Water Design Programme Lead

Why this role matters 

Before any major infrastructure is built, it must be conceived, designed, coordinated and assured. The Design Programme Lead ensures that the design vision is clear, technically robust, commercially viable, and deliverable - turning early concepts into coordinated design packages ready for construction.

You will lead the design lifecycle, manage interfaces between engineering disciplines, and ensure design outputs align with client strategy, regulatory requirements, and programme milestones.

Role Overview – Design Programme Lead 

As Design Programme Lead, you will be the strategic driver behind complex, multidisciplinary design programmes. You will coordinate designers, engineers, technical specialists and delivery partners to ensure design excellence, programme certainty and seamless transition into construction.

You will embody Egis’s values of responsibility, creativity and collaboration, ensuring our design work improves communities, reduces carbon, and supports long‑term resilience.

Your Role & Impact 

Reporting to the Delivery Business Lead, You’ll collaborate with senior stakeholders, delivery teams, and supply chain partners to ensure financial transparency, compliance, and performance. Your leadership will help shape smarter, safer, and more resilient infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities: 

Design Leadership & Programme Governance

• Lead end‑to‑end design programme delivery across capital and non‑infrastructure portfolios
• Establish and embed design governance, technical assurance processes, and milestone tracking
• Ensure design outputs align with client strategy, regulatory requirements and programme objectives
• Coordinate multidisciplinary design teams (civils, structural, MEICA, environmental, planning) to ensure integration and accountability
• Manage design risks, assumptions, dependencies and interfaces across the programme
• Drive design reviews, HAZOPs, optioneering and technical decision‑making

Design Delivery, Commercial & Contract Oversight

• Oversee NEC3/4 contract administration for design stages, ensuring compliance and clarity of design obligations
• Work closely with QS and commercial teams on design forecasting, change control and cost assurance
• Draft and manage design‑related contractual communications (EWNs, CE submissions, design clarifications)
• Lead negotiation and resolution of design changes, variations and technical queries
• Conduct post‑design evaluations to capture lessons learned and improve future design delivery

Stakeholder Engagement & Technical Coordination

• Build trusted relationships with clients, regulators, designers, contractors and internal leadership
• Represent Egis at design reviews, steering groups, technical forums and client workshops
• Develop and maintain stakeholder engagement plans to ensure design intent is understood and supported
• Identify opportunities to enhance design value, innovation and sustainability
• Act as a design ambassador for Egis, promoting our capability and technical excellence

Business Development & Strategic Growth

• Identify emerging opportunities across the water sector
• Act as a trusted technical advisor to clients, shaping early design strategy and programme direction
• Support Directors in developing design‑led bids, proposals and tender strategies
• Lead cross‑functional engagement to showcase Egis’s design capability, innovation and delivery excellence
• Maintain design intelligence databases, lessons learned, and feedback loops to drive continuous improvement

What You Bring 

• A proven leader in the water sector, with a strong track record of delivering major and complex non‑infrastructure wastewater projects — someone who thrives on solving big engineering challenges and driving meaningful impact.
• A natural collaborator with extensive experience leading multidisciplinary design and delivery teams. You know how to bring people together, create momentum, and deliver high‑quality outcomes under pressure.
• A confident, client‑focused communicator who builds trust quickly, understands commercial drivers, and can navigate complex stakeholder environments with ease.
• A governance‑minded professional with solid knowledge of project controls, risk management, and contract frameworks such as NEC and JCT — ensuring projects stay on track, compliant, and commercially sound.

Why Egis? 

At Egis, we don’t just deliver infrastructure—we build careers. You’ll benefit from:

• Full support toward RICS chartership and professional development
• Opportunities to work across high-impact sectors including nuclear and defence
• A collaborative culture that values innovation, inclusion, and sustainability
• Hybrid working flexibility and a clear path to progression

Technically grounded, holding a relevant degree (e.g., Civil Engineering) and ideally chartership or professional accreditation (ICE, CIWEM, MIHT or similar).

We are committed to our planet:

In each project we design, engineer and operate we care deeply about the legacy we’re leaving behind. As part of our team, you’ll have a unique opportunity to use your skills and expertise to shape a better future for our communities in the UK, and all around the globe.

Our commitment is translated in the work carried out by our Egis Foundation, which funds concrete actions to address the climate crisis and is focused on educational and social initiatives that will help in the responsible and sustainable shift towards a sustainable world.

Diversity & Inclusion:

We are an Equal Opportunities employer and we strive to build a workforce that truly reflects the communities we represent. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and any other protected characteristic. If you decide to apply for an opportunity with us, your application will be assessed based purely on your experience, the essential and desirable criteria, and your suitability for the role. We value each and every one’s contribution as this builds our culture and means that if you work with us, you will be included, listened to, and respected.