Principal Engineer; Drainage

Principal Engineer and Drainage Specialist

Lead technically challenging drainage projects, shape strategy, and drive excellence in sustainable infrastructure across the UK.

Location: Chelmsford (or London) – 2–3 days per week in the office

Salary: £50,000 – £60,000+

Pension: 8% employer contribution

Hours: 35‑hour working week

• Lead and oversee the design, procurement, and delivery of complex drainage infrastructure projects.
• Provide technical leadership on drainage and flood risk across multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Build, maintain, and enhance relationships with local authorities, developers, and key clients.
• Mentor, manage, and support engineers at all levels, driving technical excellence and professional growth.
• Lead on bid preparation, fee proposals, resource planning, and business development.
• Ensure designs meet CDM 2015, DMRB, local authority, and national standards.
• Oversee project budgets, risk management, performance, and resourcing.

• Chartered Engineer (CEng) or near‑chartered (ICE/CIHT).
• BEng/BSc or MEng in Civil Engineering.
• 10+ years’ experience in drainage/infrastructure design, including several years in a senior/lead technical position.
• Strong technical expertise in drainage (SuDS, flood risk, surface water management, and below‑ground drainage systems).
• Proven track record delivering civil infrastructure projects end‑to‑end.
• Strong client‑facing, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience mentoring and developing engineers.

• Experience with Micro Drainage (Info Drainage), Flow, Civil 3D, and hydraulic modelling software.
• Familiarity with NEC/JCT contracts and commercial project management.
• Experience working with local authorities or UK regional frameworks.
• Experience supporting business development and writing proposals.

Travel: Occasional travel to regional client meetings and project sites.

Flexible Working: We support hybrid and flexible working to promote strong work‑life balance.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your career and lead the delivery of sustainable, high‑impact drainage projects across the UK, we’d love to hear from you.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all genders, races, ethnicities, ages, neurotypes, religions or beliefs, sexual orientations, and those with disabilities.