Tunnels Director United Kingdom London Application Deadline 08 August 2026

Bristol / Derby / Glasgow / London / York

Permanent

Office/Home Hybrid Working

Do you want to design a more sustainable future? Can you lead on complex tunnel and underground space projects? Then, this could be the next adventure in your career.

Create Solutions that will enable a better tomorrow

We are looking for a Tunnels Director to be based at any of our UK offices. Working alongside our team of experts, you will be a tunnel design engineer, with a civil, structural, geotechnical engineering or engineering geology background working in the development of underground space, and will be able to lead on some complex and challenging projects.

Your role in our team will be to provide technical delivery leadership on projects, assist with business development activities and bids/tenders, act as client liaison and support the engineering teams involved on a variety of tunnelling and underground space projects.Where required, you'll act as the leader for technical elements of complex projects, giving advice to the client and their representatives whilst also overseeing, reviewing, and approving designs and monitoring progress.

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Delivering highly complex technical expertise to concept through to design and construction of projects, with particular emphasis on soft ground and hard rock tunnelling.
• Overseeing the technical management and delivery performance of a portfolio of projects
• Ensuring that design, assessments and checking of assessments, designs and calculations are in accordance with the current industry standards, codes of practice, and company quality procedures.
• Support in the management and coordination of work undertaken by external sub-contractors, designers and design checkers.
• Planning and development of tunnelling expertise across the UK&I business.
• Supporting the management of teams of engineers and engineering geologists.
• Liaison with clients including identifying business development opportunities where appropriate.
• Preparation of bids and tenders when required.

Your skills. Our team. Together we design the future.

The first step to success in this role is that you are eager to collaborate with the people around you, whether they are colleagues, partners, or customers. Developing ties with others is something you do by acting respectfully and delivering on your promises. And you never get set in your ways but keep exploring new insights and ways to improve.

On top of that, you’ll:

• Hold a chartered status (CEng);
• Possess extensive experience of design and construction in a consulting or contracting environment on tunnelling and underground space projects;
• Demonstrate high level technical skills in the application of soil and rock mechanics, groundwater behaviour and soil / structure interaction in connection with shafts, large excavations, hard and soft ground tunnels, foundations;
• Have several years experience working for D&B contractors or have experience of working closely with them as clients;
• Be an accomplished team leader, with the ability to support, mentor and develop less experienced engineers.

A place to work and so much more.

At COWI, we work together with our customers to shape a sustainable and liveable world. We do it by applying our knowledge and curiosity – and sometimes even our courage – to create the solutions the world needs today to enable a better tomorrow. We support our customers' transition towards increased sustainability. We strive to lead by example by embedding environmental management, social responsibility and good governance into our business practices and the options we provide to our customers.

We value differences and development and cultivate an environment of belonging and having fun. Because that is what brings out the best in you, at work and at home.

With offices primarily located in the Nordic region, the UK, North America and India, we are currently more than 7500 people who bring their expertise in engineering, architecture, energy and environment into play.

What we also offer:

To us, a fair reward is more than a competitive salary. We want to take care of our people professionally and personally as well.

Some of our benefits include:

• 28 days' holiday plus all UK bank and public holidays
• Formalised development plans and yearly promotion opportunities
• Private health care, for you and a contribution from you for your immediate dependents
• Flexible and hybrid working conditions
• Annual subscription fees paid for your membership of two Professional Institutions
• Group personal pension scheme – salary exchange
• Life assurance
• Maternity Leave: 1-20 weeks full pay, 21-26 weeks half pay, 27-39 Statutory (SMP) 40-52 weeks unpaid (eligibility criteria will apply)
• Paternity Leave: 12 weeks full pay (eligibility criteria will apply)

Optional benefits include:

• Electric vehicle lease
• Annual Rail card (available for under 30s)

If you have any unanswered questions about the role or what we have to offer, please reach out to our Talent Acquisition Specialist Laura Dobson at

Get to know us even better at our website, where you can learn more about our projects, our strategy, what we want to achieve and what life is like at COWI.

#J-18808-Ljbffr