Principal Structural Engineer/Sector Head
Venterra is a global wind energy services company, engineering, building and supporting major wind and renewables projects around the world. Our clear purpose: accelerate the global energy transition by becoming the go-to services provider and strategic partner for the rapidly expanding wind industry.
These services cover the entire project lifecycle, including:
* Geoscience consultancy
* Design services
* Survey capabilities
By acquiring and bringing together leading offshore engineering and marine science companies like Gavin & Doherty Geosolutions, CAPE Holland, INSPIRE Environmental, Partrac and Ordtek, we provide the most comprehensive services and expertise in the market. And we're not done growing yet, which means there are plenty of exciting career opportunities on offer for our team.
At Venterra, sustainability, safety, and quality are prioritised in everything we do, reducing project risk, time, and cost for our clients.
About GDG:
GDG is part of Venterra, a global wind energy services company, engineering, building and supporting major wind and renewables projects around the world. Our clear purpose: accelerate the global energy transition by becoming the go-to services provider and strategic partner for the rapidly expanding wind industry.
Offering advice, consultancy support and engineering expertise, our team of specialist engineering consultants is focused on developing the most sustainable design solutions for our clients.
With a foundation in geoscience and geotechnical engineering, our expertise has grown to include foundation design, cable engineering and general civil infrastructure design, as well as environmental science and emerging energy technologies.
We are committed to supporting projects that contribute to the global sustainability agenda, such as enhancing infrastructure for climate change resilience, supporting offshore wind developments, engineering onshore wind infrastructure and assessing the carbon footprints of conventional civil schemes.
At GDG, we thrive on engineering innovation, and our team of industry experts constantly push boundaries to define a new state‑of‑the‑art.
Our Onshore Earthworks and Structures Sector:
GDG is committed to providing flexible and bespoke approaches to clients, delivering robust and concise information, placing outcomes in context with practicable solutions, tailored to suit any project.
The team consists of highly qualified engineers from a broad spectrum of engineering and science backgrounds. We work in an integrated fashion to deliver efficient investigations and design solutions.
Our team of geotechnical and structural engineers provides advice to a wide range of projects including foundation, temporary works, earthworks, soil stabilisation design across the Energy and wider infrastructure sectors. Our range of clients includes ports and harbours operators, fellow consultants, as well as marine and civil engineering contractors.
Role Description:
An experienced structural engineer is required to take a leading role within the Onshore engineering team operating between the GDG offices, and work with an established department of engineers on a range of civil and ground design projects across the UK & Ireland. You will lead and manage a team of civil engineers to grow and expand our infrastructure design offering. We are looking for a dynamic individual who can seek new business by developing and managing client relationships, provide technical oversight to projects, and manage teams.
Varying degrees of experience will be considered, however, candidates would typically have a master’s degree in a relevant subject and possess approximately ten years’ relevant experience in geotechnical design. Candidates should hold a full UK or Ireland driving licence, have excellent skills communicating with colleagues and clients (both written and verbal), and have some experience as a line manager.
Key Responsibilities:
* Define, maintain and continually improve design standards, processes, and QA systems across the Onshore sector.
* Act as Technical Authority – final approver for structural design packages.
* Coordinate designers to deliver pragmatic, buildable geotechnical/structural solutions, ensuring alignment with contractor sequencing, temporary works strategies and procurement approaches.
* Provide high‑level technical guidance to internal teams and external clients, while delegating routine tasks and simple elemental designs (e.g. pad foundations, crane pads, drainage trenches) to appropriate team members.
* Build and mentor a high‑performing delivery team; oversee technical staff development, chartership support, and competency development.
Client interface & assurance:
* Act as an expert contact for key clients – supporting tenders, project managers and design managers with authoritative input.
* Oversee the preparation of geotechnical deliverables for tenders and projects; ensure outputs both comply with specified requirements and are tailored to Contractor’s requirements for buildability, programme certainty and design efficiency.
Technical Responsibilities:
* Lead structural input to bids/tenders: design assumptions, risk registers, and value‑engineering options.
* Discern ground and construction risks and champion appropriate solutions.
* Advise on temporary works strategies.
* Specify construction techniques tailored to the Contractor’s requirements and programme pressures.
* Ensure risks and uncertainties are explicitly communicated both internally and externally as appropriate.
* Support designers/checkers for shallow and deep foundation projects including slabs, WTG foundations, piling, embedded retaining walls and ground improvements.
* Oversee delivery of general Geotechnical and Geo‑Structural analysis work that also includes reinforced soil slopes, mass gravity walls and shallow foundation design (ground movement assessments and settlement analysis).
* Lead rapid, pragmatic responses during live construction aiding in elements such as NCR resolution, earthworks/materials approvals, and coordination of others in temporary design works.
Strategic Role in Business Development:
* Contribute to work winning through leadership, bid support, and clear articulation of ground risk/opportunity to contractor clients.
* Grow pipeline of work with existing customers and shape long‑term contractor partnerships.
* Provide high‑level input to project budgets, programmes, and resourcing, ensuring contributions are robust and realistic.
Key Skills & Experience:
* 10 – 15+ years’ experience in civil engineering, with a substantial track record of leading teams on contractor‑led delivery projects in onshore energy/civils infrastructure.
* Proven ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and multiple concurrent projects.
* Deep knowledge of Eurocode 7, UK or Irish National Annex (deep knowledge of both is desirable but not essential), and utility/contractor specifications; experience in risk and constructability management.
* Strong leadership and team management skills.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
* Commercial awareness and experience in project delivery.
* Prior experience at Technical Director or equivalent level, with accountability for technical governance.
* Experience working in Contractor Design Environment.
* Experience working under NEC contracts and contractor change/variation processes.
Education & Qualifications:
* Hold a University Degree in Civil Engineering.
* Chartered Engineer (CEng) or equivalent. RoGEP Specialist/Advisor desirable but not essential.
At Venterra:
At Venterra, we are committed to inclusion and diversity in everything we do. We take inclusion and diversity seriously. We know that getting this right is critical for us to live our organisation’s values. We are always trying to improve our way of working to be more inclusive and equal. We are an equal‑opportunity employer. Our vision is for Venterra to be a place where people of all ethnicities feel welcomed to work.
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Seniority Level
* Mid‑Senior level
Employment Type
* Full‑time
Industries
* Services for Renewable Energy
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