Associate Structural Engineer

Associate Structural Engineer
Leeds City Centre

I'm working with a growing multidisciplinary engineering consultancy looking to appoint an Associate Structural Engineer to play a key role in establishing and growing its structural engineering presence in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire market.
This is a senior appointment combining technical project delivery, commercial responsibility, team leadership and business development. You'll work closely with the company Directors and wider senior leadership team, with the backing of established structural teams elsewhere in the business, but with genuine autonomy to develop the Leeds operation.
There is also a realistic and supported route towards Director for someone who wants it and performs well in the role.

The opportunity
Initially, you'll remain heavily involved in the technical delivery of projects while helping establish and grow the Leeds structural team around you. The consultancy works across education, healthcare, residential, industrial, commercial, leisure and retail, delivering both new-build and refurbishment schemes ranging considerably in size and complexity, with current projects reaching construction values of around £70m.
You'll take responsibility for your own portfolio of projects from feasibility and concept design through preliminary and detailed design, tender and construction, acting as Project Manager, Design Manager or Structural Lead depending on the scheme.
That will include developing and reviewing structural design solutions, checking calculations, reports, specifications and drawings, coordinating with other disciplines and ensuring projects are technically sound, commercially controlled and delivered to programme.
You'll need strong building structures experience across steel, reinforced concrete, timber and masonry, covering both new-build and refurbishment projects, alongside detailed knowledge of relevant British Standards and Eurocodes.
Software used across the team includes Tekla Structural Designer, Tekla Tedds and Robot Structural Analysis, with experience of Revit and AutoCAD also useful.

Technical leadership
This person will become a senior technical authority within the Leeds office, so there's an expectation that you'll be comfortable making decisions rather than simply escalating them.
You'll maintain technical standards across your projects, undertake design reviews and checking, contribute to quality systems and make sure the appropriate CDM and health & safety requirements are being properly considered throughout the design process.
You'll work closely with Engineers and Technicians, making sure they're properly briefed and supported, while providing technical mentoring and checking their work. As Leeds grows, you'll also have a major say in recruiting, developing and managing the structural team around you.
There will naturally be plenty of client contact too. You'll represent the consultancy at design team meetings, liaise with contractors and other consultants and deal with relevant approving and statutory bodies throughout the life of a project.
Site inspections and investigation work will also form part of the role, so this isn't an Associate position where you're expected to completely step away from engineering.

Commercial responsibility
At this level, being technically strong is only part of it.
You'll take responsibility for the commercial performance of your projects, including preparing fee proposals and bids, monitoring project costs, managing change control, negotiating fee variations and contributing to project invoicing.
You'll also be expected to understand resource requirements across your workload, plan accordingly and work with the Directors and wider leadership team to make sure projects are properly staffed.
The consultancy wants somebody comfortable owning client relationships rather than simply attending meetings. You'll maintain and develop existing accounts, identify opportunities for repeat business and help create new workstreams across Leeds and Yorkshire.
That doesn't mean arriving with a black book and being given an impossible sales target. There is an established business and existing relationships behind you, but you will need to be comfortable being outward-facing and representing the consultancy within the local market.

Building the Leeds team
Longer term, this is where the opportunity becomes particularly interesting.
You'll work directly with the Directors on the continued development of the Leeds office, contributing to recruitment, resource planning, client strategy, marketing and wider business planning.
The intention is to build a structural engineering team around this appointment, so you'll have the opportunity to influence what that team looks like and how it operates rather than inheriting somebody else's structure.
You'll also work closely with established teams in the consultancy's other offices and will occasionally travel between them to maintain those relationships and share resources and expertise. The business currently anticipates this being around fortnightly where required, with travel expenses covered.

What are they looking for?
You'll ideally be a Chartered Structural Engineer - MIStructE preferred, although MICE will absolutely be considered - with significant consultancy experience delivering complex building structures projects.
Around 8+ years' experience would probably put you in the right territory, although the quality and breadth of your experience matters considerably more than simply hitting a number.
You'll need to demonstrate experience of leading technical project delivery, managing multidisciplinary teams, mentoring Engineers and Technicians, commercially managing projects and dealing directly with clients.
Most importantly, you'll need the confidence and motivation to operate with a fair degree of autonomy.
They're not looking for somebody who simply wants the Associate title. They want someone who can become a senior figure within the business, establish a presence in Yorkshire and ultimately help build a successful team around themselves.
For the right person, there is a clear route towards Director, giving you somewhere meaningful to take the role once the Leeds operation is established.

Alongside a salary of up to £70,000, there's flexible hybrid working, annual bonus, employer pension contribution, paid professional subscriptions and a wider package covering healthcare, wellbeing and other benefits.

If you're already operating at Associate level, or you're a strong Principal Structural Engineer ready to make that move, and the idea of building something in Leeds rather than simply joining an established hierarchy appeals, I'd be interested in speaking with you.

Contact Sam at Calibre or click apply.

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