Design Manager - Water

Job Description

Overview

Develop Your Career with One of the Most Diverse Portfolios of Civil Engineering Projects
At AtkinsRéalis, our Design & Advanced Technology practice brings together some of the UK's most diverse engineering and design expertise to tackle the most complex challenges facing our clients and communities across major infrastructure, transportation, energy, water, aviation, and development projects.  

We are looking for a motivated, capable and experienced Design Manager to join our growing Design & Advanced Technology (D&AT) Practice, delivering innovative and sustainable solutions. You’ll be part of a talented multi-disciplinary water team delivering cutting edge, iconic projects to our Water market clients – clients such as Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Thames Water, Anglian Water, South-East Water, Southern Water, as well as other regional water authorities. This provides exceptional opportunities to broaden your experience, deepen your technical expertise, and accelerate your career progression.  

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced engineer to further develop their technical expertise, broaden their commercial experience, and take on greater responsibility working towards technical leadership, design management, or people leadership within a supportive and collaborative environment.  

When you join us, you'll become part of a collaborative community of experts who challenge conventional thinking and push the boundaries of engineering excellence.  

You'll benefit from:  

• Opportunities to work across a wide variety of sectors, projects and clients.   

• Exposure to a diverse range of engineering challenges including complex nationally significant water programmes.  

• Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams across the UK and internationally.  

• Opportunities to influence project outcomes from concept through to delivery.  

• A culture that encourages innovation, technical excellence and professional growth.  

• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements that support work-life balance.  

• Clear career progression pathways and professional development opportunities   

We offer hybrid working which involves 3 days per week being office/site based.  This position is based in our Manchester, London, Peterborough, Cambridge, Cardiff, Swansea, Derby, Leeds, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow Offices. 

Your role 

As a Design Manager in the D&AT practice, the successful candidate would have the following responsibilities: 

• Lead and coordinate engineering teams to deliver high-quality water and wastewater infrastructure designs in line with relevant standards and project requirements.  

• Oversee the production and review of technical deliverables, including reports, drawings, calculations, and scopes of work.  

• Drive technical design inputs on complex multi-disciplinary projects while managing programme milestones, timeframes, and budgets.  

• Collaborate closely with clients, operational teams, project managers, and wider AtkinsRéalis teams to achieve successful project outcomes.  

• Mentor and support junior engineers, helping to develop technical capability within the local team.  

• Work independently, applying professional judgement to solve complex engineering challenges and provide technical guidance to others.  

• Support bid submissions, contribute to integrated design solutions with UK and international teams, and ensure compliance with quality assurance and design review processes. 

About you 

We're interested in people who are technically strong, commercially aware and genuinely enjoy collaborative working environments.  

We are looking for people who demonstrate a willingness to learn, a proactive approach to problem solving, and the ability to work collaboratively within diverse project teams.  

The ideal candidate will have the following:  

• Degree-qualified in Civil Engineering (or equivalent) with Chartered/Incorporated status, or the capability to achieve ICE chartership within 12 months.  

• Strong experience leading engineering design teams within consultancy and multi-disciplinary project environments across the full project lifecycle.  

• Ability to develop innovative, practical solutions to complex engineering and design challenges.  

• Sound knowledge of risk management, quality assurance, change control, commercial considerations, and multi-disciplinary design coordination.  

• Good understanding of relevant design standards, regulations, and industry best practice, including CDM, Eurocodes, NEC, and water industry requirements.  

• Competent in engineering and project delivery tools, including AutoCAD, CDE platforms, Microsoft Office, Power BI, and other analytical software.  

• Self-motivated and collaborative professional with strong communication skills, able to work independently, ensure safety compliance, and effectively engage with diverse project teams. 

Your Circumstances 

Returning to work after a career break? Please apply. 

Meet some but not all of the criteria? Please apply, we’d still love to hear from you!  

Application 

Please submit your CV, preferably with a covering letter letting us know your motivation for applying and highlighting how your skills and experience align with the role. 

Rewards & benefits  

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.  

Be rewarded. Find out more.  

About AtkinsRéalis  

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.  

Find out more.  

Additional information  

Security clearance  

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.  

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability.  

#DAT

Worker Type

Employee

Job Type

Regular

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.