Engineering Manager
(Full Time / Northwest Based)
Job Title: Engineering Director
Reporting to: Business Services Director
About IES:
IES Utilities Group Ltd is a leading UK utility provider delivering end-to-end infrastructure solutions. Our teams operate across Power, Gas, Water, Telecoms, District Heating and Renewables, providing survey, design, construction, and maintenance services nationwide. We are committed to innovation, safety, engineering excellence, and sustainable delivery. Headquartered in Manchester, IES continues to grow as a trusted partner in the UKs critical infrastructure sector.
Purpose of the role:
To lead, develop, and govern all engineering functions across the business, including Design, Site Engineering, Quality Assurance & Control, Document Control, Temporary Works, and Technical Governance. The Engineering Manager ensures safe, compliant, and efficient engineering delivery across multi-disciplinary gas, water, wastewater, power, and telecoms infrastructure projects. This role provides the highest level of technical authority and organisational assurance across the full project lifecycle — ensuring engineering excellence, robust Temporary Works design and governance, and the safe integration of design and construction activities.
The role covers the following areas:
Engineering Leadership & Strategy
* Establish and lead a unified Engineering function: Design, Site Engineering, QA/QC, Document Control, and Temporary Works.
* Define engineering strategy, standards, processes, and governance frameworks.
* Provide technical leadership across all engineering disciplines.
* Develop capability roadmaps covering design, site engineering, digital engineering, and temporary works.
* Embed a culture of safety, technical excellence, and engineering discipline across the organisation.
Engineering Governance & Assurance
* Act as Lead Technical Authority for all engineering activities.
* Maintain and improve the Engineering Management System, including ISO 9001 and ISO 19650.
* Ensure full compliance with IGEM, BS/EN, DWI, ENA, and CDM Regulations.
* Lead and oversee the companys Temporary Works governance, ensuring robust procedures, training, and assurance.
* Chair engineering reviews, design reviews, HAZOPs, constructability reviews, and safety-critical technical assurance meetings.
* Ensure engineering risks, design risks, and temporary works risks are properly identified, managed, and controlled.
Design Management
* Lead all design activities: concept, FEED, detailed design, temporary works design, construction support, and as-builts.
* Nurture our internal capability with the view to establishing and building an internal design delivery team, commencing with insourcing the delivery of civils temporary works designs and expanding from this point.
* Expand and formalise our current design supplier relationships by agreeing supplier frameworks and call-off arrangements.
* Formalise our design briefs issued to design suppliers and ensure controls are established to ensure design suppliers satisfy design outputs and standards.
* Act as final signatory for safety-critical designs.
* Lead design audits, compliance checks, and technical assurance reviews.
Site Engineering Leadership
* Establish and manage a new Site Engineering function supporting multi-discipline construction projects.
* Ensure site engineers deliver quality control, field engineering, temporary works supervision, technical queries, and construction assurance.
* Provide engineering governance on site to ensure buildability, construction safety, and technical compliance.
* Embed consistent engineering practices across all sites including red‑line mark‑ups, temporary works controls, and technical change management.
Quality Assurance & Quality Control (QA/QC)
* Lead the QA/QC strategy and operations across design and construction.
* Ensure ITPs, inspections, NCRs, corrective actions, and project quality documentation meet required standards.
* Drive continuous improvement and technical learning across engineering teams.
* Ensure Temporary Works inspections, checks, and sign-offs form part of the QA/QC process.
Document Control & Information Management
* Lead the Document Control function and ensure compliance with ISO 19650 and digital engineering best practice.
* Maintain controlled, auditable information management for all engineering, design, QA/QC, and Temporary Works documentation.
* Ensure rigorous version control, traceability, and structured workflows across all engineering data.
* Ensure IES maintain libraries of the specifications, codes and standards operated by our customers, updated now and again by our customers issuing engineering bulletins and registrar updates.
Temporary Works Design & Governance
* Own and lead the companywide Temporary Works management system.
* Oversee Temporary Works design development and ensure competent engineering resource is allocated.
* Appoint and oversee Temporary Works Coordinators (TWC) and Temporary Works Supervisors (TWS).
* Act as Designated Individual (DI) for Temporary Works.
* Ensure compliant procedures aligned to BS 5975 and industry best practice.
* Provide assurance that Temporary Works designs are developed, checked, approved, and controlled appropriately.
* Ensure effective collaboration between design teams, site engineers, and construction personnel on TW solutions.
* Conduct routine audits, compliance reviews, and continuous improvement relating to Temporary Works.
Pre‑Construction & Technical Support
* Lead all engineering input during pre‑construction including design coordination and risk management.
* Support bids and tenders through development of engineered solutions and estimating engineering effort.
* Provide engineering expertise and leadership during bid development, ensuring high‑quality technical responses to PQQs, ITTs, SQs, and client technical questions.
* Ensure engineering risks, constraints, temporary works requirements, and buildability considerations are fully incorporated into bid submissions.
* Define engineering deliverables and ensure smooth transition to construction with robust design information and technical briefs.
Commercial & Client Engagement
* Act as senior engineering representative to clients, regulators, and stakeholders.
* Support commercial teams with technical solutions for design & build opportunities.
* Lead on technical clarification responses during tendering, ensuring accurate and competitive engineering answers to client queries.
* Provide authoritative engineering input to bid strategy, alternative solutions, and technical differentiators.
* Manage third‑party engineering partners and ensure they meet company technical standards.
* Ensure engineering activities are cost‑effective, value‑driven, and commercially sound.
Professional Qualifications & Core Competencies
* Chartered Engineer (CEng) status with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) or the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
* Demonstrable experience leading multi‑disciplinary engineering functions within utilities, infrastructure, or construction environments.
* Strong understanding of relevant engineering codes, standards, and regulations (e.g., CDM, BS/EN standards, IGEM, DWI, ENA, BS 5975).
* Proven competence in Temporary Works governance, design assurance, and technical risk management.
Leadership & Management Competencies
* Strategic Leadership: Able to set engineering vision, establish governance frameworks, and lead organisational technical strategy.
* People Development: Demonstrated capability in developing high‑performing engineering teams, coaching senior engineers, and building technical capability.
* Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to integrate business development, design, site engineering, SHE, construction, and commercial functions to ensure holistic project delivery.
* Decision Making & Accountability: Makes informed, evidence‑based decisions with a focus on safety, quality, and commercial outcomes.
* Communication & Influence: Clear, authoritative communicator able to engage confidently with clients, regulators, technical specialists, and senior leadership.
Technical Competencies
* Design Governance & Assurance: Expert in managing full design lifecycle activities, reviewing design outputs, and assuring safety‑critical engineering decisions.
* Temporary Works Management: Competent and experienced in applying BS 5975 principles, overseeing TW design, and acting as Designated Individual.
* Engineering Risk Management: Skilled in hazard identification, design risk control, constructability reviews, HAZOP/HAZID, and technical risk assessment.
* Quality Assurance & Control: Deep understanding of QA/QC systems, inspection processes, NCR management, and continuous improvement frameworks.
* Digital Engineering & Information Management: Strong knowledge of ISO 19650, structured information workflows, and digital engineering good practice.
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