Principal Civil Engineer

Location/s: Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle; UK

Recruiter contact: Nicola Coyle

Mott Mac Donald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued.

Whatever your ambition, Mott Mac Donald is where people come to be brilliant.

The Water Utilities Division is Mott Mac Donald’s centre of excellence for responding to the UK and Ireland s water and wastewater challenges. The work we do is at the forefront of ensuring safe water supplies for future generations, preventing urban flooding, and improving the health of our rivers and coastal environments. Our multi-disciplinary teams provide a variety of services throughout the full project life cycle, from advisory services and feasibility studies to outline and detailed design.

Together, we deliver best-in-class solutions to our clients while offering diverse and technically stimulating opportunities to our people.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a chartered Principal Civil Engineer to join our multidisciplinary Water Division — Mott Mac Donald s centre of excellence for all aspects of water engineering. Our teams deliver an extensive portfolio of projects, including water and wastewater treatment facilities, major pipeline and pumping infrastructure, network modelling and design, surface water management solutions, and hydropower developments.

We support every stage of the project lifecycle, from early‑stage feasibility and strategic studies through to outline and detailed design, construction support, and final handover. Our clients span the majority of UK water authorities, government bodies, and private-sector organisations both domestically and internationally. In this role, you will bring your technical expertise and leadership to a diverse range of strategic and design projects, typically acting as Design Lead or Project Manager.

You’ll play a key role in shaping solutions, guiding multidisciplinary teams, and delivering high‑quality outcomes for our clients.

• Working across a number of different UK water authorities
• Leading multi-disciplinary design teams in project delivery
• Project management duties, including programme and financial management for small to medium sized projects
• Provide direct input into projects with minimal supervision. Can self-direct and prioritise
• Review of design submissions to ensure compliance with contract requirements
• Conduct discipline checker role on standard outputs
• Undertaking studies, concept, preliminary and detailed design
• Interfacing and liaising with clients and other stakeholders
• Mentoring and contributing to the development of junior staff

Essential

• Civil Engineering or other relevant degree
• Chartered or near chartered Engineer status (ICE or equivalent)
• Experience of leading engineering design and/or multi-disciplinary design teams on water or wastewater projects
• Understanding of the designer’s responsibilities under the CDM regulations
• Solid knowledge of water or wastewater specifications and standards
• Strong communication, collaboration, and leadership skills
• Proactive approach, with an ability to adapt to changing scenarios

• Desirable
• Experience of working with Scottish Water
• Strong digital capability (e.g. Copilot / AI, Civils 3D, GIS, hydraulic modelling…