About Fairhurst LLP – Fairhurst LLP is one of the UK’s largest private multidisciplinary partnerships of consulting engineers, delivering civil, structural, geotechnical, environmental, transportation, planning, water, and landscape architecture services across 16 principal offices in the UK. Fairhurst specialises in providing cost‑effective, sustainable engineering solutions and prides itself on high-quality service delivery, technical excellence, and long-standing client relationships.
Our team is passionate about supporting and managing how engineering projects interface with, protect, and ensure the sustainability of our water environment. We deliver successful engineering outcomes that serve the water environment including large master-planning strategies, transport infrastructure, road and highway infrastructure, renewable energy and sustainable drainage schemes for the present and the future.
Role Overview – The Senior Drainage Engineer is responsible for delivering on a broad and diverse range of drainage projects, including major infrastructure, masterplan development, and renewables/energy schemes.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Design & Technical Delivery
- Lead the drainage design and technical delivery of highway and infrastructure schemes.
- Develop drainage strategies and engineering solutions appropriate to project requirements, site constraints, risk, cost, and programme.
- Provide technical direction and guidance to engineers and technicians.
- Review and approve drainage designs, calculations, drawings, reports, specifications, and models.
- Identify technical risks, design constraints, interfaces, and opportunities at an early stage.
- Provide engineering advice to project managers, design teams, clients, and contractors.
- Take responsibility for the technical quality and compliance of drainage deliverables.
Design
- Lead the design of highway drainage systems for new-build, improvement, maintenance, and major infrastructure schemes.
- Design and assess:
- Highway gullies and drainage channels
- Carrier drains and pipe networks
- Filter drains and edge-of-pavement drainage
- Culverts and watercourse crossings
- Headwalls and outfalls
- Attenuation and storage systems
- SuDS and nature-based drainage solutions
- Pumped drainage systems where required
- Flood exceedance and overland flow routes
- Assess existing drainage networks and develop upgrade, replacement, and mitigation solutions.
- Coordinate drainage with highway geometry, earthworks, structures, utilities, geotechnical, environmental, and landscape requirements.
- Undertake and review hydraulic calculations and drainage network modelling.
- Assess network capacity, hydraulic performance, surcharge, flooding, and exceedance.
- Develop rainfall/runoff assessments and appropriate design storm events.
- Consider climate-change allowances and future drainage requirements.
- Review and interpret drainage surveys, CCTV surveys, topographical information, hydrological data, and flood-risk information.
- Undertake or oversee assessments of culverts, outfalls, watercourses, and receiving systems.
- Provide technical review of third-party hydraulic models and assessments.
Project Management
- Manage drainage work packages, including scope, programme, resources, budget, risk, and deliverables.
- Provide input to project fee estimates, programmes, resource planning, and technical proposals.
- Coordinate drainage activities across multidisciplinary project teams.
- Manage interfaces with highways, structures, geotechnical, utilities, environmental, planning, and construction teams.
- Support the Project Manager in managing technical and commercial risks.
Client & Stakeholder Engagement
- Attend meetings, workshops, and site visits (driving licence required).
- Communicate proactively with clients, consultants, contractors, and regulators.
- Represent Fairhurst professionally, clearly conveying technical information to varied audiences.
- Build strong, long‑term working relationships with partners and stakeholders.
Quality & Compliance
- Undertake technical checking and independent design reviews.
- Ensure designs are appropriately verified and compliant with project and client requirements.
- Review calculations, drawings, specifications, models, and reports produced by others.
- Maintain a high standard of technical governance and quality control.
- Support design risk assessments and ensure drainage-related risks are appropriately recorded and managed.
- Provide technical assurance during construction and respond to RFIs, design changes, and site issues.
- Apply relevant legislation, standards, specifications, and guidance relating to highways, drainage, flood risk, watercourses, and environmental management.
Leadership & Mentoring
- Mentor and support graduate, junior, and engineer-level staff.
- Provide technical guidance and undertake design reviews.
- Contribute to internal technical standards, knowledge sharing, and best practice.
- Support professional development and progression towards professional accreditation.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- Have achieved Incorporated Engineer status as defined by the Engineering Council; or be actively working towards Chartered Engineer (MICE) status and committed to achieving chartered status in the next 12-18 months.
- Strong experience in drainage, water, and infrastructure engineering across varied project types.
- High competence in Causeway Flow and/or InfoDrainage.
WHAT WE OFFER YOU
- A collaborative, partner‑led environment with access to multidisciplinary expertise.
- Career and professional development and opportunities on high‑profile projects.
- Competitive salary and benefits, aligned to experience and location.
- A culture built on responsiveness, flexibility, and sustainable, value‑adding engineering.
- Competitive salary and excellent flexible benefits package
- Contributory pension, personal health care plan and life insurance
- 33 days annual leave (inclusive of Public Holidays) including annual leave purchase and buy-back scheme
- Bonus Schemes including loyalty bonus and qualifications award
- Interest-free travel loan
You can learn more about our staff benefits here.
ETHOS
We, at Fairhurst, know that progress within the industry is all about people. That’s why we’re working together to build a better, more inclusive and diverse future for engineers and the engineering industry.
We are committed to providing a workplace that is respectful, fair and inclusive for all employees. We recognise the value of different perspectives and backgrounds, and we are committed to creating an environment where everyone can contribute and succeed.
Please submit your CV and cover letter to recruitment@fairhurst.co.uk stating the role and office you are applying to. For more information on Fairhurst please visit our website.
