Senior Principal / Technical Principal Engineer

CompanyMott MacDonald

LocationAltrincham, England, United Kingdom

Posted At3/4/2026

UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics

Occupation Type

Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified.

Occupation Code Skill LevelHigher Skilled

Sponsorship Salary Threshold

£46,100 (£23.64 per hour)

Occupation rate applies

Above analytics are generated algorithmically based on job titles and may not always be the same as the company's job classification. You can also check detailed occupation eligibility, and salary criteria on our UK Visa Eligible Occupations & Salary Thresholds page.

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Description

Location/s: Altrincham, Birmingham, Cambridge, Croydon, Leeds; UK

Recruiter contact: Pamela Wray-Slack

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About The Business Unit

We help conceive, drive, and implement transport solutions for cities, regions, and asset owners/operators around the globe. From preparing the business case and advising on related issues - such as revenue, procurement, and environmental legislation - to delivering the completed infrastructure and helping maintain it. Our planning, engineering, environmental and management skills cover the whole project cycle. We play a major role in developing and delivering the Global Transport Sector Strategy.

Overview Of The Role

We are seeking Chartered Civil or Highway Engineers with experience in light rail, tramway or bus rapid transit design and planning, to be part of our Transport and Mobility Solutions Division in the UK. You will be required to deliver technical leadership, a collaborative approach and inspire engineering teams to deliver projects to a high quality, within budget and timescales.

You will be offered, and be expected to take on, a degree of autonomy and responsibility and able to contribute to growing the technical capability of the Urban Transit and Mobility team's profile and work portfolio through successful project delivery and participation in business development.

Although there are roles available in a number of locations across the UK, you will be expected to collaborate with our Urban Transit and Mobility Practice across the world and the wider global Mott MacDonald business.

The role offers the successful applicant the opportunity to develop their skills and progress their career working as a part of a Global Award Winning team of innovative engineers and specialists.

As a Senior Principal Engineer or Technical Principal, you will be responsible for:

Delivering and planning the development, design and implementation of light rail, tramway and bus rapid transit projects

Demonstrate technical leadership and provide mentoring while ensuring adherence to H&S policy and procedures

Leading the engineering solutions of tasks on multi-disciplinary project teams across a portfolio of complex projects, ensuring delivery to client requirements, programme and budget

Managing technical interfaces and integration of multiple disciplines in a co-ordinated manner to deliver coherent solutions

Ensuring a high level of quality in all deliverables through diligent checking and collaboration with discipline experts

Provision of inputs to bid proposals and submissions

Active involvement in business development through attentive customer care when working with clients

Mentoring and developing junior staff

Candidate specification

The Successful Candidate Will Meet The Following Criteria

Degree qualified (B.Eng Hons or equivalent) in Civil or Highway Engineering or related discipline, or Masters degree qualified (M.Eng or equivalent), or extensive equivalent experience
A Chartered Engineer with a proven record of technical leadership on light rail, tramway or bus rapid transit infrastructure projects

Experienced in working on multi-disciplinary design projects, including planning technical schedules with resources, leading teams of multi-disciplinary engineers and ensuring integration

Sound understanding of light rail, tramway or bus rapid transit standards and guidance, and experience of working at a strategic level taking a lead at the highest level with clients

Able to communicate confidently and professionally in English with colleagues, fellow professionals and clients at all levels (written and verbal)

Experience in preparing fee proposals, contributing to business development, and building successful client relationships, including with local authorities and private sector clients

We Require a Combination Of The Following Skills

Knowledge of light rail / tramways principles and understanding design standards such as Manual for Streets
Experience in the use of BIM to coordinate design inputs
Ability to work in complex multi-disciplinary environments without standards, following best practice and able to rely on international equivalents
Possess experience of preparing light rail, tramway or bus rapid transit engineering designs, for planning through to detailed construction, standard details and technical specifications

Have an understanding of personal Health and Safety responsibilities

The ideal candidate will possess one or more of the following:

Experience working with a systems engineering approach would be an advantage with experience of requirements management on major complex projects
Experience of co-ordinating multiple disciplines and ensuring integration and interface management
Experience in providing engineering proof of evidence in Transport and Works Act Order inquiries or similar statutory processes
Experience of public and stakeholder consultation
Experience in co-ordinating scheme development with business case work tasks and overseeing the consistency of both
Expertise in the design and construction of on-street track forms of varying designs. Ability to snag the failure of the same
Significant experience in the maintenance and renewal of tramway or light rail infrastructure and its design
Experience in the application of CSM-RA to rail or light rail projects and the establishment of operational concepts, strategies and plans (Operational modelling capability is not required for this role, though knowledge of it may be advantageous)

Experience of managing operational light rail or tramway systems including performance and demand management, cost management of the same

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone

feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We Offer Some Fantastic Benefits Including

Financial wellbeing

We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.

Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.

As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.

Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.

For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.

Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.

Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

Primary annual professional institution subscription.
A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.

Location(s):

Altrincham, GB Croydon, GB Birmingham, GB Leeds, GB Cambridge, GB

Contract Type: Permanent

Work Pattern: Full Time

Market: Transport

Discipline: Civil

Job Ref: 13698

Recruiter Contact: Madeleine Knight