Associate - Civil & Structural Lead (Bristol)

Associate - Civil & Structural Lead (Bristol)

Associate - Civil & Structural Lead | Bristol

Join our Design Buildings business and play a key role in establishing and growing our Civil & Structural Engineering capability in Bristol. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced civil or structural engineer to help shape and develop our regional Civil & Structural Engineering presence, influencing market focus, client relationships, recruitment priorities, technical capability and working culture.

Purpose & Scope of the Role

As an Associate - Civil & Structural Lead, you will establish and grow the Bristol Civil & Structural Engineering capability within our Design Buildings business while leading the successful delivery of civil and structural building commissions.

The role combines senior technical and project leadership with client development, work winning, commercial management, recruitment and team development responsibilities. Initially, workload will be sourced from the wider Design Buildings portfolio, providing a stable delivery base while supporting the growth of the Bristol team. Working closely with colleagues across Newark, Birmingham and London, you will help develop a sustainable regional presence and progressively build a team-generated workload and client base across Bristol and the South West.

Projects may include commercial, industrial and logistics, education, data centres and other mission-critical facilities.

Your Impact in this Position

In the short term, you will focus on establishing a visible and credible Buildings Civil & Structural Engineering presence in Bristol, delivering projects from the wider Design Buildings portfolio and developing strong relationships with clients and internal stakeholders.

Over time, you will build and lead a high-performing regional team, develop a sustainable opportunity pipeline across Bristol and the South West, and contribute to the continued growth of the Design Buildings business. Success will be measured through safe, technically robust and commercially successful project delivery, alongside creating a sustainable and well-regarded Bristol Civil & Structural Engineering team.

Core Capabilities Required for Success

Technical Leadership & Civil & Structural Engineering Delivery

You will provide technical leadership across civil and structural engineering design and assessment projects, acting as an experienced project or discipline lead. You will ensure appropriate technical assurance, checking, review and approval arrangements are applied, while promoting practical, coordinated and buildable engineering solutions that balance technical performance, commercial considerations, programme requirements and risk.

Project, Commercial & Technical Leadership

You will take ownership of project delivery, ensuring outputs are delivered to agreed scope, programme and quality requirements. You will monitor financial performance, manage resources and workload, and identify emerging risks, scope changes and opportunities while maintaining strong project governance and quality assurance.

Client Development, Work Winning & Multidisciplinary Leadership

You will develop strong relationships with clients, architects, developers, contractors, project managers and multidisciplinary teams. You will identify opportunities, contribute to work winning activities and lead the coordination of project teams while communicating technical and commercial information clearly to a range of stakeholders.

Team Building, Recruitment, Mentoring & Culture

As the senior Civil & Structural Engineering lead in Bristol, you will play a central role in building the team in a controlled, workload-led manner. Working alongside the wider leadership and talent acquisition teams, you will support recruitment, onboarding, mentoring and professional development while fostering a positive, accountable and inclusive team culture.

Commercial Growth & Business Leadership

You will contribute to the development of the Bristol and Southwest business through client engagement, business development and strategic growth activities. You will support the preparation of scopes, fee proposals, resource forecasts and bid submissions while helping to grow the regional profile of the team through industry networks, professional institutions and client relationships.

Qualifications & Experience

You will hold a degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering or a related discipline and will have experience within an engineering consultancy, contractor, developer or comparable technical environment.

You will have a strong track record of leading civil and/or structural engineering project delivery, managing client relationships, overseeing technical assurance and design risk, contributing to business development and work winning activities, and managing project fees, programmes and resources.

Chartered Engineer status through ICE or IStructE is preferred, although candidates working towards chartership with a clear commitment to achieving it will also be considered.

Experience of working across commercial, industrial, logistics, education, healthcare, infrastructure, mixed-use or mission-critical developments would be beneficial. Experience of data centres, multidisciplinary project delivery, BIM and mentoring engineers would also be advantageous.

Working Environment

Based in Bristol, this role operates within a hybrid working model, with an expectation of approximately two to three days per week in the office or attending client, project, business development and site meetings.

As the first senior appointment within the Bristol Design Buildings team, you will provide a visible leadership presence during the establishment and growth of the operation, working closely with colleagues across the wider Design Buildings business. Flexible working arrangements may be considered where compatible with the leadership, client and project requirements of the role.

Why join Tetra Tech?

Tetra Tech is a leading provider of consulting and engineering services working across the full project lifecycle worldwide. We have a wide range of expertise across our teams, providing a global support network with a personalised approach to client relationships to better understand where we can add value. We provide a collaborative environment that supports individual performance, innovation, and creativity.

We support public and private sector clients on local, national, and international projects to deliver sustainable and resilient solutions. Our operations in the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands include more than 6,000 employees who are Leading with Science® to solve our clients’ most complex problems.

In alignment with the Equality Act 2010, we will make reasonable adjustments to support candidates and employees requiring additional arrangements. This could include adaptations to work schedules, training approaches, or the physical workspace. Please inform us if you need any accommodations during the recruitment process or in your day-to-day role.

Recruitment Agencies

We have a Preferred Supplier List of trusted partners to assist us when required and do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions from agencies not on this list and any submitted will be taken as a gift. Please refer to the careers page on our website if you require any further information.