Senior Design Engineer in Edinburgh

Location: Edinburgh

Contract Type: Contract | Outside IR35

We have a Senior Design Engineer opportunity with a leading Tier 1 contractor delivering major infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects across the UK water sector. The role focuses on the design and delivery of water and wastewater schemes, including pipelines, pumping stations, treatment facilities, and associated civil engineering assets.

You will play a key role within the Engineering Design Team, supporting the delivery of water and wastewater infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects. Working closely with Principal Engineers, Design Managers, Design Leads, and multidisciplinary teams, you will help deliver high-quality, compliant, and innovative engineering solutions.

You will:

• Deliver civil engineering designs for water and wastewater projects in accordance with project requirements, industry standards, and health and safety regulations.
• Produce and review design calculations, technical reports, specifications, drawings, and supporting documentation.
• Support multidisciplinary design activities and ensure effective integration across engineering disciplines.
• Ensure design outputs comply with relevant legislation, British Standards, quality procedures, and best practice.
• Provide technical support to procurement, construction, commissioning, and site teams.
• Contribute to engineering governance, maintaining quality, consistency, and compliance across project deliverables.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Attend design reviews, client meetings, progress meetings, and site visits as required.
• Support knowledge sharing and mentor graduate and junior engineers.
• Build strong relationships with clients, suppliers, subcontractors, and internal stakeholders.

About You

• Degree qualified in Civil Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent qualification.
• Experience within the municipal water and wastewater sector, working with water utility clients.
• Chartered Engineer status or working towards chartership.
• Experience within a contractor, consultancy, or design-and-build environment.
• Strong knowledge of water and wastewater assets, including buried and above-ground gravity and pressurised systems, treatment processes, settlement tanks, chambers, and associated civil structures.
• Good understanding of health and safety legislation, British Standards, and industry regulations.
• Experience working within quality assurance and health and safety management systems.
• Ability to produce and review engineering calculations, reports, specifications, and design documentation.
• Experience undertaking hydraulic calculations and assessments.
• Knowledge of structural design relating to water-retaining structures and reinforced concrete detailing.
• Experience liaising with clients and developing practical engineering solutions.
• Experience leading or attending design reviews, progress meetings, and site meetings.
• Aware of NEC contracts.
• Understanding of quality, environmental, and health and safety management systems.
• Strong communication and technical report-writing skills.
• Proven ability to work within multidisciplinary teams and deliver projects to programme requirements.
• Commitment to innovation and industry best practice.
• Experience coordinating suppliers, subcontractors, construction teams, and internal stakeholders.
• Understanding of design planning, programme management, and resource estimation.
• Experience mentoring and supporting less experienced engineers.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a leading Tier 1 contractor at the forefront of the UK water industry. You will play a key role in delivering critical water infrastructure projects while helping shape engineering standards, innovation, and future talent within a collaborative and supportive environment.