Senior Water Resources Consultant - Climate Adaptation
About the job
- A degree in a relevant discipline such as Water Resources, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geography, Hydrology, Environmental Science or a related subject, or equivalent professional experience.
- Demonstrable experience delivering water resource and water environment projects within the United Kingdom.
- Strong understanding of water resource assessment methodologies, water balances and integrated water management principles.
- Experience contributing to water resource assessments, hydrological assessments, water availability studies, water balances or water resource planning projects.
- Experience leading defined technical tasks or work packages, with appropriate support from project managers and senior specialists.
- Demonstrable experience in technical report writing and communicating complex technical information to a range of audiences.
- Experience applying quality assurance procedures and delivering high-quality technical outputs.
- Ability to use, interpret or review geographic information system outputs and spatial information relevant to water resources and environmental assessments.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with clients, regulators, stakeholders and internal project teams.
- Provide technical leadership and expertise on water resource and integrated water management projects.
- Undertake and review water resource assessments, water balance studies and water availability investigations.
- Support the delivery of Water Cycle Studies, Water Resource Management Plans and water supply strategy projects.
- Lead the technical delivery of abstraction licence applications, water environment permitting and regulatory submissions.
- Provide technical input to Environmental Impact Assessments, Strategic Environmental Assessments and Water Framework Directive assessments.
- Support low-flow assessments, water quality studies and Water Framework Directive assessments where relevant to project requirements.
- Support climate resilience, drought resilience and sustainable water management studies.
- Contribute to WINEP-related investigations and future AMP planning opportunities where water resources, environmental assessment or regulatory insight is required.
- Develop innovative and nature-based solutions to address water resource, environmental and sustainability challenges.
- Manage project tasks and work packages, including programme, budget, quality assurance and resource management responsibilities.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with specialists across Arcadis to deliver integrated solutions.
- Build and maintain strong client relationships and support business development activities, including bids, proposals, framework opportunities and commercial input to project opportunities.
- Support the preparation of business cases, capability statements, bids, proposals, fee estimates and technical submissions for clients and framework opportunities.
- Provide technical review and quality assurance of reports, calculations and project deliverables.
- Mentor and develop junior team members, promoting technical excellence and knowledge sharing across the business.
- Support the wider team and line manager with reasonable business, project, health and safety, knowledge-sharing and operational activities as required.
- Champion innovation, digital solutions and best practice across the water resources discipline.
- Experience contributing to or leading Water Cycle Studies, water supply assessments or Water Resource Management Plans.
- Experience supporting the preparation of business cases, options appraisals, investment case material, fee estimates or commercial submissions for water management or water company projects.
- Experience coordinating multidisciplinary project teams or supporting project managers with programme, budget and resource management responsibilities.
- Proficiency in geographic information system software, including ArcGIS Pro and/or QGIS.
- Experience supporting abstraction licence applications, environmental permitting or regulatory approvals.
- Experience of Water Framework Directive assessments.
- Experience of low-flow assessment, environmental flow assessment or related hydrological analysis.
- Experience contributing to WINEP investigations, AMP planning, water company investment drivers or related regulatory programmes.
- Experience working with water companies, regulators or major infrastructure clients.
- Understanding of climate resilience, drought resilience and sustainable water management strategies.
- Experience in nature-based solutions and catchment-based approaches to water management.
- Knowledge of water quality assessments and nutrient management studies.
- Chartered or working towards Chartered status with CIWEM, ICE or an equivalent professional institution.
- Experience of mentoring, line management or technical supervision of junior staff.
About the company
Arcadis is a global design, engineering, and consultancy firm that creates and manages natural and built assets. It operates across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific, serving governments, public agencies, and private companies. Its four business areas—Places, Mobility, Resilience, and Intelligence—cover sustainable buildings and urban development, transportation infrastructure, climate adaptation, and data-driven digital solutions to optimize asset performance. The company earns fees for its integrated services that combine planning, design, engineering, and advisory work. Arcadis differentiates itself through its global reach and its integrated, multi-disciplinary approach that links physical design with data analytics and digital insights to deliver high-value solutions. Its goal is to help clients create and maintain sustainable, resilient, and efficient assets while improving decision-making and performance across complex projects.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Watermael-Boitsfort, Belgium
Founded
1888
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Arcadis and Autodesk expanded collaboration on September 28, 2026, accelerating AI-enabled delivery.
- Virginia Beach picked Arcadis for the Windsor Woods pump station on September 30, 2026.
- Arcadis targets mid-single-digit growth and mid-to-high-teens EBITDA by 2029.
What critics are saying
- Arcadis will divest most architecture and China, risking revenue loss and integration distraction.
- Management cut 1,000 FTEs for 2027 after 1,100 2025 cuts, signaling chronic margin weakness.
- WSP's September 2026 takeover approach shows Arcadis remains a potential break-up target.
What makes Arcadis unique
- Arcadis combines engineering judgment with Autodesk AI and MCP workflows, retaining client-owned knowledge.
- Its resilience franchises win climate adaptation work, including Virginia Beach's 2026 flood-control program.
