We're looking for a Drainage and Water Design Team Leader to join our Design team based in Salford / Exeter. Kier Design are a top-25 engineering consultancy, delivering a wide range of services across all sectors of the built environment, providing construction-focused, innovative and sustainable solutions. We have preferential access to Kier's £11bn+ project pipeline, including mega projects like High Speed 2 and Hinkley Point C, frameworks with national and local government and other public bodies, and a range of other interesting projects in every sector of the built environment.
We believe in building teams around our people, rather than squeezing people into our teams, we want to help you carve out a role in which you'll grow and thrive for many years to come. Offering market-leading development opportunities, supporting our graduates through the early stages of their careers, enabling our people to become professionally qualified, providing management training and qualifications, and supporting ongoing technical development throughout our people's careers. Actively promoting, so you can keep pushing and stretching yourself. Within this role, you can enjoy competitive annual holiday entitlement with opportunities to buy leave, a fantastic, matched pension scheme, a share in the success you help to create by investing in Kier through our Sharesave and Share Incentive Plans and even more
Location : Salford - remote working available, with occasional travel to the office required.
Hours : 37.5 hours per week - some flexibility on hours available if desired, just let us know when you speak to us
We are unable to offer certificates of sponsorship to any candidates in this role.
What will you be responsible for?
As Drainage and Water Design Team Leader , you'll be working within the Drainage Team, leading a transportation drainage & water design team delivering high-quality, compliant, and sustainable solutions across a portfolio of transportation projects. The role acts as the technical and delivery lead for assigned work packages, ensuring designs are coordinated and programme, budget, and risk commitments are met. Working closely with the Design Manager and wider Kier Design teams, the Design Team Leader develops team capability, supports consistent delivery, and builds strong relationships with internal and external clients to provide a reliable, value-driven service.
Your day to day will include:
- Accountable for leading a Transportation Drainage & Water team to deliver work packages on time, to budget, and to standard, ensuring coordinated delivery, robust project governance, and ongoing team development
- Support and implement process improvements, efficiency initiatives, and knowledge sharing; encourage technical innovation in highway drainage, flood risk, and emerging environmental considerations such as microplastics
- Act as technical lead for assigned work packages, ensuring outputs comply with DMRB, LLFA, and local authority standards; maintain robust project governance, contribute to reviews, and ensure consistent application of lessons learnt
- Plan, price, and deliver work packages under Option C/E design contracts; proactively identify and manage risks, ensuring programmes and budgets are realistic and achieved
- Build and maintain relationships with Local Authorities, LLFAs, National Highways, and utilities; ensure clear communication, adherence to client processes, and confidence in delivery
What are we looking for?
This role of Drainage and Water Design Team Leader is great for you if:
- Proven experience leading and developing design teams (7–14 members), including line managers and early-career staff, s trong ability to manage programmes, budgets, and risks across a variety of transportation projects
- Experience managing clients and stakeholders, including Local Authorities, LLFAs, and utilities, with clear communication and consistently positive outcomes, d emonstrated delivery of high-quality, compliant highway drainage and flood risk solutions
- Practical knowledge of DMRB, LLFA requirements, local authority standards, and quality assurance processes
- Knowledge of SUDS, Planning Policy, Building Regulations, flood risk strategy approvals, and quality assurance processes, full driving license and willingness to travel as required
Rewards and benefits
We're proud to be able to offer our brilliant people a wide variety of benefits that you can tailor to your needs. You can see more information of benefits here .
Diversity and inclusion
Making Kier a diverse and inclusive place to work is a huge priority for us. We're proud of the steps we've taken so far, but we know we must always do more. Our employees are key in shaping Kier's diversity and inclusion initiatives and our people have made a huge impact on how we work, by using their experiences to shape our policies. You can see our D&I action plan here .
We look forward to seeing your application to join the #constructionrevolution #joinkier
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