Senior Substation Civil Design Lead

Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 75 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

The Opportunity

As a Grade 7 Associate Substation Civil Design Lead, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high quality civil and structural design for substation assets across major transmission programmes. You will lead design delivery within assigned bundles, act as a key interface across multidisciplinary teams, and ensure that civil engineering outputs meet the required technical, safety, and programme standards. This role blends hands on design leadership with coordination, assurance, and mentoring responsibilities — ideal for an experienced civil engineer progressing into broader leadership within the UK Great Grid Partnership.

Is this role for you?

• Leadership & Strategy
  • Provide day-to-day technical leadership for civil and structural design activities across substation work packages.
  • Support the development and reinforcement of best practice civil engineering methodologies, processes, and templates across the programme.
  • Champion GGP Charter behaviours and foster a collaborative working environment across disciplines.
• Project Delivery
  • Lead the production of civil and structural design deliverables — including drawings, calculations, reports, and models — ensuring compliance with project requirements, standards and assurance processes.
  • Manage and coordinate the integration of civil design with electrical, structural, geotechnical, and other disciplines to ensure spatially optimised and constructible solutions.
  • Support and conduct design reviews, providing technical input and supporting signoff at relevant assurance gates.
  • Identify design risks, issues, and opportunities, escalating them promptly and contributing to lessons learned processes.
• Team & Capability Development
  • Mentor and support junior engineers and designers, contributing to capability uplift and a high performing team culture.
  • Promote knowledge sharing activities across design package teams and the wider programme, supporting continuous improvement in civils delivery.
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Represent civil engineering in multidisciplinary meetings, client discussions, and internal coordination forums.
  • Support the Technical Project Lead and Package Design Lead in client updates, technical clarifications, and integration workshops.
• Health, Safety & Wellbeing
  • Ensure all civil design work aligns with relevant health, safety, and wellbeing requirements.
  • Embed safe-by-design principles and contribute to risk mitigation across design and delivery.

Requirements

• Essential
  • Degree in Civil or Structural Engineering (or related discipline).
  • Chartered Civil Engineer (CEng MICE preferred).
  • Strong experience in civil design for substations, converter stations, or similar energy infrastructure — including access, drainage, foundations, and spatial layout planning.
  • Experience delivering civil design within multidisciplinary design environments.
  • Proficiency in civil design tools such as AutoCAD or Civil 3D.
  • Experience coordinating civils design in complex infrastructure programmes.
• Desirable
  • CDAE accreditation or familiarity with GGP assurance frameworks.
  • Experience with National Grid or other TSO/DNO standards.
  • Familiarity with assurance processes, temporary works, and construction logistics.
  • Experience developing or applying standardised design processes, templates, and typical details.
  • Ability to use digital tools or automation (e.g., Civil 3D, AutoCAD scripting, Dynamo, Python) to streamline design workflows.
  • Familiarity with BIM/CDE environments and data driven design.
  • Enthusiasm for continuous improvement, efficiency, and modern digital engineering methods.

What we offer

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together. Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognises the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.

Different people, shared values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave.

We are committed to making our recruitment process and workplaces accessible to all candidates. Please contact us to let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments throughout your application or interview process, and/or to perform the essential functions of the role. We will do everything we can to support you.