- The firm spans design, consultancy, and environmental services across 30-plus countries.
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Benefits
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10%Egis UK & Ireland picks energy director. 1 hour Egis UK & Ireland has appointed Mark Docherty as energy director, with a focus on the grid and renewables. Docherty joins from Arcadis. Based in Edinburgh, Docherty brings 38 years of experience in the energy sector. At Arcadis, he was global offshore wind practice lead and partner, as well as UK sector leader for networks and energy. He has also held senior leadership roles at several key industry players, including Turner & Townsend, SSE and Scottish Power. In his new role, Docherty will lead the expansion of Egis's energy offering across the UK and Ireland, while helping to support the firm's wider global energy ambitions. Covering grid and renewables, he will focus on building team capacity and supporting clients and communities through the challenges of energy transitions, electrification, digitalisation and security of supply. Docherty's appointment comes as governments and network operators across the UK and Ireland place greater priority on energy security, increasing demand for grid and renewables expertise. Joanne Moran, sustainable resources director, UK & Ireland, said: "Energy is an important part of our business in the UK and Ireland, and Mark's appointment gives us the leadership to accelerate its growth. His experience across offshore wind, networks and major infrastructure programmes will strengthen the support we offer our clients, while his strong track record of building teams and securing new business will be central to our plans."
Arcadis to sell most of its architecture business and cut 1,000 staff following WSP's failed takeover bid. World's third biggest employer of architects to focus on sectors 'where structural demand is strongest' The Curv, a 60-storey passivhaus tower in Vancouver designed by Arcadis' architecture business Arcadis is planning to sell most of its architecture business and cut 1,000 full-time staff from its wider business as part of a restructure following a failed takeover bid by WSP. The consultant said it is "actively changing its portfolio" by concentrating investment in sectors and markets where "structural demand is strongest". Arcadis is currently ranked as the world's third biggest employer of architects, with 1,781 architects on its payroll out of a total headcount of around 34,000, according to this year's WA100 list of the world's biggest practices. It claimed its "rightsizing" strategy will see mid-single-digit revenue growth and increase its operating EBITDA margin by around 100 basis points to approximately 14.5% by 2027-2029. Arcadis unveiled plans for the restructure in its home city of Amsterdam at the end of last month, just a week after WSP formally abandoned its intended takeover of the firm. WSP said on 23 September that it had been "unable to engage" with Arcadis after having two bids that valued the Dutch consultant at around £3.8bn turned down over the summer. Sectors which Arcadis said it wants to focus on include transportation and energy and water, which account for a combined 53% of net revenues. It is targeting net revenue growth of mid to high single digits for transportation and high single digits for energy and water. The firm is also seeking high single digit growth in high-growth sectors such as industrial manufacturing and technology, which account for 21% of revenues. The sector includes data centres, life sciences and semiconductor manufacturing. But it plans to divest "non-core" assets including the majority of its architecture business and China operations including its activities in real estate and development, which account for 26% of its net revenues. Arcadis chief executive Heather Polinsky said the restructure is "designed to translate our strategic strengths into stronger growth, higher margins and cash generation". "We are building a more focused, higher-performing Arcadis that delivers sustainable value for shareholders, our people and our clients," Polinsky said. Chief financial officer Simon Crowe added: "The financial rationale is compelling: a more focused portfolio, a structurally lower cost base and disciplined capital allocation will support higher margins, stronger cash generation and sustainable shareholder returns." Arcadis' entry into the architecture sector stared with its acquisition of US practice RTKL in 2007, followed by its acquisition of Seattle-based Callison in 2014. It merged the two practices to form CallisonRTKL in 2015 with the business later referred to as CRTKL. Arcadis has long considered selling its architecture arm, first tabling the move in 2017 before recommitting to the sector before acquiring Canadian multi-disciplinary firm IBI Group in 2022. Arcadis then combined CRTKL and IBI Group to create its Architecture and Urbanism division. Most commented. No comments yet. You're not signed in.
