Jacobs
Highways Principal Engineer (UK Wide)
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Principal Highways Engineer – UK Transportation
A chance to shape how the UK moves and transform everyday journeys through leadership in highways design and delivery.
Your Impact
This isn’t just another role—it’s an opportunity to drive smarter, safer, more efficient transport solutions while mentoring the next generation of engineers. From national programmes to local community projects, your work will improve journeys, boost economies, and deliver high-impact outcomes across highways, environmental resilience, and infrastructure.
About the Opportunity
We empower professionals like you to exceed expectations in a industry-leading environment:
- Real influence: Lead high-profile, cutting-edge projects and shape technical roadmaps that define the future of transport.
- Diverse impact: Work on projects ranging from local authority schemes to global mega-projects (e.g., NEOM, King Khalid International Airport).
- Career growth: Opportunities to step into leadership, expand your team, and amplify your expertise at scale.
- Flexibility: A hybrid working model to balance workload with broader life goals.
- Innovation: Champion automation, digital solutions, and smarter workflows in high-stakes projects.
- Supportive culture: Collaborate with a global team of dedicated professionals who prioritise learning and collaboration.
With clients like National Highways, Transport Scotland, Welsh Government, Manchester Airport Group, Birmingham City Council, and others, your role will make tangible regional and national differences while connecting you to world-leading partners.
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Responsibilities
- Design and delivery leadership: Head major transport projects, from strategicHigh Prestige projects to transformative local investments.
- Technical mentorship: Support and develop emerging engineers while driving adoption of best-practice standards (e.g., DMRB or international equivalents).
- Operational influence: Act as a subject matter expert, ensuring projects meet performance, efficiency, safety, and regulatory standards.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with urban planners, contractors, and public stakeholders to coordinate technical decisions.
Requirements
Essential Criteria
- Professional qualification: A degree in engineering (or equivalent, such as CEng/IEng), with expertise in highways, transport design, or adjacent markets (e.g., water, aviation).
- Technical leadership: Proven experience in delivering major highways schemes or land-side alignments at local/national scale.
- Team management: Ability to lead small teams effectively and foster their growth.
- Design standards: Deep knowledge of UK standards (e.g., **Design Manual for Roads and Bridges) or global equivalents.
- Safety compliance: Sound understanding of UK Health & Safety legislation, combined with a commitment to safety culture.
- Projectfinancial management: Experience in budget control, resource allocation, and commercial risk mitigation.
About Jacobs
We thrive by reinventing solutions for cities, environments, and industries. Our global enterprise blends engineering, consultancy, and advanced delivery, united by a culture that values innovation, collaboration, and people.
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Our Values
- Safety first: Prioritising well-being with evidence-based systems.
- Sustainable impact: From resilient communities to zero-carbon infrastructure.
- Belonging: An inclusive environment where difference drives results.
- Care & connection: Leading with empathy to empower teams.
Life at Jacobs
- Global impact: Balance career growth with holistic support (well-being tools, professional development).
- Understanding your needs: Reasonable adjustments for accessibility, mental health, or flexible working are core to our process.
- Investment in you: Opportunities to contribute through volunteering, mentorship, and social responsibility.
Inclusion at Jacobs
We are proud to:
- Partner with VERCIDA for diverse talent recruitment.
- Foster all employee groups ( equity networks, Communities of Practice, "Find Your Community" efforts) to ensure purpose, belonging, and a sense of unity.
- Commit to disability confident hiring, and support flexible career pathways.
Why Join Us?
By coming to Jacobs, you’re not just taking a job—you’re choosing a formula for mutual success. Working with a values-driven global team gives you the agency to define meaningful progress together.
Start your future here. #UKTransportation
As a disability-confident employer, we invite disabled candidates meeting core criteria to apply, alongside those seeking flexible working arrangements.
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