Principal Highways Engineer/Lead Designers' Site Representative

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Lead Designer's Site Representative (DSR) to provide technical and coordination support to the contractor during the construction phase of the M60 Simister Island project. The role ensures that design intent is maintained, technical queries are managed efficiently, temporary and permanent works interfaces are coordinated, and construction complies with statutory, contractual, and safety obligations.

The DSR acts as the key liaison between the lead designer, contractor, site team, and client during delivery. The role requires strong experience in highways infrastructure, expertise in liaising with multiple stakeholders, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, and problem‑solving on‑site issues related to design and construction.

Once the DSR role is complete, it is envisaged that you would carry out a lead role on design projects, being the main representative to the client for the Costain Engineering Limited’s (CEL) highways team, working with them to understand and deliver work packages, and coordinating and managing teams to deliver to quality, programme and budget requirements.

You will be based full time on the M60 Simister Island project for its duration. Following completion of that project you will be based in CEL’s Manchester office where hybrid working is offered.

Key Responsibilities

• Design Support During Construction
  • Provide clarification of design intent to site teams.
  • Coordinate Technical Queries and Requests for Information within agreed timescales.
  • Review and comment on contractor proposals, value engineering submissions, and alternative design solutions.
  • Review and respond to material acceptance requests for permanent works.
  • Support Early Warning and Compensation Event assessments.
  • Produce and update design related PCF Products as necessary to support Stage Gate Assessment Reviews.
• Interface & Team Management
  • Act as the primary on‑site representative of the design team, overseeing a team of DSRs.
  • Attend site meetings, progress reviews and technical workshops.
  • Coordinate
    • Permanent works designers
    • Temporary works designers
    • Utilities providers
    • Earthworks, drainage, pavement, structures and other highways disciplines/teams/subcontractors
  • Ensure designs comply with
    • DMRB (Design Manual for Roads and Bridges)
    • CDM Regulations 2015
    • Relevant Eurocodes and British Standards
    • Client technical approval in principle requirements
  • Assist in maintaining the Design Risk Register and Hazard Elimination Records.
  • Support compliance with technical approval processes.
• Compliance & Governance
• Change Control
  • Identify and assess the impact of design changes on scope and compliance to standards.
  • Support design change management procedures in line with NEC or other contract requirements, including maintaining records.
  • Provide technical input to programme and cost impact assessments.
• Stakeholder & Client Liaison
  • Act as a point of contact for client technical representatives.
  • Support Technical Approval Authority (TAA) submissions and responses.
  • Provide reports on design performance and emerging risks.
  • Support production of as‑built documentation, ensuring approved design changes are captured.
  • Support audits of design deliverables and site compliance.
  • Assist in preparation of Health & Safety File and other handover requirements.
• Quality Assurance
  • Support production of as‑built documentation, ensuring approved design changes are captured.
  • Support audits of design deliverables and site compliance.
  • Assist in preparation of Health & Safety File and other handover requirements.

Qualifications

• Essential
  • Degree in Civil Engineering or related discipline.
  • Experience on UK highways projects (major schemes preferred).
  • Knowledge of DMRB and CDM 2015.
  • Experience operating under NEC4 contracts.
  • Proven understanding of
    • Drainage
    • Earthworks
    • Pavements
    • Highway structures
  • Ability to interpret drawings and specifications confidently.
• Desirable
  • Chartered (ICE or equivalent).
  • Experience with National Highways schemes.
  • Temporary works coordination experience.
  • Use of BIM / Common Data Environment platforms (e.g., ProjectWise, BIM360).

About Us

Costain helps to improve people's lives with integrated, leading edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK's energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK's leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue‑chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. We offer our clients leading‑edge solutions that are digitally optimised through the following five services which cover the whole lifecycle of their assets: future‑shaping strategic consultancy; consultancy and advisory; digital technology solutions; asset optimisation and complex programme delivery. Our culture and values underpin everything we do.

Costain appreciate the time and effort taken when applying for one of our positions but, due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to provide individual feedback on candidates at application phase. We do share individual feedback following an interview.

A disability‑confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that discloses they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high‑volume, seasonal and high‑peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non‑disabled people. For more details please go to the Disability Confident website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign

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