WIFA advances Northern Gulf of California Desalination project. By Fernando Mares | Journalist & Industry Analyst - Mon, 10/05/2026 - 13:27 DIA assistant The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) approved the appraisal scope for the 1.7 million m[3]/d Northern Gulf of California Desalination Plant, a cross-border project in Baja California led by a Sacyr-headed consortium. This initiative establishes a binational water exchange mechanism to alleviate severe regional drought while bypassing rigid delivery constraints under the 1944 Water Treaty, which triggered tariff threats and diplomatic disputes during the 2020-2025 delivery cycle. The project directly impacts infrastructure developers, municipal water authorities, and agricultural producers across northern Mexico and the southwestern United States navigating transboundary water security. The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) Board of Directors approved the appraisal scope for the Northern Gulf of California Desalination Plant project on Sept. 16, 2026, marking another step in Arizona's evaluation of potential long-term water augmentation opportunities. The proposed cross-border water infrastructure project is led by Spanish group Sacyr as a partner within the EPCOR Water Innovation Partners team, in consortium with Arcadis and Plenary Americas US Holdings. The proposed project entails the construction of a seawater desalination facility in Baja California, Mexico, alongside a conveyance pipeline connecting to the Morelos Dam at the Mexico-US border. Under the proposed operational structure, the project would integrate desalinated water into the Colorado River system for distribution within Mexico. In exchange, a portion of Mexico's designated Colorado River water allocation would be redirected to Arizona. Preliminary engineering estimates indicate that the system could supply Arizona with up to 1.7 million m[3]/d between 2034 and 2039. The proposal aims to provide long-term resource diversification for Arizona, where prolonged drought conditions continue to strain traditional water sources. "Arizona must continue exploring a range of potential water supply solutions to meet the needs of future generations. Approving this project appraisal scope allows us to deepen our understanding of this proposal while maintaining our commitment to a thoughtful, transparent, and financially prudent evaluation process," said Jonathan Lines, Board Chair, WIFA. Within the consortium structure, Arcadis will be the lead engineering firm, while Sacyr will oversee construction, operation, and maintenance. Financial development will be managed jointly by Sacyr and Plenary Americas. The proposal is among several projects reviewed under WIFA's Long-Term Water Augmentation Fund, following the Aug. 19, 2026, approval of the South Bay Potable Reuse and California Groundwater Recovery projects. WIFA utilizes a phased evaluation framework where the initial phase involves preliminary studies covering the technical, financial, environmental, cultural, and regulatory viability of the plant and pipeline. WIFA's approval authorizes only this early step to gather data and reduce uncertainty; future funding requests will be considered separately based on study results. Mexico-US Bilateral Water Challenges The push for alternative cross-border water delivery mechanisms comes as the underlying framework governing binational water sharing, the 1944 Water Treaty, faces heightened political and hydrological friction. Under the agreement, Mexico is required to deliver a minimum of 431.7 million m[3] of water per year over five-year cycles, totaling 2,158.6 million m[3] from the Rio Grande basin. However, persistent drought over the past years constrained availability, leaving Mexico at just 29.2% of its required delivery volume near the end of the 2020-2025 cycle, as reported by MBN. This shortfall sparked diplomatic tensions throughout 2025, with US President Donald Trump raising the prospect of tariffs and sanctions over pending deliveries, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged diplomatic resolution and highlighted regional drought constraints. Bilateral discussions yielded temporary agreements in late 2025 and a commitment in February 2026 for Mexico to supply at least 432 million m[3] annually to ensure predictable delivery flows. A study by University of Michigan researchers Vianey Rueda and Andrew Gronewold published in the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management notes that while the Colorado River framework has been dynamically adapted through subsequent negotiations, the treaty's Rio Grande provisions remain structurally rigid. Historical resimulations show that Mexico can only fulfill these fixed obligations without harming local communities during prolonged periods of above-average streamflow. As climate volatility and regional demand strain traditional river basins, flexible binational arrangements, such as the Sacyr-led desalination exchange at the Morelos Dam, offer a pragmatic model to decouple long-term water security from rigid historical treaty allocations.
Arcadis to collaborate with Autodesk on AI tools for design and engineering. Arcadis is the first global design firm to partner with software giant Autodesk to develop artificial intelligence tools and agents to provide direct assistance in design and engineering tasks...
Arcadis selected by GBCA to develop Biodiversity Net Gain Calculator. NewsSeptember 29, 2026 Katherine Serplet Marketing & Communications Director, Australia Arcadis has been appointed by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to develop a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Calculator and supporting guidance that will support the development of a practical, transparent and nationally consistent approach to measuring biodiversity outcomes across the built environment. The framework will support development at building and precinct scales, helping project teams to consistently assess biodiversity value before and after development and demonstrate biodiversity outcomes, including through Green Star Buildings and Green Star Communities. The project will combine Arcadis' global Biodiversity Net Gain expertise with Australia's unique ecological, regulatory and cultural context. By incorporating local ecological knowledge, First Nations perspectives and Green Star requirements, the framework is being designed to support broad industry adoption while delivering meaningful biodiversity outcomes. Arcadis brings experience in biodiversity assessment and framework development internationally, together with local ecological, sustainability and First Nations expertise. The methodology will build on established Biodiversity Net Gain principles while remaining practical, proportionate and accessible for industry users. Andrea Vargas, Principal Consultant at Arcadis said: "There is growing interest across the built environment in understanding and improving biodiversity outcomes; however, the approaches currently used can vary depending on project type, jurisdiction and assessment requirements. This project provides an opportunity to develop a practical approach that supports greater consistency and transparency within the Green Star framework. By combining Arcadis' global Biodiversity Net Gain expertise with local ecological knowledge and First Nations perspectives, we can help create a framework that delivers meaningful outcomes for nature, communities and future generations." The project aligns with Arcadis' commitment to accelerating a planet-positive future and reinforces Arcadis' ongoing focus on nature-positive outcomes and sustainable development. By helping establish a nationally consistent methodology for biodiversity assessment, the framework has the potential to influence how biodiversity is considered across future buildings, precincts and infrastructure projects throughout Australia. Katherine Serplet Marketing & Communications Director, Australia