Principal CFD Engineer - Dams & Hydraulic Structures

Principal CFD Engineer
- Dams & Hydraulic Structures

• Full‑time
• Business Group: DCS
• Legal Entity: AECOM Limited
• Business Line:
  Water
• Work Location Model:
  Hybrid
• Operating Group:
  International
• Primary
  
  Location:
  
  UK
  - Edinburgh
  - Tanfield

Start here. Grow here.

Are you ready to support a team of talented engineers and shape the future of the water industry?

Join our dynamic and multidisciplinary Water Team as a Principal CFD Engineer and help us deliver projects throughout the UK and internationally. This position offers a hybrid work arrangement with flexibility to work from home and one of our Reservoir Engineering hub offices – Edinburgh, Belfast or Leeds.

• Lead end‑to‑end 3D CFD modelling for spillways, energy dissipation structures, intake/outlet works, and other hydraulic infrastructure.
• Analyse turbulent and transient flows, energy losses, cavitation risk, air entrainment, water‑hammer effects, and scale interactions to inform safe, efficient designs.
• Integrate CFD with physical model results (calibration/validation), translating insights into design optimisation and risk reduction.
• Produce high‑quality technical reports, visualisations, and client presentations for interdisciplinary teams and stakeholders.
• Serve as technical authority for hydraulic CFD within the dams & reservoirs team; uphold QA standards and best practice.
• Mentor and guide junior modellers, fostering capability growth and knowledge‑sharing across the practice.
• Contribute to scope definition, proposals, and cost estimation; support business development related to CFD services.
• Coordinate planning, execution, and delivery schedules across multidisciplinary teams to meet project and client requirements.
• Undertake occasional site visits (e.g., surveys, data collection for model build/calibration). Travel typically occasional; can flex to project needs.

• Core benefits designed to support your future and well‑being, with flexible benefits you can customise.
• Technical practice networks, AECOM University, and volunteering days to accelerate career development.
• Flexible hybrid working model to create a healthy work‑life balance. Part‑time or flexible arrangements can be discussed.

• Degree (or equivalent) in civil, hydraulic, mechanical engineering or related field.
• Chartered engineer status or actively working towards being chartered.
• Significant experience applying CFD to hydraulic structures (dams, spillways, intakes, outlet works).
• Proficiency in Flow3D, OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent or similar CFD software, plus complementary tools like HEC‑RAS, ICEM CFD, Paraview, Rhino, Grasshopper.
• Demonstrated strength in combining numerical and physical modelling to solve complex hydraulic challenges.
• Experience with analytical problem‑solving, practical engineering judgement, and client‑facing communication (reports, presentations, data visualisation).
• Proven capability to mentor, enforce quality assurance, and deliver robust outputs aligned with regulatory and safety requirements.

We celebrate diversity, including neurodiversity, and believe it enriches our team. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.