Director of Technical Design

3 weeks ago


Durham, United Kingdom Avove Utilities Full time

Working here isn’t just a job. You can advance your career at Avove, and we’ll reward you with a range of benefits that recognise great work. We provide full training and continuous development to help you reach your potential. We strive to create an inclusive working environment where everyone can be themselves. Join us and take the next step towards a fulfilling career.

About the role…

We are currently recruiting for a Technical Director to lead our Northumbrian Water (NWG) Design Team. The position is required to support our expanding Water Utilities workload and will typically involve providing designs for water and wastewater, infrastructure, and non-infrastructure projects. This will include design delivery at all stages, from feasibility and optioneering through to detailed designs for construction and commissioning.


The specific role is required primarily to support our emerging long-term framework with Northumbrian Water Group however there will be ample opportunities to work on other projects and frameworks throughout the UK for a variety of clients.


This is a permanent position and will be of a hybrid nature ideally based in or around our Durham office and NWG’s office in Pity Me, however, alternative ways of working would be given due consideration.


What will your day look like…

  • Be accountable for the financial performance and monitoring of the NWG water design team.
  • Lead the design input (technical, commercial, risk) into tenders in accordance with the Avove governance process.
  • Own relationships with Key individuals within client organisations, identify future opportunities and understand potential future opportunities.
  • Provide national technical leadership within the Water Design business.
  • Develop design services to deliver and improve technical excellence in accordance with business aspirations.
  • Undertake occasional audits to review consistency of technical delivery.
  • Lead on key business initiatives e.g. innovation, carbon etc.
  • Provision, review and updating of technical datasheets, case studies, technical papers/briefing notes as required.
  • Manage senior staff within the design team. Carryout PDRs for senior staff and drive the importance of PDRs and consistent objectives throughout the team.
  • Set the agenda in terms of culture and performance for the design team.
  • Preparation and monitoring of project budgets and staff utilisation including the reporting of project resources and finances.
  • Identify and secure specialist sub-consultant and supplier support when needed.
  • Ensure that the design team have the right skills, resources and systems to deliver the requisite design service.
  • Provide project challenge where appropriate.
  • Ensure compliance with all relevant health, safety and environmental legislation, particularly the CDM Regulations.


About you…

  • A strong technical background in the design of water and wastewater, infrastructure, and non-infrastructure projects.
  • Computer literate and conversant with the MS Office suite with a basic knowledge of engineering packages such as AutoCAD.
  • Strong written and oral communication and organisational skills and to produce reports in clear concise English.
  • Proven ability to lead and work within a team environment with a dedicated approach to meet project deadlines.
  • Client focused approach to service delivery.
  • Self-motivated with the drive to achieve continuous improvement targets.
  • Strong health & safety focus.
  • Candidates should have a relevant degree qualification preferably with an additional professional qualification(s)

Please note candidates with qualifications that do not fully match the above criteria but have relevant equivalent experience are invited to apply. Equally, we welcome applicants from all relevant related disciplines and backgrounds, i.e. civil, MEICA, process, etc.


What’s in it for you…

We offer a rewarding salary that is tailored to your skills and experience. But that’s not all We celebrate hard work and give recognition to our colleagues. In addition to this, we understand that one size doesn’t fit all so everyone has access to a variety of flexible benefits that work for you.

  • 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
  • Annual bonus
  • Company car/Car allowance
  • Private personal medical insurance
  • Company pension scheme
  • Life assurance
  • Family friendly policies
  • A selection of lifestyle benefit options
  • Financial wellbeing programme
  • Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing and onsite mental health first aiders to support our colleagues
  • We love to give back so we offer you volunteering days in your community and charity matched giving where we will boost your fundraising.


About us…

We design, build and maintain the UK’s utilities infrastructure to help transform local communities for the better. We provide cutting-edge and sustainable engineering solutions and play a critical role in helping to keep the water running, the lights on and people connected.

We are an expert, responsible and agile partner, providing vital services to water, power and telecommunications sectors. We work closely with our clients to help protect and improve their assets, enhance customer experience and protect the natural environment. Everything we do is designed to drive continual improvement and move life forward.

We are proud to work in partnership with leading utility providers, including Severn Trent, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Northern PowerGrid, Northumbrian Water Group, Scottish Power Energy Networks and Scottish Water


We are an equal opportunities employer.....

We welcome applications from candidates of all races, genders, disabilities, religions, ages and sexual orientations. We know that having a diverse workforce encourages new perspectives, inspires creativity and creates an engaging workplace and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues can thrive. When it comes to inclusion, we’re making sure we keep up the progress with our Communities of Practice, who help us do just that.


What next...

We encourage you to apply for this role as soon as you can. We recognise talent waits for no one, so we progress candidates individually through all stages of recruitment process.

If you have any questions, please reach out for an informal discussion.



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