Water Consultancy Lead – Southern
Location: South East England
Salary: £85,000 – £105,000 per annum
Type: Permanent
The Role
We are seeking an experienced Water Consultancy Lead to establish and grow a new multidisciplinary water design capability in the South East. This is a senior leadership role with full responsibility for creating a satellite office, building a high-performing team, and delivering high-quality water industry design services in line with strategic business objectives.
You will play a key role in shaping the future of the business in the region, combining people leadership, technical governance, and operational delivery across regulated water projects.
Key Responsibilities
- Establish and lead a new South East satellite office for water consultancy services
- Identify, attract, and recruit local engineering and management talent
- Build, manage, and develop a multidisciplinary design team, fostering a positive and high-performance culture
- Plan and grow the team in line with strategic objectives and manage organisational structure and resourcing
- Ensure all work is delivered in accordance with ESL design processes and procedures
- Oversee production of fully integrated design deliverables that meet safety, quality, programme, and budget expectations
- Ensure appropriate standards, best practice, and software tools are consistently applied
- Manage delivery to agreed timescales and design hours
- Ensure all project changes are fully captured and recorded in line with governance requirements
Required Qualifications & Experience
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in a regulated engineering sector, such as:
- Water
- Rail
- Oil & Gas
- Nuclear
- Highways
- Bridges
- Degree or HND in an engineering or related discipline
- Strong IT skills and familiarity with modern engineering and management tools
- Proven track record managing multidisciplinary design teams and complex projects
- Demonstrable experience building and growing teams
Preferred Qualifications & Experience
- Significant experience within the regulated water industry
- Chartered Engineer or working towards chartership (engineering or management discipline)
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle
Key Skills & Competencies
- Strong leadership and communication skills
- Results-focused with a strategic and commercial mindset
- Broad technical understanding across water and regulated infrastructure sectors
- Proven ability to develop, motivate, and retain high-performing teams
- Collaborative approach with strong problem-solving capability
What’s On Offer
- Competitive salary of £85,000 – £105,000
- Rare opportunity to build and lead a new regional consultancy operation
- High-profile leadership role with significant autonomy and influence
- Long-term career progression at senior leadership level
If you are an established water sector leader looking to build and shape a regional consultancy business, we’d welcome your application.
