Senior Principal Hydraulic Engineer

The Opportunity

The UK water sector is entering one of its most significant periods of investment, with increasing focus on resilience, sustainability and the long-term performance of critical infrastructure. At Stantec, our national Hydraulic Engineering team is helping shape this future by delivering specialist expertise across some of the UK's largest regulated water frameworks.

We’re looking for a Senior Principal Hydraulic Engineer to join our growing team in Warrington, Leeds or Cambridge . This is one of the most senior technical positions within our Hydraulic Engineering business, offering the opportunity to shape the future direction of the discipline while influencing nationally significant infrastructure programmes.

Working alongside recognised industry leaders, you’ll provide strategic technical leadership across multiple frameworks, define engineering best practice, strengthen key client partnerships and help develop the next generation of hydraulic engineering specialists. This role offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact on our people, projects and the continued growth of Stantec’s Hydraulic Engineering capability.

About The Role

As a Senior Principal Hydraulic Engineer , you will provide strategic technical leadership across our Hydraulic Engineering discipline, ensuring the successful delivery of complex hydraulic solutions while driving technical excellence across major AMP8 programmes and beyond.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Acting as the senior technical authority for complex hydraulic engineering and transient analysis across multiple frameworks.
• Setting technical direction, governance and engineering standards for hydraulic engineering projects.
• Providing technical assurance and oversight for nationally significant water and wastewater infrastructure programmes.
• Building and maintaining strategic relationships with key clients, acting as a trusted advisor on complex engineering challenges.
• Leading multidisciplinary technical reviews and supporting innovation across hydraulic engineering methodologies and digital delivery.
• Mentoring senior engineers, developing technical capability and supporting succession planning across the business.
• Supporting business growth through framework leadership, strategic bids and the continued expansion of our Hydraulic Engineering capability.

YOUR IMPACT

Your leadership will influence how hydraulic engineering is delivered across Stantec and the wider UK water sector. Through your technical expertise and strategic thinking, you’ll help clients improve network resilience, optimise infrastructure performance and make informed investment decisions that deliver long‑term environmental and operational benefits.

Beyond project delivery, you’ll help define technical standards, strengthen engineering governance and shape the future direction of our Hydraulic Engineering discipline. By developing future technical leaders, driving innovation and building long‑term client partnerships, your contribution will reinforce Stantec’s reputation as one of the UK's leading engineering consultancies.

Essential

ABOUT YOU

• Degree qualified (or equivalent) in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering or a related discipline.
• Chartered Engineer (CEng).
• Extensive experience delivering complex hydraulic engineering projects within the UK water sector.
• Recognised expertise in fluid mechanics, hydraulic structures, pumping systems and transient analysis.
• Significant experience using hydraulic modelling software such as HADES, VARISM, Flow‑3D or equivalent.
• Proven experience providing strategic technical leadership across multidisciplinary engineering programmes.
• Experience establishing technical governance, engineering standards and quality assurance processes.
• Excellent client relationship, stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience leading, mentoring and developing senior technical professionals.

Desirable

• Experience leading discipline or regional technical strategy.
• Demonstrable success supporting framework growth, business development and major bids.
• Experience representing organisations within industry forums, technical panels or professional institutions.
• Knowledge of digital engineering approaches and modern methods of project delivery.
• Experience working collaboratively with contractors and delivery partners across major capital programmes.

WHY JOIN US

We put people first: We’re proud of our friendly, inclusive and collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and driven to succeed.

We are driven to achieve: Named in the top 50 companies to work by Glassdoor 2025. Recognised by Corporate Knights as one of the world’s top 10 most sustainable companies 2025. Named ‘Best Place to Work’ and ‘International Consulting Firm of the Year’ at the NCE Awards 2024.

We do what is right: Industry leading training and development as well as paid for professional subscriptions. A professional progression plan, supporting you to become chartered with ICE.

We are better together: A supportive and collaborative team environment and Early Careers peer group and wider ERG network (see more on our ERGs here: Stantec Employee Resource Groups).

Growth: We’re on an exciting growth journey across the UK – we want you to be part of it!

Great Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Bonus schemes
• Enhanced pension plan
• Annual leave with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Private medical insurance
• Group income protection & life assurance included as standard as well as discounted gym membership and lots more.

Hybrid / Flexible working

Enjoy a healthy work‑life balance with our hybrid approach to flexible working.

If you’re ready to shape the future of hydraulic engineering, influence nationally significant infrastructure programmes and provide strategic technical leadership across one of the UK’s leading Water businesses, we’d love to hear from you.

About Stantec

The Stantec community unites more than 34,000 employees working in over 450 locations across 6 continents. We have been working with our clients and communities in the UK for over 150 years. We plan, design, deliver and manage the development and infrastructure needed to support the creation of sustainable, healthy and prosperous communities.

Our teams provide effective and relevant solutions, translating our clients’ vision into valued consents, deliverable plans for projects and programmes, and efficient designs for delivery, based on technical excellence and deep market insights. We deal with today’s challenges, but also keep a fairer, better tomorrow in sight, looking at how we deliver clean growth, support radical changes in our economy and meet the needs of future communities.

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment.

Building an inspired, inclusive work environment that attracts, supports, and develops world‑class talent is a crucial key to our success. If you are excited by this role but worry that your experience doesn’t exactly align, we encourage you to apply.

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