Principal Design Engineer – Civils & Structures
Location: Pontyclun, South Wales
Region: Wales & Western
Sector: Rail ¦ Civils & Structures
Lead the Growth of Our Design Capability in South Wales
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Principal Design Engineer to play a pivotal role in the expansion of our Civil & Structural Design business within our thriving Wales & Western region.
As part of our continued growth and investment, we are establishing a new Civils & Structures Permanent Works Design presence in Pontyclun, creating a regional hub that will support a growing portfolio of rail and infrastructure projects across South Wales and the wider Wales & Western network. This is a unique opportunity to lead the development of a new design office location, build and mentor a high-performing team, and help shape the future direction of our design capability in the South.
What We Offer
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Competitive salary, negotiable depending on experience
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Company car or car allowance
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25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service up to 28 days
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3 additional charity days per year
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A day off when your child starts school
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A day off for house relocation
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Company contributory pension scheme
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Life assurance
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Medicash Health Cash Plan and employee rewards
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Ongoing learning and professional development opportunities
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Clear routes for career progression
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A supportive, inclusive and collaborative working environment
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Employee forums and engagement channels to ensure your voice is heard
About the Business Unit
Following the successful award of several long-term framework agreements with major rail and infrastructure clients, we continue to invest in and expand our in-house Civil & Structural Design capability.
Our team delivers multidisciplinary engineering solutions across CP7 frameworks, asset management contracts, infrastructure renewals, enhancement projects, and tendered schemes. Due to continued growth across the Wales & Western region, we are now establishing a dedicated design presence in Pontyclun to further support our clients and strengthen our regional delivery capability.
Typical projects include:
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Bridge reconstruction, refurbishment and replacement schemes
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Infrastructure renewals and enhancement projects
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Station improvement works, including accessibility and platform schemes
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Civil and structural asset management
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Footbridges, tunnels, retaining structures and associated rail infrastructure
The Role
As Principal Design Engineer, you will lead the development and operation of our new Pontyclun-based design team, providing technical leadership and management across a diverse portfolio of civils and structures projects.
Working closely with Operational Directors, the Head of Design and key client stakeholders, you will be responsible for establishing and growing the regional design capability while ensuring the successful delivery of engineering solutions that meet quality, programme and commercial objectives.
This role offers the opportunity to combine technical excellence with leadership responsibility, influencing both project outcomes and long-term business growth.
Key Responsibilities
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Lead and develop the new Civils & Structures Permanent Works Design capability in Pontyclun
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Provide technical leadership and guidance across a variety of rail and infrastructure projects
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Manage and coordinate engineering resources, programmes and budgets
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Ensure compliance with CDM Regulations, Network Rail standards and industry best practice
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Develop project briefs and drive innovative engineering solutions from concept through to detailed design
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Establish design philosophies and maintain robust governance and documentation processes
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Review and approve design deliverables, risk assessments and technical submissions
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Represent the business in client, stakeholder and framework meetings
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Support business growth, recruitment and succession planning activities within the region
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Lead, mentor and develop engineers and designers through coaching, career development and performance management
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Collaborate with the Head of Design on departmental strategy, resource planning and continuous improvement initiatives
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Promote a culture of safety, innovation, quality and engineering excellence
What We're Looking For
We're seeking an ambitious and experienced engineering leader with a proven track record in rail and civil engineering design environments.
Essential Requirements
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Degree qualified (BEng/BSc or equivalent) in Civil Engineering or a related discipline
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Chartered Engineer (CEng) with a recognised professional institution such as ICE or IStructE
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Significant experience operating at Lead Engineer or Principal Design Engineer level
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Extensive design experience across civils and structures projects, including bridges, stations, platforms and railway infrastructure
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Strong leadership, team management and mentoring skills
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Experience managing project delivery, budgets and client relationships
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Excellent understanding of Network Rail standards, engineering governance and CDM requirements
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Sentinel Personal Track Safety (PTS) competence (AC/DC desirable)
Why Join Us?
This is more than just a Principal Design Engineer role. It's an opportunity to establish and lead a growing engineering presence in South Wales, helping to build a team, shape a regional capability and contribute to the delivery of some of the most important rail infrastructure projects in the Wales & Western region.
If you're looking to combine technical leadership with the opportunity to drive business growth and leave a lasting legacy, we'd love to hear from you.
Join us and help shape the future of rail infrastructure design across Wales and the Western region.
AmcoGiffen has a wealth of experience working on sensitive, live assets in highly regulated environments, we deliver exceptional peace of mind for our customers, creating and maintaining assets across a growing range of high-quality public and private sectors. These include rail, power generation, electricity distribution, flood defence, and waterways.
AmcoGiffen is an Equal Opportunities Employer and we offer challenging and worthwhile careers to everyone. It doesn’t matter to us what your age, disability, employment status, gender, health, marital status, sexual preference, membership or non-membership of a trade union, nationality, race, religion or social class are, or indeed any other personal characteristics not directly related to the relevant job. Anyone who meets the requirements of the job is eligible for employment with AmcoGiffen.
