Structural Principal Engineer / Discipline Head

Job Title: Structural Principal Engineer / Discipline Head
Location: Manchester, UK
Contract Type: Permanent

We are seeking an experienced Principal Structural Engineer to take a leading role in delivering complex engineering design across regulated infrastructure sectors.

This is a senior position suited to a Chartered Engineer who enjoys combining technical excellence with leadership, guiding design solutions, mentoring engineers, and shaping how engineering is delivered within a growing consultancy.

You will act as a technical authority for structural design, supporting both project delivery and the continued development of our engineering capability. The role combines hands-on principal-level design and checking work with discipline-wide technical standards, competency and governance responsibilities.

The Role

As Principal Structural Engineer, you will take ownership of the structural engineering design input across multidisciplinary projects, ensuring designs are safe, efficient and fully aligned with client and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Design Delivery and Technical Assurance
- Leading the development of practical, efficient and buildable structural design solutions
- Reviewing and approving design deliverables, design risk assessments (DRAs), reports and technical specifications
- Developing efficient and practical engineering solutions based on scopes, site visits and client requirements
- Communicating design solutions clearly to clients and project teams
- Directing and supporting engineers, CAD technicians and graduates
- Guiding design work to ensure compliance with technical standards, professional guidance and relevant specifications
- Ensuring design changes are properly implemented and recorded within project documentation
- Working within established design processes and procedures to maintain quality and consistency
- Attending and leading design reviews, client meetings and technical discussions
- Reviewing, or appointing competent checkers for structural designs produced in-house or by subcontracted designers, to ensure compliance with required technical standards

Discipline Leadership and Technical Governance
- Setting, communicating and maintaining structural engineering technical standards across all live projects
- Verifying the technical competency of structural engineering staff before they are allocated to projects
- Monitoring the discipline engineers' performance and utilisation
- Identifying training needs and supporting CPD planning for the structural engineering team
- Coordinating with other discipline leads on cross-discipline interface items, to ensure clear ownership where scope overlaps
- Estimating structural design hours at tender stage, and supporting resource forecasting and capacity planning across active projects
- Championing safety-in-design principles within structural engineering, ensuring CDM 2015 designer duties are embedded across all design and checking activity
- Providing key technical guidance for both projects and tenders
- Supporting the continuous improvement of engineering standards and design practices

About You

We are looking for a highly capable structural engineer with strong experience in regulated industries and a track record of delivering robust engineering solutions.

Essential
- 10+ years' structural design experience at Senior or Principal level
- Degree or HND in Structural Engineering or a related discipline
- Chartered Engineer status
- Experience within one or more regulated sectors, such as: water, rail, highways / bridges, oil and gas, nuclear
- Strong understanding of engineering standards, design practices and construction methods
- Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering teams
- Strong IT and digital design capability
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle

Desirable
- Previous experience in a Discipline Lead, Technical Authority or Principal Engineer role
- Experience using structural design and reinforced concrete software
- Experience within the water and/or rail sectors
- Experience supporting tenders and technical proposals
- Familiarity with client-specific technical standards across multiple frameworks
- Experience as an independent checker across multiple projects
- Familiarity with BIM / common data environment workflows
- Experience contributing to recruitment, onboarding or competency framework development
- Experience working in a design-centre or framework consultancy model