Principal Engineer- Flood Risk & Hydraulic Modelling

Joining Arup

Arup's purpose, shared values and collaborative approach have set us apart for 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

Our water team works across 90 countries, bringing together more than 50 technical and advisory disciplines to tackle some of the world’s most complex water challenges. From strategic drainage planning to sustainable flood resilience, we combine engineering, consultancy and research to create solutions that make a real difference to communities and the environment.

The focus of Arup’s Water team in Sheffield is stormwater and wastewater modelling. We advise our clients on the risk of flooding at strategic (city or region-wide) or site scale. We model the movement of water and the risks associated with flooding, using integrated hydraulic models. We plan and design nature-based solutions to manage stormwater and provide wider benefits in the built and rural environment.

This team has enjoyed strong organic growth, but demand for practical and rigorously proven solutions continues to rise.

We are seeking an experienced person with deep curiosity for the impact that water can have on people’s lives; someone who is driven to help us protect others. For this role, we would expect you to have experience of hydraulic modelling and/or the engineering skills required to develop and lead design solutions.

You will be part of a senior leadership team that will develop and deliver innovative solutions to solve complex problems for our clients and their customers. Our framework wins for AMP8 position us to work across the entire design process including strategic planning, feasibility, detailed design and design and build support. You will deliver a wide variety of projects, and see your solutions developed from start to finish.

We live our Strategy every day “sustainability is everything” and we actively promote, prioritise and deliver nature-based solutions.

Reporting to the Water Team Leader in Sheffield, you will be building or applying hydraulic models (including integrated models), using engineering judgment, and developing stormwater management design solutions for a range of clients such as the UK Environment Agency, water companies, local authorities, international clients and major infrastructure operators.

Working as part of a team spread across Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester you will provide hands‑on input through technical analysis and design using industry‑standard software. The ideal candidate will have experience in hydraulic modelling, flood risk management, and an understanding of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS).

You will have the opportunity to lead and deliver hydraulic modelling projects across the entire design process. You will have good understanding of 1D and 2D hydraulic models for risk analysis and the development of solutions to improve water quality and reduce flood risk, with particular focus on storm overflows and wastewater treatment.

You will be part of our Modelling team delivering holistic catchment solutions with a strong focus on nature-based solutions and integrated urban drainage modelling. This will include leading others to develop technical reports, undertake hydraulic model analysis, produce business cases, investigate multi‑capitals economics and support the checking calculations, and other key modelling project deliverables.

In this role, you will build and simulate hydraulic models, extract results, and draw conclusions to inform design solutions. You’ll use GIS software to manipulate results, create informative images, and produce technical reports to convey complex concepts. Practical experience with hydraulic modelling software, ideally Info Works ICM or…