Technical Director – Clean Water Process Engineering

Role Overview

• Provide Technical Leadership within discipline for the national D&AT practice.
• Influence D&AT Practice wide initiatives and recommend best practices to improve internal process and services.
• Serve as a recognised expert and technical authority in Clean Water Process Engineering across the D&AT Practice and wider AtkinsRéalis business.
• Provide visible representation of your and AtkinsRéalis’ Clean Water Process Engineering technical expertise to our current and prospective clients.
• Collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, including internal and external clients, operational staff, project teams, or external stakeholders.
• Recommend and drive improvements to processes, services, and technical practices while ensuring robust engineering governance is consistently upheld.
• Oversee technical input into bid proposals, defining the delivery strategy and working with cross‑functional teams to prepare high‑quality, compliant, competitive submissions.
• Proactively identify opportunities for cross‑selling and business growth, using commercial insight to strengthen and expand client relationships and selling our value proposition to clients.
• Grow, develop, and manage the Clean Water Process engineering capability within the national practice, supporting talent development and succession planning.
• Anticipate emerging business, regulatory, and technology challenges, identifying risks and opportunities early and advising senior leadership.
• Provide strategic oversight across multiple complex, multidisciplinary projects, ensuring technical excellence, safe delivery, and alignment with client and practice objectives.
• Work independently even in the most challenging situations.
• Act as the point of escalation for the most complex technical matters and exercise personal judgement to find solutions.

Requirements

• A degree in Chemical Engineering or equivalent (e.g. Environmental, Water Engineering, etc.)
• Chartered Engineer (preferably IChemE or CIWEM)
• Extensive experience in progressively senior technical roles, including significant leadership of complex, high‑risk, cross‑disciplinary projects and programmes
• Nationally or international recognised subject matter expertise in clean water treatment process and principles – conventional and advanced treatment technologies
• Drinking water expertise would be essential.
• Experience in the UK Water market is essential.
• Expert knowledge of current design codes and standards as well as industry best practices including, including CDM Regulations
• Extensive experience of design and delivery of projects with adherence to UK safety and environmental regulations, process safety techniques (e.g. HAZOP), knowledge of capital and operational costs
• and risk assessments, as well as whole life carbon assessments
• Commercially astute, with experience shaping winning proposals and driving practice and business growth.
• Champion continuous improvement, driving enhancements to processes, services, technical standards, and innovation across the practice.
• Demonstrates strong communication skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas with clarity, anticipating challenges and persuading senior stakeholders to adopt new perspectives, and navigate diverse, international and cross-cultural delivery.
• Demonstrable comprehensive knowledge in leading treatment process design and integrating elements as part of an existing or new treatment process with experience across all design phases, including construction.
• Experienced in identifying and promoting innovative solutions, challenges the status quo.
• A proactive, highly motivated mindset with a collaborative approach to drive teamwork and shared success across projects and the wider AtkinsRéalis D&AT practice.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries
• Employee rewards
• Hybrid working culture
• Flexible holiday allowances
• Professional development opportunities