Principal Engineer (Highways, Development & Infrastructure)

Overview

As Principal Engineer (Highways) you lead and deliver highway development projects from feasibility to detailed design, ensuring safety, quality and value. You will manage budgets, resources and schedules within the Highways team while collaborating across disciplines and clients. The role focuses on developing infrastructure designs, ensuring conformance with standards, and guiding junior engineers to deliver high-impact transport schemes. You will work with cross-functional teams to coordinate designs, manage client expectations and support business development with robust technical outputs.

Pay / Benefits

• bonus
• private healthcare
• electric car scheme
• flexible benefits
• hybrid working
• SYSTRA Wellness Programme

Responsibilities

• Lead designs on small projects and assist on others within the senior team
• Manage budgets, resourcing, planning and programming for projects
• Prepare technical outputs and coordinate with other disciplines
• Control financial, technical and project management aspects of civil engineering projects
• Delegate, manage and mentor Engineers and Technicians
• Ensure highway designs (adoptable/non-adoptable) meet standards (DMRB, MCHW, MfS, TSM, Local Authority guides)
• Design and detail highway and drainage infrastructure
• Coordinate with project teams to ensure fully integrated designs
• Prepare and price scopes, briefs, proposals and deliverables
• Develop and maintain client relationships and manage expectations
• Ensure on-time, on-budget, quality-driven project delivery and contract compliance
• Present to clients and stakeholders and attend meetings as required
• Conduct site visits to monitor progress and communicate issues to relevant parties
• Demonstrate SYSTRA values through excellence, collaboration, and empowerment

Key requirements

• Substantial experience in the Highways/Development Infrastructure sector
• MEng/MSc or BEng in Civil Engineering
• Chartered status (ICE or CIHT) or working toward Professional Qualification
• Extensive civil engineering consultancy experience
• Proven lead role in project delivery and management of dynamic teams
• Strong knowledge of highway design and approval processes
• Experience with highway design on major and minor projects and understanding of design principles
• Familiarity with standards (DMRB, MCHW, MfS, TSM, Local Authority guides)
• Health and safety knowledge including CDM
• IT proficiency with AutoCAD/Civil 3D or similar civil engineering tools
• Experience in project management and financial/commercial project responsibilities
• Drainage design experience beneficial
• Effective communication and mentoring abilities
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse design teams and stakeholders
• Excellent written reporting and fee proposal capability
• Ability to represent the company externally
• Strong workload management and prioritisation skills

• Effective communication with colleagues, clients and third parties
• Mentoring and developing less experienced colleagues
• Collaborative mindset and teamwork
• AutoCAD/Civil 3D proficiency
• Highway design standards knowledge (DMRB, MCHW, MfS, TSM)
• Drainage design capability

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