Highways Technical Lead

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

As a Principal Engineer or Associate Director in our Highways team, you'll play a pivotal role in leading the delivery of complex civil engineering projects while shaping the future of transport infrastructure across the UK and beyond. You'll drive technical excellence and ensure safety in design, championing innovation and identifying opportunities for automation and process efficiencies in every aspect of our work.

You'll lead and mentor a team of designers, coordinate the delivery of highways design solutions within programme and budget constraints, and collaborate with global discipline leads to deliver integrated, best-practice services to our clients. You'll also be responsible for generating accurate project forecasts and escalating scope changes that impact delivery.

For those interested in people leadership, opportunities exist to take on line management responsibilities and contribute to the development of our talented teams—though this is not a requirement for career progression at Jacobs.

Jacobs is a recognised leader in the transportation sector, working with major clients such as National Highways, Transport Scotland, the Welsh Government, and global contractors. Internationally, we contribute to transformative mega-projects like NEOM The Line and King Khalid International Airport. Domestically, we're delivering impactful local schemes for

• Manchester Airport Group
• United Utilities
• Cheshire East Council
• West Yorkshire Combined Authority
• Worcestershire County Council
• Birmingham City Council
• Derbyshire County Council
• West of England Combined Authority

With expanding teams across the UK, this is your opportunity to lead, innovate, and make a lasting impact—both locally and globally.

Here's what you'll need

• Experience in managing engineering design solutions in Transportation.
• Relevant professional qualifications, such as a degree in engineering, CEng/IEng, or equivalent qualifications
• Technical experience in delivering local and/or major highways projects or landside alignment elements in adjacent markets such as Water or Aviation.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal), with the ability to convey different design options to internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to lead small project teams effectively and support their technical development.
• Thorough understanding of commonly used design standards such as DMRB or international equivalents.
• Sound knowledge of UK H&S legislation and a passion for fostering safety and wellbeing.
• Capability to manage a workload that may be subject to change at short notice.
• Ability to work independently and effectively within a global multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience in the financial management and control of projects.

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we've gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You'll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you'll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we're more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.

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As a disability confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

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