Site Civil Technical Director

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story' 

Each and every role throughout our organisation makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world. 

We believe building engineering is more than systems and structures, it’s about powering progress and enabling innovation. As part of HDR’s Building Engineering Services Group, you’ll help design the critical infrastructure that supports the digital age and shapes the spaces where people work, connect, and thrive. From high-performance data centres driving the future of AI to dynamic commercial environments, your work will directly support technological advancement, sustainability, and human experience. We bring together mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineering experts to solve complex design challenges with precision, creativity, and collaboration. Whether you're optimizing energy efficiency, integrating resilient systems, or engineering the backbone of next-generation facilities, your contributions will help define the future of the built environment. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of excellence. 

Responsibilities 

In the role of Site Civil Technical Director (SME), we'll count on you to:

• Build best in class practice - duties would include:

  • Partner with key stakeholders to identify and develop a network of Technical Experts/Subject Matter Experts as needed to support the HDR enterprise.
  • Develop and implement a mentoring and succession strategy for technical expertise.
  • Develop and implement communication strategies to tie the global community of professionals together for knowledge sharing. 
  • Drive the community of practice
  • Provide positive and effective management and set an example to other members of the team.
  • Encourage engineers within the Site Civil Business Class to a high level of performance.
  • Manage and coordinate CPD activities for the Site Civils Business Class.
  • Provide technical management

   

• Development of tools and technical excellence

  • Implement strategy for development and maintenance of project delivery tools, standards, best practices, and workflows.
  • Partner with Digital Delivery on digital content and workflows.
  • Drive quality throughout the program, perform design quality control reviews, and lead quality initiatives, in support of a strong quality-oriented culture.
  • Assist in ensuring project teams are leveraging subject matter expertise to optimize project delivery – including providing design oversight and leading teams of experts on the most complex and challenging projects.
  • Improve technical compliance and quality production of all relevant deliverables

   

• Elevating Technical Profile

  • Foster culture of innovation and advance innovation within the practice.
  • Provide critical/strategic pursuit and interview support related to respective discipline as needed, and/or identify other qualified staff within discipline.
  • Recruit and retain the best talent.
  • Be known by our clients and competition as the best in market.

   

• Project Delivery

  • As a Site Civil Technical Director you will provide management of the Civil group. Monitoring and delivering projects with effective use of resources relative to fee with maximum profitability, maintaining technical quality, professionalism and completing all design activities to programme. Monitor and coach all staff performance within their group. Implement training, QA, Health and Safety.
  • Manage project delivery, establish client brief, technical requirements, scope of works, cost plan and agree deliverables, i.e. report, specifications and drawings scope for all projects within the structures team.
  • Agree level of service, commensurate of fee with the Civil and Structures Director, for each project. Manage fee draw down and assist Civil and Structures Director with invoicing.
  • You will engage and liaise with the regulatory bodies to ascertain requirements for approval, tailoring the reports to suit the clients wishes with the regulatory body requirements. Produce compliant, robust drainage strategy designs. Feilding queries and planning responses for existing schemes, together with new clients and opportunities. Play a leading role in the format and QA of deliverables. Coordinate the various disciplines required for successful delivery of projects. Assist the project leadership with team leadership, project management and training responsibilities.

   

• General Duties
  • Structure training and succession of the teams to enhance performance and ensure future engineering expertise in Practice. 
  • Support the UK BES management team with delivery of business group and business class growth strategy
  • Promote and lead execution of quality control activities.
  • Maintain register and carry out Technical audits on projects as required.
  • Undertake engineering activities on projects and where appropriate act as Discipline Lead or as a delegate to the Project Manager.
  • Assist the Area Business Class Lead with attracting the best candidates to HDR using industry network and assisting with interviews and selection decisions.
  • Assist the Regional Business Class Lead with ongoing control of in-house technical documents, specification and guides.

Skills & Experience  

• Masters or Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering
• Actively engaged in professional or industry associations to enhance HDR technical expertise and brand
• Should be aligned with Associates track for professional growth.  Aspirations towards Principal Professional Associate level
• Significant design experience related to large, multi-discipline, complex buildings
• History of exceptional leadership performance and performance on project delivery
• Recognised technical expert within the local, national, global industry
• Known throughout HDR, by competitors, by clients, by industry talent
• History of receiving technical industry awards, technical publishing, presenting, and/or leadership opportunities with societies and technical organisations
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organisational skills