Principal Highways and Drainage Engineer

Principal Highways and Drainage Engineer - Development Infrastructure
Location: Bristol - Hybrid
Salary: £50,000 - £65,000+ DOE

Principal Highways and Drainage Engineer required to join an established independent multidisciplinary consultancy delivering development infrastructure projects across the UK.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Civil Engineer with a strong background in highways and drainage design to take ownership of projects from feasibility and planning through to detailed design, technical approval and construction.

The successful candidate will work across a varied portfolio of residential, commercial, mixed-use and wider development schemes, providing technical leadership on highways and drainage infrastructure while supporting Project Managers, clients and multidisciplinary design teams.

The position would suit an established Senior Engineer ready to progress into a Principal-level role, or an experienced Principal Engineer seeking a technically focused position within a collaborative independent consultancy.

Principal Highways and Drainage Engineer Salary & Benefits

£50,000 - £65,000+ salary depending on experience
Higher packages considered for exceptional Principal-level candidates
Hybrid and flexible working
Office options in Woking, London, Bristol, Leeds, Christchurch or Aldershot
25 days annual leave, increasing with length of service
Company pension scheme
Life assurance
Professional institution subscriptions paid
Structured CPD and professional development
Support towards chartership and professional qualifications
Cycle to Work Scheme
Employee mentoring programme
Paid volunteer time
Varied development infrastructure workload
Supportive and collaborative multidisciplinary environment
Clear opportunities for progression

Principal Highways and Drainage Engineer Job Overview

Leading the design and delivery of highway and drainage infrastructure for development projects
Developing highway designs supporting Section 38 and Section 278 technical approval submissions
Preparing drainage designs supporting Section 104 agreements
Producing and reviewing drainage strategies and flood risk assessments
Developing surface water and foul drainage networks from feasibility through to detailed design
Undertaking drainage design from first principles
Producing highway layouts, access designs, junction improvements and associated infrastructure solutions
Using Civil 3D and AutoCAD to develop and coordinate highway and drainage designs
Using MicroDrainage, Causeway Flow or similar software for drainage modelling and network design
Undertaking technical assessments to support planning applications and development proposals
Managing projects and technical workstreams from inception through to delivery
Coordinating project programmes, budgets and technical outputs
Liaising directly with developers, architects, planning consultants and wider design teams
Liaising and negotiating with highway authorities, local authorities, water companies and approving bodies
Responding to technical comments and progressing designs through approval
Preparing and reviewing technical reports, drawings and calculations
Checking technical outputs produced by Engineers, Graduates and Technicians
Providing technical guidance and mentoring to junior members of the team
Presenting technical information to clients, internal teams and external stakeholders
Ensuring designs comply with relevant UK standards, regulations and authority requirements
Supporting continuous improvement, technical development and best practice across the infrastructure team

Principal Highways and Drainage Engineer Job Requirements

Degree or higher qualification in Civil Engineering or a related discipline
Strong experience within UK development infrastructure engineering
Ideally 5+ years' experience within a UK consultancy, local authority or similar environment
Strong experience delivering both highway and drainage designs for development projects
Experience with Section 38, Section 278 and Section 104 processes
Strong knowledge of UK highway and drainage design standards
Knowledge of DMRB, Manual for Streets, Sewers for Adoption and local authority design standards
Experience designing surface water and foul drainage systems
Strong understanding of drainage design from first principles
Experience using MicroDrainage, Causeway Flow or similar drainage software
Experience preparing drainage strategies and/or Flood Risk Assessments
Good AutoCAD skills
Good working knowledge of Civil 3D
Experience managing projects, technical workstreams and project programmes
Ability to independently develop and coordinate practical engineering solutions
Experience liaising with clients, highway authorities, local authorities and water companies
Experience reviewing and checking technical drawings, calculations and reports
Ability to mentor and support Engineers, Graduates and Technicians
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Commercial awareness and experience managing project budgets would be advantageous
Chartered or working towards Chartered Engineer status would be advantageous
Full UK driving licence due to occasional site visitsBennett and Game Recruitment are a multi-disciplined technical recruitment agency based in Chichester, West Sussex operating across the UK with specialist teams covering a range of industries.

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