Principal Civil Engineer (Water Infrastructure)

Job Description

Let’s transform society together…

We’re Sweco.

We’re future planners, city shapers, urban innovators, digital transformers, net zero chasers, community connectors, social enterprisers and lifestyle improvers.

We’re difference makers.

We’re Europe’s leading design, engineering, environment and regulatory consultancy and we’re now recruiting for a Principal Civil Engineer to join our team delivering outline design and detailed specifications primarily for water and wastewater schemes.

This role is based in our Glasgow office and can be worked flexibly with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office and the option of adjusted start and finish times.

Sweco brings together 22,000 experts across Northern Europe, combining global expertise with local delivery across the full water lifecycle. Our water engineering teams are industry leaders, helping clients meet growing demands through innovative, TOTEX‑focused solutions that reduce cost and carbon.

You’ll join a growing, collaborative team where innovation, sustainability and knowledge‑sharing are at the heart of what we do. We support your development so you can build your expertise, challenge conventional thinking and make a real difference for clients, communities and the environment.

We are looking for individuals who can challenge conventional thinking and work collaboratively to meet a wide range of business, environment and regulatory challenges for these clients. The role offers an opportunity for successful candidates to broaden and diversify their expertise.

Your role at a glance

As a Lead Design Engineer in our Water team, you’ll play a key role in shaping essential infrastructure projects that serve communities. You’ll work closely with a supportive, multi‑disciplinary team, taking projects from early ideas right through to delivery for local authorities, water companies and major infrastructure clients.

What you’ll be doing:

You’ll contribute to every stage of a project’s lifecycle — helping define the brief, setting clear deliverables and milestones, and ensuring quality and consistency throughout. You’ll produce and check technical designs such as calculations, drawings and reports, coordinate with other disciplines, and manage design changes as projects evolve. Along the way, you’ll take ownership of your work, delivering to agreed time, cost and quality standards, and helping improve the way we work through lessons learned and continuous improvement.

You’ll have the opportunity to support business growth by helping prepare bids and tenders, and by building strong, lasting relationships with our clients.

What we’re looking for from you:

• Chartered Engineer status with a relevant institution e.g ICE or CIWEM.
• Strong interpersonal/team working skills, with a good working relationship with all levels of the organisation, clients and contractors together with the ability to communicate in a fluent and positive manner both verbally and written.
• Comprehensive knowledge and experience of water and wastewater infrastructure design including an understanding of the basics and the integration of water elements into multidisciplinary projects.
• Extensive experience in design, contract and tender preparation, tender assessment and contract administration.

What’s in it for you?

This is an exciting time to join Sweco and if you want to be part of a company who is small in all the best ways but large enough to provide a diverse and exciting workload, this job is for you.

If you believe you have the skill set required, are keen to join a business with genuine opportunities for career progression, then we’d love to hear from you.

Let’s transform society together at Sweco!.

Employee Benefits

• Flexible and hybrid working (Flexworks Policy)
• Competitive pension contribution
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance
• Company car or car allowance
• Discretionary Annual Bonus Scheme
• Payment of two relevant professional subscriptions
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (with the option to purchase up to 5 additional days per year)
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme (wellbeing, mental health, financial and work advice)
• Employee discounts via Sweco Benefit Select (Faircare)
• Salary Sacrifice Electric Vehicle Scheme
• We plant a tree for all new starters!