Head of Civil Engineering; Low Carbon; Energy

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs?

At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

A little more about your role...You will lead the Civil & Structural Engineering discipline within the Energy team, reporting to the Head of Engineering and working alongside other discipline and technical leads. You will be accountable for the technical direction, governance, capability and performance of the discipline, while taking an active role on strategically important and technically complex projects.

Our work spans major energy transition, power and infrastructure programmes, including power generation, transmission and distribution, substations, gas infrastructure, carbon capture, hydrogen, industrial decarbonisation and other critical energy assets. You will help teams deliver safe, practical and buildable solutions from feasibility and concept selection through FEED, detailed design, construction support and commissioning.

This is not solely a resource-management post. We are looking for a recognised technical leader who can challenge design decisions, undertake or direct independent reviews, act in technical authority or design assurance roles, resolve complex engineering issues and represent the discipline with clients and delivery partners.

What you will be accountable for:

Technical leadership and assurance

Set the technical direction for civil and structural engineering across the Energy team, maintaining a clear focus on safety, quality, constructability and whole-life value.

Act as technical authority, discipline lead, design approver or independent reviewer on complex or high-risk commissions, appropriate to competence and project need.

Lead technical reviews and provide proportionate challenge across structural steelwork, reinforced and prestressed concrete, foundations, geotechnical interfaces, earthworks, drainage, roads, buildings, buried services, site infrastructure and temporary works interfaces.

Ensure that designs, calculations, specifications, drawings and technical reports are appropriately scoped, checked, approved and evidenced.

Own and develop discipline procedures, design guides, calculation tools, standard details, checking arrangements and competence requirements.

Promote Safety in Design, CDM compliance, hazard elimination and robust recording of residual design risk throughout the project lifecycle.

Drive consistent application of the Business Management System, SHEQ requirements, applicable legislation, codes, standards and client-specific engineering procedures.

Lead the resolution of significant technical issues, non-conformances and lessons learned, ensuring improvements are embedded across the team.

Champion digital engineering, automation, standardisation and practical innovation where these improve quality, efficiency or decision-making.

Project and client delivery

Provide visible civil engineering leadership on major multidisciplinary programmes and first-of-a-kind projects.

Confirm that scopes, deliverables, programmes, budgets, assumptions and interfaces are sufficiently defined before work starts.

Work closely with project managers and other disciplines to manage technical interfaces, design change, risk, programme and resource priorities.

Build trusted relationships with clients, contractors, operators, OEMs and delivery partners, representing WSP as a senior technical adviser.

Support construction, commissioning and operational queries, including site-based reviews where required.

Contribute to bids and proposals by shaping the technical approach, delivery model, resource plan, programme, assumptions and pricing basis.

Undertake technical due diligence and peer review for internal and external commissions where appropriate.

What you will be accountable for People leadership and capability

Provide line management and leadership for the Civil & Structural Engineering team, creating clear expectations and a supportive, accountable culture.

Maintain an overview of workload, utilisation, competence and future demand; work with project and business leaders to deploy people to work that matches their capability and development needs.

Identify capability gaps and lead targeted recruitment, succession…