Lead Structural Engineer

Job description

Principal Structural Engineer / Discipline Head | Regulated Infrastructure

Hybrid Working | Up to £80,000 DOE or £500 per day (Outside IR35) | UK Travel as Required

Ready to Lead the Technical Direction of Major Infrastructure Projects?

What if your next role gave you the opportunity to do more than deliver exceptional structural engineering?

What if you could shape technical standards, mentor the next generation of engineers, and become the driving force behind structural engineering excellence across some of the UK's most complex infrastructure projects?

We're partnering with a growing multidisciplinary engineering consultancy that's delivering high-profile projects across the UK's regulated infrastructure sectors. As the business continues to grow, they're looking for an experienced Principal Structural Engineer / Discipline Head to provide technical leadership across their Structural Engineering discipline.

This is more than a Principal Engineer role. It's an opportunity to become the recognised technical authority for Structural Engineering, working alongside senior leadership to drive engineering excellence, influence best practice and help shape the future direction of the business.

Whether you're looking for a permanent opportunity (up to £80,000 DOE) or prefer the flexibility of a contract role (£500 per day Outside IR35), this is your chance to make a genuine impact while working on major infrastructure programmes across the UK.

The Opportunity

As Principal Structural Engineer / Discipline Head, you'll lead structural engineering delivery across multidisciplinary projects within regulated industries including water, rail, highways, nuclear and other critical infrastructure sectors.

Working closely with Design Leads, Project Managers and the Engineering Manager, you'll combine hands-on engineering expertise with strategic technical leadership—ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently and to the highest professional standards.

You'll also play a key role in developing engineering capability across the business, mentoring engineers, driving technical governance and continuously improving engineering standards.

If you're passionate about structural engineering and enjoy leading both people and technical excellence, this is an opportunity to take your career to the next level.

What You'll Be Doing

You'll play a key role in both project delivery and discipline leadership, including:

Design Delivery & Technical Assurance

✅ Leading the development of practical, efficient and buildable structural engineering solutions

✅ Reviewing and approving design deliverables, technical reports, specifications and Design Risk Assessments (DRAs)

✅ Producing innovative structural solutions based on project requirements, site investigations and client needs

✅ Providing technical leadership throughout the design lifecycle across multidisciplinary engineering teams

✅ Reviewing and independently checking structural engineering designs to ensure compliance with industry standards and client requirements

✅ Ensuring design changes are effectively controlled and documented

✅ Leading design reviews, technical workshops and client meetings

Technical Leadership & Governance

✅ Acting as the technical authority for the Structural Engineering discipline across the business

✅ Setting and maintaining engineering standards, procedures and best practice across all live projects

✅ Mentoring, coaching and developing Engineers, Graduates and CAD Technicians

✅ Assessing technical competency and supporting the professional development of engineering teams

✅ Working collaboratively with other discipline leads to coordinate multidisciplinary design interfaces

✅ Supporting tender submissions through technical guidance, resource forecasting and estimating design hours

✅ Championing Safety in Design principles and ensuring compliance with CDM 2015 Designer duties

✅ Driving continuous improvement across engineering standards, quality assurance and technical governance

About You

You'll be an experienced Chartered Structural Engineer with a passion for delivering technically robust engineering solutions while developing teams and influencing engineering excellence.

Essential

✔ Chartered Engineer (CEng)

✔ Degree or HND in Structural Engineering or a related discipline

✔ 10+ years' structural design experience at Senior or Principal Engineer level

✔ Experience delivering projects within one or more regulated infrastructure sectors, including Water, Rail, Highways, Bridges, Nuclear or Oil & Gas

✔ Strong understanding of structural engineering standards, design practices and construction methods

✔ Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering teams

✔ Excellent technical, communication and stakeholder management skills

✔ Strong digital engineering capability

✔ Full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle

Desirable

⭐ Previous experience as a Principal Engineer, Discipline Lead or Technical Authority

⭐ Experience using structural analysis and reinforced concrete (RC) design software

⭐ Experience delivering projects within the Water and/or Rail sectors

⭐ Experience supporting tenders and technical proposals

⭐ Knowledge of multiple client technical standards and framework requirements

⭐ Independent checking experience

⭐ Familiarity with BIM and Common Data Environment (CDE) workflows

⭐ Experience supporting recruitment, competency development or engineering governance

⭐ Experience working within multidisciplinary design consultancies or framework environments

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to join a business that's investing in its people, technical capability and long-term growth.

You'll have the opportunity to:

Lead structural engineering across high-profile regulated infrastructure programmes

Work on complex, multidisciplinary projects that shape the UK's critical infrastructure

Mentor and develop the next generation of structural engineers

Influence engineering standards, technical governance and business-wide best practice

Collaborate closely with senior leadership and major infrastructure clients

Enjoy flexible hybrid working

Receive a competitive salary of up to £80,000 DOE or £500 per day Outside IR35, alongside an excellent benefits package for permanent employees

Build your career within a forward-thinking consultancy where technical excellence is recognised and rewarded

Interested?

If you're a Chartered Structural Engineer looking for a role where your technical expertise, leadership and experience will genuinely shape the future of infrastructure engineering, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today or get in touch for a confidential conversation to learn more about this exciting opportunity.

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

England

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Published at

01-08-2026

Profession type

Design / Fashion

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English