Principal Engineer​/Associate – Construction & Buildability Advisory

A little more about your role…

WSP seeks a candidate with Tier 1 contractor experience (sub-agent/site agent level) and a background in major highways projects to join the Leeds Roads team.

You will support technical delivery and design coordination to help ensure our designs are practical and deliverable on site. Working closely with our design teams, clients and delivery partners, you will apply a strong “right first time” approach—reviewing designs for constructability, identifying constraints early, and ensuring outputs are clear and unambiguous. You will also support the early stages of scheme development by advising on construction strategy, phasing and traffic management, and producing high-level construction programmes to inform economic and environmental assessments.

The role will involve:

• Undertaking design assurance and buildability reviews (incl. methodology/sequence, alternatives/innovation, affordability), and checking drawings/specifications for ambiguities prior to issue.
• Identifying site constraints and construction risks, requirements for site investigations, permanent/temporary land take and temporary works.
• Consideration of alternative and innovative design solutions.
• Support with CDM design compliance
• Identifying safety issues and residual risks across construction and ensuring these are captured and communicated through design risk management processes.
• Assessing construction strategy, phasing and programme durations.
• Advice on the planning of statutory undertakers' diversionary works.
• Preparing technical reports.
• Liaising with our internal design teams providing clear, pragmatic buildability advice.
• Liaising with clients and delivery stakeholders (including contractors), developing trusted relationships.
• Supporting construction‑stage delivery as required in site supervision/inspection capacity.

• Experience in the delivery of major highways and civil engineering projects, with demonstrable construction/contracting exposure and the ability to provide robust constructability assurance and contractor‑focused assessment.
• Experience in developing construction phasing plans, traffic management plans, earthworks strategies, and construction programmes.
• Proven ability to identify construction and buildability constraints and risks.
• Strong understanding of CDM and design risk management, including identifying and communicating residual risks across construction, operation and maintenance.
• Experience in interfacing with statutory undertakers' diversionary works.
• Good communication, client management and interpersonal skills are essential.
• Proven ability to prepare technical reports.
• Strong stakeholder management skills.
• Chartered Civil Engineer or an Incorporated Engineer.