Job Description

Overview

The Design & Advanced Technology (D&AT) Practice of AtkinsRéalis is seeking a highly experienced and commercially minded Technical Director – Mechanical Engineer with expertise in the Water sector to play a key role in the continued growth of our Water business. This is an opportunity to shape the future of the UK's water infrastructure, leading technical excellence across a diverse portfolio of projects for UK water companies, local authorities, and environmental organisations.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership across a diverse portfolio of water and wastewater projects, spanning regulated and non-regulated programmes, including treatment works, pumping stations, pipelines, reservoirs, storm overflow improvements, environmental enhancement projects, and major infrastructure schemes. Working closely with market and project leadership teams, you will strengthen client relationships, shape business strategy, identify growth opportunities, and provide technical leadership and assurance for multidisciplinary teams delivering complex engineering solutions across the asset lifecycle. You will champion technical quality, innovation, sustainability, safety, constructability, and whole-life value, while developing capability through mentoring and knowledge sharing and enhancing AtkinsRéalis' reputation as a trusted advisor and industry leader within the water sector.

Join us at a pivotal moment for the UK water industry. AMP8 represents a step change in investment, creating opportunities to work on some of the most significant infrastructure programmes in a generation, including strategic reservoir developments, water resource schemes, treatment works upgrades, and major resilience projects that will help secure water supplies for decades to come.

This opportunity is ideally suited to a technically accomplished engineering leader with extensive experience in mechanical engineering within the water sector and a strong track record of developing client relationships, winning work, and growing business across both regulated and non-regulated programmes. You will be looking to expand your influence within a leadership position that combines technical excellence, client engagement, business growth, and team development.

You’ll benefit from:

• Playing a pivotal role in delivering safe, sustainable, and resilient water infrastructure that supports communities across the UK for generations.
• Working with an industry-leading water engineering team within a collaborative and highly respected global organisation.
• Expanding your influence through a role that combines technical leadership, client engagement, business growth, and team development.
• Shaping the strategic direction of a growing water business and influencing the future development of our water and mechanical engineering capability.
• Building trusted relationships with some of the industry's most influential clients and decision-makers.
• Accessing clear pathways for continued career growth, including progression into senior market, director, and business leadership roles.

Being a Technical Director with us involves UK wide travel. We offer hybrid working which involves 3 days per week travel/office based. This position can be based at any of our hub offices of Epsom, London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, or Glasgow.  It can also be based from one of our regional offices of Peterborough, Cambridge, Cardiff, Swansea, Derby, Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle, Belfast, or Edinburgh, but may require additional travel to main locations as needed.

Your Role

As a Technical Director within AtkinsRealis, the successful candidate would have the following responsibilities:

Project Leadership & Technical Governance

• Provide strategic technical leadership and project oversight across water and wastewater programmes, acting as Project Director, Technical Director, or Chief Engineer as appropriate.
• Provide technical assurance, quality oversight, and engineering governance across a portfolio of water treatment, water resource, and resilience projects.
• Act as a recognised technical authority for mechanical engineering in the water sector, guiding multidisciplinary teams and ensuring compliance with client, regulatory, environmental, and industry requirements.
• Lead technical decision-making on complex engineering challenges, championing innovative, sustainable, resilient, and whole-life solutions that deliver value for clients, communities, and the environment.

Team Leadership & Capability Growth

• Provide strategic oversight on resource planning, demand forecasting, and capability development to ensure successful delivery of a growing portfolio of water resource projects.
• Lead, mentor, and develop senior engineers, building a strong succession pipeline and future technical leaders.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture that champions technical excellence, innovation, continuous improvement, and knowledge sharing across the water business.

Client Engagement & Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain trusted relationships with key clients across the water sector, acting as a trusted advisor to water utilities, infrastructure delivery partners, regulators, and technology providers.
• Represent the business in senior client, stakeholder, regulatory meetings, and industry forums providing strategic technical input and leadership.
• Promote AtkinsRéalis' reputation for technical excellence through engagement with clients, industry bodies, and the wider engineering community.

Business Development & Market Growth

• Play a leading role in identifying, pursuing, and securing opportunities across the water sector.
• Shape bidding strategies, lead technical inputs to major proposals, and support negotiations for strategic opportunities.
• Contribute to market planning and business development activities, helping to grow AtkinsRéalis' engineering capability and market presence within the UK water sector.
• Support the development of long-term client account strategies, strategic partnerships, and opportunity pipelines aligned to AMP8 and future investment programmes.

About You

The ideal candidate would be a well-rounded and versatile individual who exemplifies the following key skills and attributes:

Experience & Expertise

• Degree qualified in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent), with Chartered Engineer status through IMechE, or an equivalent professional institution.

• Extensive experience in the design, assessment, and delivery of water and wastewater infrastructure projects, with a strong understanding of UK water industry standards, regulatory requirements, and best practice.
• Recognised technical authority in mechanical engineering, with extensive knowledge of water and wastewater treatment processes, including the design and integration of mechanical equipment, pumping systems, sludge handling systems, and chemical dosing infrastructure.

Leadership & Commercial Skills

• Proven track record of developing senior client relationships, leading major bids and proposals, securing strategic commissions, and driving business growth within the water sector.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills, with experience developing high-performing teams, shaping technical strategy, and engaging effectively with senior clients, stakeholders, and business leaders.
• Commercially astute with the ability to balance technical excellence, client outcomes, and business performance across a portfolio of complex multidisciplinary projects.

Personal Attributes

• Demonstrates strong technical judgement, accountability, and ownership, providing clear direction on complex engineering challenges within a consultancy environment.
• Operates effectively at both strategic and technical levels, balancing business objectives and high-quality technical delivery.
• A collaborative and forward-thinking leader who communicates complex ideas clearly, fosters innovation, and supports continuous improvement.

Meet some but not all of the criteria or coming back from a career break? We’d still love to hear from you! Please submit your CV along with a cover letter letting us know your motivation for applying and highlighting how your skills and experience align with the role.

Rewards & benefits

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage of your life and your career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a brilliant range of benefits you can tailor to suit your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Make the most of a myriad of opportunities for training and professional development to grow your skills and expertise. And combine our hybrid working culture and flexible holiday allowances to balance a great job and fulfilling personal life.

Be rewarded. Find out more.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional information

Security clearance

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability.

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Worker Type

Job Type

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.