WSP in the UK & Ireland
Head of Civil Engineering (Low Carbon) - Energy
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Job Description
What if you could do the kind of work the world needs?
At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.
A Little More About Your Role...
You will lead the Civil & Structural Engineering discipline within the Energy team, reporting to the Head of Engineering and working alongside other discipline and technical leads. You will be accountable for the technical direction, governance, capability and performance of the discipline, while taking an active role on strategically important and technically complex projects.
Our work spans major energy transition, power and infrastructure programmes, including power generation, transmission and distribution, substations, gas infrastructure, carbon capture, hydrogen, industrial decarbonisation and other critical energy assets. You will help teams deliver safe, practical and buildable solutions from feasibility and concept selection through FEED, detailed design, construction support and commissioning.
This is not solely a resource-management post. We are looking for a recognised technical leader who can challenge design decisions, undertake or direct independent reviews, act in technical authority or design assurance roles, resolve complex engineering issues and represent the discipline with clients and delivery partners.
What You Will Be Accountable For
Technical Leadership and Assurance
- Set the technical direction for civil and structural engineering across the Energy team, maintaining a clear focus on safety, quality, constructability and whole-life value.
- Act as technical authority, discipline lead, design approver or independent reviewer on complex or high-risk commissions, appropriate to competence and project need.
- Lead technical reviews and provide proportionate challenge across structural steelwork, reinforced and prestressed concrete, foundations, geotechnical interfaces, earthworks, drainage, roads, buildings, buried services, site infrastructure and temporary works interfaces.
- Ensure that designs, calculations, specifications, drawings and technical reports are appropriately scoped, checked, approved and evidenced.
- Own and develop discipline procedures, design guides, calculation tools, standard details, checking arrangements and competence requirements.
- Promote Safety in Design, CDM compliance, hazard elimination and robust recording of residual design risk throughout the project lifecycle.
- Drive consistent application of the Business Management System, SHEQ requirements, applicable legislation, codes, standards and client-specific engineering procedures.
- Lead the resolution of significant technical issues, non-conformances and lessons learned, ensuring improvements are embedded across the team.
- Champion digital engineering, automation, standardisation and practical innovation where these improve quality, efficiency or decision-making.
Project and Client Delivery
- Provide visible civil engineering leadership on major multidisciplinary programmes and first-of-a-kind projects.
- Confirm that scopes, deliverables, programmes, budgets, assumptions and interfaces are sufficiently defined before work starts.
- Work closely with project managers and other disciplines to manage technical interfaces, design change, risk, programme and resource priorities.
- Build trusted relationships with clients, contractors, operators, OEMs and delivery partners, representing WSP as a senior technical adviser.
- Support construction, commissioning and operational queries, including site-based reviews where required.
- Contribute to bids and proposals by shaping the technical approach, delivery model, resource plan, programme, assumptions and pricing basis.
- Undertake technical due diligence and peer review for internal and external commissions where appropriate.
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People Leadership and Capability
- Provide line management and leadership for the Civil & Structural Engineering team, creating clear expectations and a supportive, accountable culture.
- Maintain an overview of workload, utilisation, competence and future demand; work with project and business leaders to deploy people to work that matches their capability and development needs.
- Identify capability gaps and lead targeted recruitment, succession planning and development of technical specialists and future leaders.
- Set objectives, hold meaningful performance and development conversations, and address issues promptly and fairly.
- Mentor engineers and technicians, support professional registration and create opportunities for technical learning, coaching and knowledge sharing.
- Maintain an effective competence and authorisation framework for checking, approval and technical authority roles.
- Connect UK and international delivery teams, including global delivery centres, so that work is integrated, appropriately supervised and consistently assured.
- Promote inclusive leadership and ensure individuals can contribute, develop and progress based on their skills and potential.
Business and Discipline Development
- Work with the Head of Engineering and business leadership to deliver the strategic plan for the Energy team.
- Develop a forward view of market demand, technical capability and workforce needs across the civil and structural discipline.
- Support key client relationships and identify opportunities where the team can add value or broaden its services.
- Build effective links with civil and structural teams elsewhere in WSP, sharing work, expertise, lessons and best practice.
- Monitor discipline performance and take action to improve quality, predictability, utilisation and delivery efficiency.
- Represent the discipline in internal governance forums and, where appropriate, relevant industry and professional networks.
