Principal / Associate Engineering Project Manager

Location/s: Cambridge, Manchester, Leeds, Brighton, Birmingham, London, Southampton, Reading, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Bristol, Cardiff; UK
Recruiter contact: Nicola Coyle

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit
The Water Utilities Division is Mott MacDonald’s centre of excellence for responding to the UK and Ireland's water and wastewater challenges. The work we do is at the forefront of ensuring safe water supplies for future generations, preventing urban flooding, and improving the health of our rivers and coastal environments. Our multi-disciplinary teams provide a variety of services throughout the full project life cycle, from advisory services and feasibility studies to outline and detailed design. Together, we deliver best-in-class solutions to our clients while offering diverse and technically stimulating opportunities to our people. 

Overview of the role
Mott MacDonald is a market leader in the UK water sector, being a key supplier to major water companies and delivering a wide variety of engineering and advisory projects in support to the challenges faced by the sector. Our Water Utilities Division has ambitious growth plans in line with AMP8 investment needs and we are proud of our strong reputation in the industry which is allowing us to expand our business.

As a result of our growth drive, we are looking to expand and strengthen our team of project managers, and we are seeking a Principal/ Associate Project Manager to play a pivotal role within our water engineering team. As a Principal or Associate Project Manager, you will work with and manage multidisciplinary teams of technical specialists, delivering projects in close partnership with clients and contractors, building strong relationships that will enhance the company’s reputation and help secure further work.

This a fantastic professional opportunity for a driven individual, with a strong project management experience in the UK water and wastewater infrastructure sector, contributing to delivering projects in response to AMP8 challenges.

In this role, you will lead the design of innovative and sustainable solutions to address leakage challenges, clean water provision and sewage disposal across our water utility client’s assets, vital to meet the ever-growing societal demands of development, population growth and climate change. Some of these projects are emergency work and reactive in nature - so you will need to lead fast-paced design, whilst managing change and impacts on the other projects within the wider programme.

You will be expected to coordinate project teams throughout the project lifecycle from design definition through to implementation, fulfilling all aspects to successfully manage projects including business management system compliance, technical quality assurance, programme and cost control management as well as leading client interface. You will represent the company in meetings and supervise the work of more junior staff, providing technical and commercial guidance to support their development. You will contribute to commercial success through forecasting and risk management, and the production of bids and proposals.

Mott MacDonald offers a highly innovative and collaborative environment within which to further develop your career. We can offer career opportunities in technical, management or client-facing directions. You will have control of your own career path and great prospects progression as the business continues to grow.

Candidate specification
We are looking for an experienced and driven individual, with UK water and wastewater infrastructure experience and the desire to progress professionally and make a difference in the sector.

Essential:

• Qualifications and/or Chartered Status with a recognised project management institution such as Association of Project Management (APM)
• Demonstrable experience in managing projects ensuring compliance with contractual scope and obligations, as well as delivering on time and within budget Demonstrable experience managing complex large-scale projects in the UK water and wastewater industry
• Demonstrable experience in effective collaboration with and management of multi-disciplinary teams
• Strong communication skills in both oral presentation and written reports
• A drive to be abreast of professional development and knowledge of current and emerging technical solutions

Desirable:

• Chartered Status with a recognised Professional Institution e.g. with ICE, CIWEM, IChemE etc
• Able to travel to other offices and sites, as required
• Experience in managing NEC Professional Service Contracts
• Good understanding of designers’ responsibilities under CDM
• Track record in building capability of junior staff
• Experience in preparing successfully bids and in undertaking client engagement

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working  

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.