Sports Infrastructure Design Lead

West Yorkshire

Ever wondered who actually engineers everything underneath the pitch at a major stadium? The drainage. Irrigation. Undersoil heating. Ventilation. Water infrastructure. Monitoring systems. All the engineering that has to come together perfectly to create a playing surface capable of performing at the highest level of sport - that's what this role is about.

I'm working with a specialist international consultancy looking for a Sports Infrastructure Design Lead to work on the design and delivery of stadiums, elite training facilities and Field of Play projects across the UK and internationally. And here's the interesting bit, you don't need to have worked in sport before.

If you're an experienced Civil, MEP, Building Services, water or infrastructure design professional who knows how to coordinate complex engineering designs, this is an opportunity to take those skills into a completely different world, Engineering for elite sport.

A modern stadium pitch is far more technically complex than the grass you see on matchday. Below and around the playing surface sits an interconnected network of drainage, irrigation, heating, ventilation, monitoring, utilities and other infrastructure - all of which needs to integrate with the wider stadium architecture, structures, Civils, MEP and landscape design. You'll be the person helping bring all of that together.

Working alongside specialist sports consultants, designers and BIM professionals, you'll translate the performance requirements of elite sporting surfaces into coordinated, buildable engineering solutions. Projects will take you from early concept and design development through detailed design, IFC and construction support.

You’ll lead the multidisciplinary engineering design and coordination of stadium, training facility and wider sports infrastructure projects. That will include:

• Coordinating Field of Play drainage and irrigation systems
• Water infrastructure and associated utilities
• Undersoil heating and ventilation systems
• Monitoring and specialist pitch technology
• Coordinating interfaces with Civil, Structural, MEP, architectural and landscape designs
• Developing and reviewing drawings, BIM models and engineering details
• Producing performance specifications, technical schedules, BoQs and Basis of Design documentation
• Reviewing calculations, contractor submissions, RFIs and shop drawings
• Leading design reviews and identifying coordination and construction risks
• Working within BIM-led environments and federated models
• Taking ownership of design deliverables, programmes and technical priorities
• Attending design team meetings and technical workshops
• Working directly with clients, architects, Engineers and contractors
• Supporting projects through design and into construction

You'll essentially become the engineering link between the specialist requirements of an elite playing surface and the wider design of the stadium or sporting facility around it.

They're not expecting to find somebody who already knows everything about elite sports pitches, instead, they're looking for someone with around 5+ years' experience in engineering design, potentially coming from Civil Engineering, MEP, Building Services , Drainage, Water, Infrastructure or Multidisciplinary Engineering.

You’ll need to understand how engineering designs come together and be comfortable working across areas such as drainage, levels, pipework, plant and utility interfaces so experience with AutoCAD and/or Revit would be useful, while Civil 3D or Navisworks would be an advantage.

You’ll also need to be comfortable working with BIM, technical documentation and multidisciplinary project teams, and confident enough to sit…