What We Will Be Looking For You To Demonstrate...
You will be an experienced civil or structural engineering leader with the judgement and credibility to make, review and assure important technical decisions. You will combine depth in your own field with enough breadth to lead an integrated civil and structural discipline across complex energy projects.
Essential Qualifications And Experience
- A degree, or equivalent qualification, in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering or a closely related discipline.
- Chartered Engineer status with the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Structural Engineers or an equivalent recognised professional body.
- Significant post-chartership experience in the design and delivery of complex civil and/or structural engineering work within energy, nuclear, industrial or major infrastructure environments.
- Demonstrable technical depth in several relevant areas, together with experience reviewing and approving design deliverables beyond your immediate specialism.
- Experience acting as a Lead Engineer, Discipline Lead, Design Manager, Technical Authority, Design Approver or equivalent on multidisciplinary projects.
- Strong working knowledge of engineering governance, design assurance, quality management, Safety in Design and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.
- Experience across multiple project stages, such as feasibility, concept design, FEED, detailed design, construction and commissioning support.
- Proven ability to lead and develop engineers and technicians, including objective setting, coaching, performance conversations, recruitment and succession planning.
- Ability to plan resources and balance technical risk, programme, cost, quality and team capacity across a portfolio of work.
- Commercial awareness and experience contributing to bids, scopes, fee estimates, programmes and change control.
- Clear, confident communication with clients, senior leaders, project teams and technical specialists.
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Desirable Experience And Sector Knowledge
Technical Authorisations and Approvals
The following would be particularly valuable. They are desirable rather than essential, and applicants with comparable client or industry authorisations are encouraged to explain their relevance:
- Current or previous approval to act as a Civil Design Approver / Civil Design Assurance Engineer (CDAE) on National Grid or comparable transmission infrastructure.
- G17/G35 Approver and/or Appraiser status, or demonstrable experience working within equivalent requirements for civil and structural assets in the gas transmission sector.
- Client-specific design authority, checking or approval credentials for electricity transmission, gas transmission, nuclear or other safety-critical infrastructure.
- Experience establishing or administering technical authorisation and competence frameworks.
Relevant Technical and Sector Experience
- Gas transmission and distribution infrastructure, including above-ground installations, pipe support structures, buildings and site infrastructure.
- Power generation facilities, including conventional generation, low-carbon generation and small modular or advanced nuclear projects.
- Electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, including substations, converter stations, overhead line interfaces and associated civil works.
- Carbon capture, hydrogen production, transportation and storage, energy from waste, and industrial decarbonisation.
- Heavy industrial or process plant, including equipment foundations, dynamic loading and interfaces with mechanical and piping systems.
- Seismic design, nuclear safety classification, design substantiation or other high-integrity and highly regulated engineering environments.
- Geotechnical and geo-environmental risk, earthworks, retaining structures, deep and shallow foundations, settlement and ground improvement.
- Drainage, flood risk, site development, roads, buried services, buildings, structural steelwork and reinforced concrete design.
- Modularisation, off-site manufacture, construction methodology, temporary works interfaces and design for manufacture and assembly.
- Use of digital design, BIM and common data environments to coordinate and assure multidisciplinary delivery.
- Working for, or closely with, a consultancy, owner/operator, OEM, EPC contractor or principal contractor.
Leadership Approach
- Visible and technically engaged: willing to examine the detail where the risk or complexity requires it.
- Calm and decisive: able to make proportionate decisions with incomplete information and record the basis clearly.
- Inclusive and developmental: creates space for challenge, supports different working styles and grows capability through delegation and coaching.
- Collaborative but accountable: works across boundaries while remaining clear about ownership, standards and decisions.
- Practical and improvement-focused: seeks solutions that are safe, buildable, proportionate and commercially sound.
Your Team and Our Work
The Energy team supports clients from early development and optioneering through design, construction, operation and decommissioning. Civil and structural engineering is central to this work and interfaces closely with process, mechanical, piping, electrical, control and instrumentation, geotechnical, environmental and project management disciplines.
You will lead a team working across UK offices and with international colleagues. The role offers the opportunity to influence how the discipline operates, strengthen technical governance and build the capability required for a growing portfolio of complex energy and infrastructure programmes.
Don’t quite meet all the criteria? Apply, and we can see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities within the team.
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