Princial Drainage Engineer

Location:

Manchester (M15) – Lancashire, North West, United Kingdom

Salary:

£50000 – £60000 per annum

Type:

Permanent

Main Industry:

Search Engineering Jobs

Other Industries & Skills:

Civil

Advertiser:

Penguin Recruitment Ltd

Job ID:

132638454

Posted On:

18 January 2026

Job Title: Principal Drainage Engineer

Ref. No.: CJD1701K26

Location: Manchester

Salary: GBP50,000 – GBP60,000

This is an excellent opportunity to join my client, a well-respected, innovative Multidisciplinary Consultancy, renowned for lending their extensive skillset across the engineering and environmental sectors. They are actively seeking a motivated, confident Principal Drainage Engineer who is willing to take on a number of challenging projects across the region, proactively overseeing a team of design experts in the field. You will be based near the vibrant, culturally-significant city of Manchester.

Benefits for the role of Principal Drainage Engineer include (but are not limited to):

* Competitive salary package, including long service awards
* Generous annual leave allowance (with the option to buy additional leave)
* Private Healthcare and Life Insurance schemes
* Payment of subscription fees for Professional Body memberships
* Company Pension Scheme
* Flexible/hybrid working opportunities
* Electric Vehicle (EV) scheme
* A focus on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with career progression opportunities
* A close-knit team, with a focus on team bonding and social events

Responsibilities for the role of Principal Drainage Engineer include:

* Manage design process for surface water/foul drainage strategies and highways
* Produce technical documents and reports, as well as fee proposals
* Check, amend, and submit technical documents produced by colleagues
* Manage key working relationships with clients and other stakeholders, including Local Authorities, regulatory bodies, etc.
* Author risk assessments, undertaking site walkovers and other surveying works
* Oversee all aspects of projects, from initial inception through to successful delivery and implementation, including budgetary restrictions and time constraints

Required skills and experience for the role of Principal Drainage Engineer include:

* A UK Degree (or equivalent qualification) in Civil Engineering (or a similar, relevant discipline)
* Possess Chartered Status with a relevant Professional Body (e.g., CEng, CIWEM, etc.)
* Considerable experience within a design-based role, within a UK consultancy (or Local Authority) setting
* Demonstrable experience of report-writing and producing technical documents, particularly Flood Risk Assessments (FRA)
* Proven experience of using the relevant software packages, including Civils 3D, MicroDrianage/InfoDrainage, Causeway PDS/Causeway Flow, AutoCAD, etc.
* Excellent working knowledge of the relevant Section Agreements and their applications (e.g., S104, S38, S185, etc.)
* Proven ability to successfully lead a high-performing team of professionals within the sector
* Good working knowledge of the relevant UK legislation, regulations, and policy (including DCG, Building Regulations, etc.)
* Excellent communication (written and verbal) and organisational skills
* Hold a full, valid UK Driving Licence, able to travel to sites as and when required

Desirable skills and experience for the role of Principal Drainage Engineer include:

* A Higher Degree in a relevant subject
* Experience of managing a high-performing team of people, as well as projects

If you are interested in the role of Principal Drainage Engineer, please do not hesitate to contact Caroline Davis at Penguin Recruitment. Please also see our website for a range of other roles currently available. This is a permanent role. Penguin Recruitment is operating as a recruitment agency in respect to this vacancy.

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