Chief Engineer

Overview

Role: Chief Engineer

Location: Harwell, London, Bristol, Manchester Glasgow, Flexible/Hybrid

Salary range: £65,000 - £75,000

Role ID: 2022-1553

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world

Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.

Energy & Environment, one of Ricardo plc’s five operating business units, is a leader in sustainability consultancy, solving complex environmental challenges through industry-leading analysis, advice and data. With more than 40 years of heritage in addressing air quality, environmental and sustainability issues, our customers value us for our deep understanding and breadth of services covering the entire value chain from evidence, policy & strategy to implementation.

We are currently looking for a Chief Engineer to join our Sustainable Infrastructure & Operations (SI&O) team.

We require an outstanding and experienced individual to lead and drive the engineering function within the SI&O business area.  The Chief Engineer will have full responsibility for design oversight and engineering services during an exciting period of opportunity and growth following a successful expansion of projects both in the UK and internationally and will be focused on renewable energy generation and heat decarbonisation.

As the Chief Engineer the primary purpose of this post is to assist the wider business area to achieve the objectives of the Company with respect to project implementation support to both internal and external clients. This function ensures maximum technical and commercial due diligence is maintained.
This role will play a critical part in the successful delivery of technical support services to several infrastructure projects. The ideal candidate will have strong technical credentials with the ability to lead, inspire and develop colleagues and team members, whilst promoting the Ricardo brand as a center of technical excellence.
The successful candidate will be involved in work that makes the most of their expertise and experience, including due diligence and feasibility projects, concept designs, expert witness support, market and technology reviews, client procurement advising, system performance validation, and general consultancy services for private and public sector clients (both in the UK and internationally).

Key Responsibilities

• Oversight of all technical, design and deliverability of energy infrastructure projects
• Provide technical advice from concept through to commissioning/validation stages of a project
• Develop a team and culture that delivers best in class technical engineering support services
• Provide quality assurance on proposals, reports, and project deliverables
• Actively engage in developing complex technical projects
• Conduct design reviews and oversee the design and quality assurance systems
• Ensure cross discipline collaboration with other internal and external engineers
• Lead on technical and engineering queries from clients and internal stakeholders

Key competencies and experience

• Overseeing of complete lifecycle engineering support and of complex infrastructure projects, such as solar PV, CHP and hydrogen related projects
• Leading and developing of engineering support functions
• Support the commercial teams with reviewing any changes to contract and valuations of the work
• Leading design team meetings and being point of contact for design related enquires
• Ensure quality assurance and compliance with internal processes, external standards. Building regulations, British standards and other statutory requirements
• Developing and reviewing schematics, load calculations and proposing solutions
• Reviewing budget quotes, cost plans and estimating outputs
• Supporting Site Management and H&S Teams on method statements and safe systems
• Attending bid reviews and other project team meetings and offering technical advice
• Coordination and liaison with external technical support agencies and supply chain partners
• Understanding and experience of delivering multi-stage design work within the bounds of defined contracts, specifications, and timescales

Skills and behaviours**:**

Essential

• Experience with CHP, Smart Grids, Electrolysis, EfW, Solar PV, EV charging or Heat Pumps
• Clearly demonstrable leadership skills with an ability to positively engage colleagues and teams
• Substantial experience within engineering delivery for energy infrastructure projects
• Excellent project management understanding and delivery within recognisable systems such as AutoCAD, PVSol/PVSyst, EnergyPro, Microsoft Project
• Broad experience in the design, installation, and commissioning of complex systems
• Experience of coaching, training and mentoring staff
• Evidence of continuing professional development and an ongoing commitment to undertake training
• Possess good written and oral communication skills
• Experience in the planning, organising and control of subcontractors, be able to provide services to agreed standards, time scales and budgets

Highly Desirable (but not essential)

• Relevant degree or City & Guilds qualifications
• Professional membership within relevant field
• Experience of working to quality systems, ISO 9001, MCS, CHAS and/or Safecontractor

This is a fast-paced and challenging environment offering you the opportunity to make your mark. You will have support from the wider business for your career to develop into a wide range of future opportunities within Ricardo Energy & Environment.

In return for your commitment, drive and enthusiasm, we offer an attractive benefits package, a personal development plan, and the opportunity to make a difference in a challenging and rewarding field.  Ricardo Energy & Environment is an equal opportunities employer.

Working here

Ricardo is an exciting and rewarding place to work and you have the opportunity to make a difference. You will work with teams of talented, dedicated, and supportive individuals. Alongside having a fantastic opportunity to develop your career with us through our broad range of projects, mentoring opportunities and a personalised approach to your learning and development. We are always keen to hear from people who have driven, ambition and a flair for innovative thinking.

Wellbeing and work life balance

We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that's working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential. Our People are important to us, and we take pride in our wellbeing programmes and policies that support individuals including flexible working, carers policy, mental health first aiders and readily available support through our extensive Employee Assistance programme.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.

Benefits

Our core benefits include 25 days' annual leave, plus 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement. We also offer a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.