Highways Principal Engineer Wide

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting‑edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

As a Principal Highways Engineer, you’ll help shape the delivery of some of the UK’s most significant transport projects. You’ll drive technical excellence, influence key design decisions, and mentor talented engineers to strengthen capability across the team. With room to innovate and improve how we work, you’ll champion smarter, safer and more efficient design approaches that enhance outcomes for our clients.

From major national programmes to impactful local schemes, your leadership will play a vital role in elevating delivery performance and helping grow a future‑ready highways capability at Jacobs.

• Drive technical excellence and ensure safety in design within team deliverables.
• Champion opportunities for automation and process efficiencies in all aspects of our work.
• Lead and mentor a small team of designers on projects.
• Generate bottom‑up forecasts of project hours for your team or discipline by project, and escalate any scope changes impacting delivery.
• Coordinate the delivery of Civils highways design solutions within programme and budget constraints.
• Collaborate with discipline leads globally to provide an integrated and best practice service to our clients, challenging the status quo to innovate for the future.
• Line Management – while line management is not required for career progression at Jacobs, opportunities exist for those interested in people leadership to supervise staff locally and become a valued part of our team.

Jacobs is a market leader in the transportation sector, working with major clients such as National Highways, Transport Scotland, the Welsh Government, and global contractors. Internationally, we contribute to some of the world's mega projects, including NEOM The Line and King Khalid International Airport. Domestically, we collaborate with councils and transport authorities in major towns and cities, offering you the chance to work on impactful local projects.

In the North, we are delivering schemes for Manchester Airport Group, United Utilities, Cheshire East Council, and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. In the Midlands and South‑West, we are engaged in frameworks for Worcestershire County Council, Birmingham City Council, Derbyshire County Council, and the West of England Combined Authority.

• Attained a relevant professional qualification, for example a degree in engineering /CEng/ IEng or equivalent qualifications
• Technical experience of delivering local and/or major highways projects or the land side alignment elements in adjacent markets such as Water or Aviation.
• Ability to lead small project teams effectively and support their technical development.
• Thorough understanding of commonly used design standards such as Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) or international equivalents.
• Sound knowledge of UK Health & Safety legislation and a passion for fostering safety and well‑being.
• Ability to work independently and effectively within a global multi‑disciplinary team.
• Experience of the financial management and control of projects.

#UK Transportation

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximise your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well‑being benefits to our global giving and volunteering programme, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients…