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Senior R&D Engineer
Location: National (Dartford preferrable)
Are you ready to shape the future of sustainable construction?
At Laing O'Rourke, we're transforming the way buildings and infrastructure are engineered, manufactured and constructed. Sustainability is central to that transformation, and we're committed to embedding it into every key business and project decision by 2032.
We're looking for a Senior R&D Engineer (Materials) to help accelerate materials innovation and decarbonisation across our European business. This is an exciting opportunity to bridge strategy, innovation and project delivery, turning emerging material solutions into practical, lower-carbon outcomes on live projects.
Working closely with colleagues across Sustainability, R&D, Engineering and Project Delivery, you'll collaborate with clients, designers, supply chain partners and industry experts to influence design decisions, embed innovative materials and support Laing O'Rourke's science-based decarbonisation targets.
Role Responsibilities
You'll play a key role in driving materials-led sustainability by:
- Supporting the development of materials decarbonisation strategies and Scope 3 carbon reduction roadmaps.
- Researching, evaluating and implementing innovative, lower-carbon material solutions.
- Working with project teams, clients and designers to embed sustainable materials into work-winning, design and delivery.
- Collaborating with supply chain partners, technical specialists and academic organisations to identify and scale new technologies.
- Supporting the development of new products, technical guidance, best practice and training.
- Bridging innovation and delivery by piloting and embedding new materials into standard practice.
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What we're looking for
You'll Bring
- A degree (or equivalent technical qualification) in Engineering, Materials or a related discipline.
- At least five years' experience in engineering, materials, technical design or project delivery.
- A strong understanding of sustainable construction and materials decarbonisation.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and challenge constructively.
- Strong engineering judgement and systems thinking, balancing sustainability, cost, buildability and technical performance.
- Membership of, or progress towards, a recognised professional institution is desirable, as is experience implementing innovative materials in practice.
We are looking for a collaborative and curious engineer who enjoys solving complex challenges. You combine innovative thinking with a pragmatic approach, build strong relationships across diverse teams and are passionate about helping transform the construction industry through sustainable materials. If you think you meet the requirements for the role - Apply now!
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About Us
We are an international engineering and construction company delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure and buildings projects for clients in the UK, Middle East and Australia.
Certainty, reliability, quality – this is what our clients want. And at Laing O'Rourke, we have more than 150 years of experience delivering it. Laing O'Rourke's story is one of energy, passion, ambition, people and teamwork. We harness the power of our experience, stretching back over a century and a half to deliver certainty for our clients.
As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we would like to enable access to candidates with long term health conditions and disabilities through the ‘Offer an interview scheme'. This supports applicants that meet the essential criteria by offering an interview for the advertised position. Please let us know prior to interview what adjustments are required as well as discussing how we can support you in the workplace.
We want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you need the application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please email resourcingteam@laingorourke.com
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