Senior/Principal Geotechnical Engineer

Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

1/27/2025

Mott MacDonald

Locations: Bristol or Cardiff

We’re a global engineering, management, and development consultancy.

Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities.

A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs.

We are proud to be a one of Glassdoor’s top employers to work for in the UK, as well as being recognised as a Top Inclusive Company in the UK.

Our values: Progress, Respect, Integrity, Drive, Excellence.

About The Business Unit

We help conceive, drive, and implement transport solutions for cities, regions, and asset owners/operators around the globe. From preparing the business case and advising on related issues - such as revenue, procurement, and environmental legislation - to delivering the completed infrastructure and helping maintain it. Our planning, engineering, environmental and management skills cover the whole project cycle. We play a major role in developing and delivering the Global Transport Sector Strategy.

Job Description

As a Senior or Principal Geotechnical Engineer in our successful Foundations and Geotechnics team, you will have the opportunity to broaden your experience and work with a range of public and private sector clients on some key and major projects. You will be involved in managing and producing design solutions in line with current Eurocodes, reports specifications and drawings covering a range of project requirements within foundations and geotechnics. You’ll deliver various geotechnical and underground structures projects and provide technical leadership through leading the team and managing their design work. You’ll also support larger projects acting as client liaison and contributing to risk assessments, employing sustainability and undertaking budgeting and cost control.

Your Responsibilities Will Include The Following

• Design foundations and substructures such as basements and shafts, metro boxes, earthworks and slope stability
• Management and delivery of Ground Investigation (scope, specifications, supervision, GIRs, GBRs etc)
• Design retaining wall systems and major temporary works associated with underground structures
• Lead in 2D and 3D numerical modelling for soil/structure interaction issues associated with below-ground structures
• Travel to project sites when necessary for project delivery and client liaison meetings
• Managing medium to large single and multi-disciplinary design teams
  
  

Candidate Specification

As a Senior or Principal Geotechnical Engineer in ground engineering and geotechnics, you are able to direct and deliver multiple concurrent projects or one large project on time and within budget. You’ve designed various geotechnical and foundation solutions using current standards and Eurocodes and have previously worked on major projects. You have strong interpersonal skills and are able to liaise with various clients and build professional relationships. You are comfortable with your technical expertise in the ground engineering sector and have gained various project management skills throughout your career as well as acted in a technical lead capability on numerous projects. You’re an effective communicator and are able to collaborate with all levels of staff and clients. In addition to this, you are a relationship builder and understand the dynamics of working with a team as well as working autonomously. You are able to prioritise the needs of the Client to deliver high quality design to meet their needs.

You Will Also Be Able To Demonstrate The Following

• Masters or PhD degree in Civil Engineering with emphasis on geotechnics
• Relevant geotechnical experience with experience in project delivery
• Chartered Engineer with the ICE or equivalent
• Experiencing of managing medium to large teams of engineers
• Experience of delivering Ground Investigations, GIRs and GBRs
• Experience guiding and nurturing a team of Engineers in their technical development
• Has mentored early career professionals as a DE or SCE
• Advanced user of PLAXIS 2D and PLAXIS 3D numerical modelling software
• Prepared to travel nationally and internationally as needed for any project
• Although not essential, if you have knowledge and experience in programming/scripting (VBA, Python, etc.), this would be advantageous.
  
  

We are also happy to accept applicants on a full-time or part-time basis and are supportive of agile working.

Job Profile

Mott MacDonald below ground heavy civils and geotechnical engineering capability is recognised as authoritative and cutting edge. Our Heavy Civil Infrastructure Division specialise in all aspects of foundations, geotechnics and tunnelling, and contribute to some of the largest and most demanding structures in the world. Our expertise includes delivering value management and value engineering, geotechnical advice, geotechnical information management, site investigations, rock engineering, slope engineering, geoseismic design, and 2D/3D numerical modelling.

The projects we have engaged in include high speed infrastructure (HS1 and HS2), Victoria Station Upgrade, Doha Metro, Northern Line Extension, London Heathrow Third Runway Expansion Project, Crossrail and Crossrail 2, Nuclear New-build and Hydropower schemes as well as opportunities to work on and support projects World-wide in other regions of the Group. We were also voted Consulting Firm of the Year at the 2024 Ground Engineering Awards.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Agile working

Happy to talk Flexible Working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace.

We Offer Some Fantastic Benefits Including

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.
  
  

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.
  
  

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.
  
  

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
  
  

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.
  
  

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.
  
  

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.

Location(s):

Cardiff, GB Bristol, GB

Contract Type: Permanent

Work Pattern: Full Time

Market: Transport

Discipline: Geotechnical and tunnelling

Job Ref: 7051

Recruiter Contact: Ainsley Anstess