Associate Director (Drainage Design)


Company:	Hays Specialist Recruitment
Salary:	£70,000 - £85,000
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Manchester, M1 4BT
Working pattern:	Hybrid - 2 days remote
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	20 Jul 2026
Closing date:	19 Aug 2026

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Summary

Associate Director - Drainage Design EngineerUK Wide (Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Bristol) | Hybrid | Major Infrastructure and Development Projects Up to £85,000 + Car Allowance (c. £5,500) + Discretionary Bonus + 10% Pension

Ready to lead nationally significant drainage projects while helping shape the future of a growing technical team?A leading engineering consultancy is looking for an Associate Director Drainage Engineer to play a key role in delivering major highways, rail, water and development schemes across the UK. You'll join a nationally recognised team working on some of the country's most complex infrastructure programmes, combining technical excellence with cutting-edge digital delivery.

You'll provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary projects, taking ownership of drainage design delivery from concept through to construction, while helping grow capability, develop talent and strengthen client relationships.

Key Responsibilities

Lead drainage design for highways, development and SuDS projects

Act as Technical Lead on major multidisciplinary schemes

Oversee and assure drainage models, calculations and design outputs

Manage project delivery, programme performance and budgets

Champion digital engineering and BIM-integrated design

Support and mentor engineers, graduates and technicians

Lead and review work delivered by international design teams

Build strong client and stakeholder relationships

Support bids, fee proposals, quality submissions and risk reviews

Drive the growth and development of the drainage discipline

You'll likely have:

Extensive experience in drainage design, including highways and development projects

Strong knowledge of SuDS, drainage approvals and design standards

Experience leading multidisciplinary project teams

Technical assurance and design review expertise

Client-facing, project management and business development skills

Experience mentoring and developing engineers

Degree qualification and professional accreditation (or equivalent)

Why Join?

✅ High-profile infrastructure projects✅ Genuine technical leadership role✅ Strong pipeline of long-term work✅ Hybrid and flexible working✅ Clear progression and influence within the business✅ Opportunity to shape the future of a national drainage practice

If you're looking for a role that combines technical leadership, project delivery and team development, we'd love to hear from you.

What you need to do now

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.

If this job isn't quite right for you but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.

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