About the role
We are seeking an Associate to join our expanding Construction Engineering Team in our Birmingham office. This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineer looking to take a senior leadership position within a growing and dynamic consultancy. You will play a key role in project delivery, client engagement, team development, and the continued growth of the UK practice, working closely with Directors, clients, contractors, and multidisciplinary design teams. The role combines technical leadership with commercial and people management responsibility. Our current and emerging workload includes projects across infrastructure and complex structures, with a growing pipeline in nuclear, rail, and water, alongside commercial, mixed‑use, and specialist construction engineering work.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Team Development
Motivate and lead project teams proactively and ethically to deliver outstanding outcomes. Provide supervision, mentoring, and career development support to staff under your direction. Identify training needs and ensure team members receive appropriate development opportunities. Contribute to technical excellence, culture, procedures, professional development, and continuous improvement across the UK practice.
Client & Business Development
Promote Robert Bird Group to existing and prospective clients. Establish new clients and strengthen relationships through excellent project delivery and repeat business. Lead client liaison with Project Directors, ensuring expectations are met or exceeded. Ensure client requirements are understood by all project personnel and manage changes as they arise. Prepare and negotiate fee proposals and fee variations. Represent the company at client, consultant, and coordination meetings.
Technical & Project Delivery
Take an active, hands‑on role in all projects under your direction, ensuring exemplary service and high technical standards. Develop concept design and design philosophy in conjunction with the Project Director. Review design and documentation, including design checking as required (Director approval required prior to issue). Select and manage sub‑consultants, including scope, programme, and commercial terms. Manage project programming, resource planning, and project cost control, including invoice compilation. Undertake project coordination and oversee multidisciplinary interfaces. Implement RBG’s Quality System on all assigned projects.
Health, Safety & Site Support
Implement and oversee Health & Safety policies and procedures on projects. Participate in the Workplace Health & Safety Committee when required. Provide technical support and problem‑solving guidance to both site and office teams.
The ideal candidate will bring:
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Civil Engineering.
Chartered Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), or an equivalent internationally recognised professional body, demonstrating high technical competence and professional responsibility.
A minimum of 8 years’ relevant engineering experience, ideally within structural, construction, or multidisciplinary engineering environments, showing progressive responsibility and technical leadership.
At least 2 years’ experience in design and design development, including preparation, coordination, and review of engineering deliverables.
A minimum of 2 years’ account or client management experience, demonstrating the ability to build strong relationships, manage expectations, and support fee and project delivery.
Client‑facing experience, with the ability to manage relationships and support commercial delivery.
Demonstrated experience in managing, mentoring, and developing engineers and technical staff, with a commitment to supporting career progression, capability building, and team performance.
A familiarity with, and eagerness to deploy computational design workflows is advantageous.
Experience in nuclear, rail, or water infrastructure projects would be advantageous, reflecting our strong and growing pipeline in these sectors. Candidates without prior experience in these areas are encouraged to apply, as support and development will be provided where required.
What we offer you:
RBG is a growing, fast‑paced business which offers birthday leave, corporate health insurance rates, paid parental leave, recognition awards, an active and engaging social club, along with a supportive team environment where healthy lifestyle balance is encouraged.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support—such as receiving the application form in an alternative format—please don’t hesitate to contact our recruitment team. Your experience throughout the application process is important to us. We welcome feedback on how we can improve and are happy to provide any further information you may need to help you make an informed decision about joining us. If there’s anything more we can do to support you, please let us know, we’re here to help.
#LI-EF1 At Surbana Jurong, we put talent, hard work, teamwork and a fun workplace together to approach problems and solve them creatively and collaboratively.
Join us in making a positive impact on the world! Activate your Personal Job Alerts Activate your Personal Job Alerts now and you will be notified of opportunities as soon as they are advertised. Current SJ Employees If you are a current SJ employee, please apply for available positions in the Group by using the Internal Career Site SJ is a diverse collective of problem solvers for the built environment, continually reimagining ways to create a smart and sustainable future. Headquartered in Singapore, the group has a global talent pool of 16,000 in its member companies AETOS, Atelier Ten, B+H, CHIL, KTP, Prostruct, Robert Bird Group, SAA, SMEC and Surbana Jurong, based in more than 120 offices in over 40 countries. They include architects, designers, planners, engineers, facilities managers and other specialists driven by progressive thinking and creative ideas to shape a better future. Its technical experts deliver sustainable solutions that cover the entire project life cycle from planning and design, through to delivery and management, as well as a full suite of multidisciplinary consultancy services across a diverse range of sectors including transportation, water, aviation, healthcare, hospitality and renewables. A global urban, infrastructure and managed services consulting firm with over 70 years of track record in successful project delivery, SJ has built more than a million homes in Singapore, created master plans in more than 60 countries and developed over 100 industrial parks globally. SJ is #23 in Engineering News-Record’s 2023 Top 225 International Design Firms, #14 in World Architecture 100 2024, and Asia Pacific FM Technology Provider of the Year 2022, awarded by International Facility Management Association.
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Associate CE in Birmingham employer: Surbana Jurong
Robert Bird Group is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, providing Design Engineers with the opportunity to engage in impactful projects across various sectors. With a commitment to employee growth, the company offers professional development pathways, flexible working arrangements, and unique benefits such as birthday leave and corporate health insurance rates, all within a supportive team environment that prioritises work-life balance. Located in a dynamic global network, employees can thrive while contributing to sustainable engineering solutions that shape a better world.
