Principal Structural Engineer

Your opportunity

We are seeking an experienced and client‑focused Principal Structural Engineer to join our team in the Leeds office. You will lead projects, strengthen client relationships, and guide the growth of our structural engineering team. This senior role combines technical ability with leadership responsibility, performing a project leading role, financial and resource management, design oversight, and business development. You will work across a diverse portfolio that includes residential, healthcare, education-and play a pivotal role in the success and reputation of the team.

Key Responsibilities

Client Relationship Management & Business Development

• Act as a primary point of contact for key clients, ensuring strong, trusted, and long‑lasting relationships.
• Develop and maintain existing client accounts while identifying and pursuing new opportunities to support business growth.
• Lead client engagement activities including bid preparation, proposal writing, fee proposals, and fee negotiations.
• Represent the business at external meetings with clients, local authorities, and other stakeholders.

Project Leadership & Delivery

• Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary design teams, ensuring projects are delivered to time, quality, and financial targets.
• Undertake and oversee structural investigations, surveys, defect diagnosis, and the preparation of technical reports and remedial strategies.
• Oversee the production of structural calculations (Eurocodes), drawings, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Monitor construction sites, respond to technical queries, and ensure design intent and compliance are maintained.
• Manage project profitability through planning, forecasting, cost control, invoicing, and scope management.

Leadership, Mentoring & Team Development

• Provide mentoring, supervision, and daily support to junior and mid‑level engineers-shaping their capability and professional growth.
• Carry out technical reviews to safeguard the quality, consistency, and safety of our engineering outputs.
• Lead by example-driving technical excellence, promoting innovation, and supporting team members in delivering high‑quality work.
• Build and coordinate internal and external resource teams as required to deliver complex projects.

Technical Expertise

• Deliver technical oversight across structural materials including steel, concrete, timber, and masonry.
• Apply robust engineering practices to assess building suitability for alterations, refurbishment, change‑of‑use, and new‑build design.
• Provide clear, actionable advice on structural defects, remediation options, and risks.

Skills & Experience

• Extensive structural design and investigation experience across core materials and UK building forms.
• Proven track record in project leadership and client management.
• Excellent communication skills-written, verbal, and interpersonal.
• Chartered or near chartership status (MIStructE or MICE) is preferred.
• Proficiency with structural design software (SCIA, Tekla, TEDDS, or similar).
• UK driving licence.

Personal Attributes

• Proactive, self‑motivated, and committed to delivering excellence.
• Strong people‑management skills; able to coach, inspire, and upskill others.
• Confident, personable, and capable of building rapport with diverse stakeholders.
• Able to manage risk, anticipate challenges, and deliver innovative solutions.

Why This Role Matters

As Principal Structural Engineer, you shape the technical direction, commercial success, and cultural development of the team. You will influence high‑profile projects, ensure the delivery of outstanding engineering, and cultivate a strong, collaborative, and growth‑oriented team environment.

About us

We are Ridge, a Built Environment Consultancy. We help our clients transform the quality and sustainability of the built environment.

Our 1,400+ people bring a vast range of skills, delivering a professional mindset, gritty discipline and a genuine passion to every one of the thousands of projects they undertake each year. They're the foundation of our success - they drive our vision, embody our values and separate us from the competition.

Come and join us if you're hungry to be part of an exceptional team - if you put quality first - if you're motivated by ingenuity and if you're always aspiring to be the very best.