freedom to design with purpose, focus on your skills to deliver quality work, and opportunities to learn and share knowledge openly. You will have the chance to utilize your technical expertise to improve the lives of vulnerable communities through Arup's community engagement programs.

You will have access to numerous learning opportunities and ongoing training through Arup University and other programs.

Beyond a competitive guaranteed annual salary, our core benefits include medical aid, hospital gap cover, provident fund for retirement savings, life insurance, and income protection in case of disability. These benefits are part of your guaranteed annual package.