Overview
Principal Hydraulic Engineer – Warrington, Cheshire (Hybrid Working) – Full Time | Permanent | 37 hours per week. Competitive Salary + £5,000 Car Allowance + Bonus + Excellent Benefits. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Principal Hydraulic Engineer to join a leading utilities organisation supporting major water and wastewater infrastructure across the North West.
This is a senior technical and leadership role within the Hydraulic Engineering team, where you will provide expert hydraulic guidance across engineering, commercial and capital delivery functions. You will take ownership of a key delivery area, helping to shape technical solutions, support operational teams, and lead hydraulic engineering strategy across major infrastructure assets.
This role offers a hybrid working model, typically requiring three days per week in the Warrington office, alongside occasional travel to operational sites across the region.
The Role
As Principal Hydraulic Engineer, you will act as a technical authority within the organisation, leading hydraulic analysis and design activities while supporting complex operational and capital projects. You will work closely with senior engineering leadership and internal stakeholders, while mentoring engineers and supporting the development of the wider hydraulics discipline. This position plays a key role in solving complex hydraulic challenges across water and wastewater treatment works and network assets, ensuring solutions are robust, sustainable, and aligned with business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
* Provide technical leadership and hydraulic engineering expertise across operational, commercial and capital delivery teams.
* Lead hydraulic analysis, modelling, and problem-solving for water and wastewater infrastructure.
* Apply fundamental hydraulic engineering principles to support project design and operational performance improvements.
* Provide cost estimates, programme inputs, and technical deliverables for engineering projects.
* Monitor project progress and ensure delivery of high-quality technical outputs within agreed timelines.
* Support operational teams during incidents and complex technical challenges, acting as a key escalation point for hydraulic issues.
* Develop strong relationships with internal clients and external stakeholders to support successful project delivery.
* Mentor, guide, and develop engineers within the wider hydraulics discipline.
* Contribute to long-term technical strategies and identify innovative solutions to hydraulic challenges.
Technical Experience
* Extensive experience in water and wastewater treatment works hydraulics.
* Strong understanding of hydraulic engineering principles and transient analysis.
* Experience supporting capital and operational infrastructure projects.
* Knowledge of regulatory requirements including MCERTS and relevant permitting frameworks.
* Experience working with hydraulic modelling tools such as:
* oHades
* oBentley HAMMER
* oKYpipe (beneficial but not essential).
Leadership & Stakeholder Skills
* Demonstrable experience leading technical engineering teams.
* Strong track record delivering complex infrastructure projects in highly technical environments.
* Ability to build collaborative relationships across multidisciplinary teams.
* Experience mentoring and developing engineers to support future leadership within the discipline.
Qualifications
* Engineering Degree (or equivalent).
* Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.
* Full UK or EU driving licence.
Benefits
* Competitive salary
* £5,000 car allowance
* Performance-related bonus of up to 20%
* 26 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days with service, plus bank holidays
* Excellent pension scheme with strong employer contribution
* Comprehensive healthcare plan
* Gym and wellbeing discounts
* Flexible benefits package including EV car scheme, share plans and wellbeing support
* Enhanced parental leave policies
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