Principal Civil Design Engineer

Principal Civil Design Engineer Our client is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Principal Civil Design Engineer with an essential background in Utility Engineering and experience within the water industry, to join…

Outside IR35 Hybrid Engineering
Pay rate £500 – £501/day
Contract type Contract
Posted 23 September 2026

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About this contract

Outside IR35

Principal Civil Design Engineer

Our client is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Principal Civil Design Engineer with an essential background in Utility Engineering and experience within the water industry, to join their integrated design team.

In this role, you will play the lead part in the development and delivery of water and wastewater infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects, supporting designs from initial feasibility, concept through to detailed design, construction and commissioning. You will work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality, practical design solutions that meet client and project requirements.

The role is based at our clients Office in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The position follows a hybrid working arrangement, with an expectation to be office-based at least four days per week.

Job Description

Key Duties

Managing and coordinating internal and external activities associated with civil and drainage design, in line with client specifications and design standards.
Prepare and develop design solutions at various stages of a project, supporting Design Engineering activities related to civil design, including value engineering steering.
Responsible for the delivery of design schemes and oversee the roles and responsibilities of the Design & Engineering Team.
Design duties will include management of design schemes at various stages, ensuring the design tasks have been completed; attendance at meetings and checking the work of other team members to ensure accuracy.
Feasibility studies and pricing input as part of the technical services
Co-ordination of a wide range of discipline inputs; monitoring and protecting our client relationships; planning and programming; commercial management and presenting projects for audit.
Maintaining on-going communication with relevant Team Leaders / Senior Managers and clients when required to ensure effective communications on matters relevant to the project.
Managing the resolution of technical issues on projects and providing technical guidance to other team members, such as junior engineers, technicians, and apprentices.
Promoting and developing the technical capability of other team members.

Essential Skills, you will:

Be a qualified engineer and ideally Chartered, with membership of a relevant professional institution such as the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
Have demonstrable civil design experience within the UK water sector, including projects involving water treatment, drainage, clean water networks, rising mains, and sewer separation.
Essential understanding of water industry standards and guidance, such as CIWEM and CESWI.
Be familiar with quality, environmental, and information management procedures in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 19650, and ISO 14001.

Preferred Skills, ideally, you will also:

Be technically competent in hydraulic design principles, with the ability to undertake manual calculations where software tools are not applicable. Experience with hydraulic profiling would be advantageous.
Knowledge and experience of HazOp / ALM requirements.
Have extensive knowledge of water industry standards, such as WIMES & CESWI.
Be familiar and ability to lead with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM).
Demonstrate a commitment to continuous professional development, keeping up to date with industry innovations and developments in design software and tools.
Build and maintain positive working relationships with all members of the design teams, as well as internal and external stakeholders.
Lead by example, promoting high standards and supporting the adoption of best practice procedures within the team.
Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, with a proactive, positive, and solution-focused approach to work.
Show a willingness to learn, develop, and continually improve your skills, while embracing innovative and forward-thinking ideas.
Uphold company values, ensuring respect for colleagues, the public, and the environments in which we operate.
Be committed to continuous professional development, keeping up to date with industry innovations, standards, and technological advancements

ersg are an equal opportunities employer; we are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all job applicants. We do not discriminate against applicants on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or religious background; all decisions are based on merit

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