Location

London & South East (hybrid with site travel up to 4 days per week)

Salary

£50k - £70k plus overtime pay, travel expenses & discretionary bonuses

About the role

We are representing a forward‑looking engineering consultancy that is embarking on an exciting growth phase. We are searching for a highly technical Senior / Principal Structural Engineer who is ready to own and develop a new “Minor Works & Reactive Maintenance” business unit focused on rail and infrastructure‑related assets.

In this role you will be based in the South East, travelling to project sites up to four days a week in the first six months. You will combine direct technical delivery (structural design, assessment, remedial solutions) with client management, business unit development and project oversight. The successful candidate will shape the new stream, with clear opportunities to build a team and progress into Associate and then Associate Director roles as the unit scales.

You should be comfortable with some weekend and night work when required – overtime pay will apply. Please note, the client is unable to provide visa sponsorship.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the structural design and technical delivery of minor works, reactive maintenance and remedial projects across a rail and infrastructure environment.
• Develop and oversee delivery of structural assessments, design schemes, repair and strengthening solutions for assets including stations, tunnels, bridges, infrastructure buildings, maritime structures, and other infrastructure components.
• Engage with clients, stakeholders and site teams – acting as the primary point of contact for the business unit, building client relationships, securing repeat work and identifying new opportunities.
• Manage small to medium scale projects from inception through to completion: briefing, concept design, detailed design, specification, tendering, site monitoring, handover and post‑works review.
• Supervise and mentor junior and mid‑level structural engineers, reviewing their work and fostering technical excellence.
• Contribute to business development for the business unit: set strategic direction, develop proposals, define growth targets, recruit and lead a team as the unit expands.
• Ensure compliance with relevant design standards, regulations and company QA/QC processes; maintain high standard of documentation and design output.
• Travel regularly to sites across the South East (up to four days per week initially) and accommodate occasional non‑standard hours (nights/weekends) when required by site programmes.

Qualifications

• Chartered status (CEng) or eligible for chartership via Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) or Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) (or equivalent).
• Significant structural engineering experience (ideally 7+ years) in design, assessment or remedial works within rail, infrastructure, bridges or major civil structures.
• Proven competence in structural analysis and design of complex and/or constrained infrastructure assets such as tunnels, bridges, stations, heavy civil works, or similar.
• Strong technical knowledge of UK design standards, codes (e.g. Eurocodes, BS EN, BS 5400, etc), structural design software (FEA tools, modelling packages) and structural detailing.
• Solid client‑facing skills and commercial awareness: able to lead client conversations, manage expectations, deliver high quality solutions on time and within budget.
• Ability to travel regularly across the South East region and commit to being on site up to four days per week during the initial period.
• Valid UK driving licence.
• Availability to work outside normal hours when site demands require (night/weekend works) and willingness to receive overtime remuneration accordingly.
• Proactive leadership mindset with drive to build and grow a business unit, recruit new team members and progress into senior leadership over time.

Desirable / Advantageous

• Previous experience of infrastructure (stations, tunnels, track interface, highways, bridges), or maintenance/asset‑management operations in a rail/infrastructure environment.
• Experience of reactive maintenance and minor works programmes (fast turnaround, remedial works, patching, strengthening).
• Knowledge of ISO 19650 or BIM deliverables – familiarity with CDE workflows (for example Bentley ProjectWise) would be a bonus.
• Experience of mentoring/leading team.
• Awareness of Health & Safety regulations specific to infrastructure/rail environments (CDM, RAMS, site permissibility) and ability to work safely on operational or live assets.

What’s on offer

In return you will join a consultancy with ambition, where you will have real ownership of this new business stream and the chance to expand, shape its culture and technical delivery. You will be supported to progress toward Associate and Associate Director level as the unit grows. A competitive salary and overtime rate for out‑of‑hours work will be offered, plus travel expenses and company benefits (to be detailed in discussion).

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Engineering and Information Technology