Associate Technical Director Surge CFD Modelling

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Role description:

This is a career-defining opportunity for a recognised technical expert in hydraulic engineering to lead Arcadiss specialist capability in pressure surge (transient hydraulics) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and advanced hydraulic modelling across water and wastewater infrastructure in the UK and internationally.

As Associate Technical Director you will be the technical conscience of the Water business for this discipline setting standards leading complex studies building and mentoring a team of specialist engineers and positioning Arcadis as the go-to firm for clients who need rigorous innovative hydraulic engineering on their most critical assets.

Working within a major AMP8 framework delivery environment and operating within a three-tier delivery structure alongside major contractors and direct clients you will translate advanced hydraulic modelling into practical defensible engineering solutions that reduce infrastructure risk improve asset reliability and inform investment decisions at programme scale.

Role accountabilities:

Technical Authority.Act as Arcadiss named technical authority and final reviewer for pressure surge transient hydraulics and CFD studies across capital schemes framework programmes and operational risk work.

Complex Modelling.Direct and technically oversee advanced transient and CFD studies including undulating rising mains pump-station protection air entrainment multiphase flow priming/draining systems and treatment plant internal hydraulics ensuring outputs are defensible and client-ready.

Standards & Governance.Develop maintain and embed Arcadiss technical standards model assurance frameworks design guidance and QA protocols for surge and CFD ensuring consistency across projects and programmes.

Tool Expertise.Apply and champion industry-leading modelling platforms including HAMMER Wanda VariSim ANSYS Fluent OpenFOAM and related hydraulic analysis tools such as HADES; evaluate and introduce new tools where these advance our capability.

Innovation & Digital.Drive the integration of data-driven methods AI/ML applications digital twin approaches and automated workflows into hydraulic modelling practice positioning Arcadis ahead of sector development in this discipline.

Multidisciplinary Integration.Provide cross-functional technical leadership to water quality process civil and design teams to improve whole-system outcomes and reduce risk across complex multi-disciplinary programmes.

Client Relationships.Build and maintain trusted technical relationships with major UK water utilities (e.g. Thames Water Anglian Water Severn Trent Southern Water United Utilities) and contractors acting as a recognised technical partner rather than a transactional supplier.

Business Development.Identify pursue and win new work support bid preparation write technical sections of proposals attend client presentations and develop the pipeline for surge CFD and hydraulics services within Arcadiss Water Management business.

Framework Delivery.Lead technical delivery within AMP8 framework programmes managing Arcadiss obligations and quality standards within complex multi-party delivery structures.

Commercial Accountability.Manage project finances including fee negotiation earned value tracking cost control and variation management to deliver studies profitably and to schedule.

Thought Leadership.Represent Arcadis at industry conferences (ICE CIWEM IMechE Pipeline Industries Guild) contribute to publications and build external profile for the firms hydraulic engineering brand.

Team Building.Recruit develop and lead a high-performing team of hydraulic modelling specialists from graduate to principal level growing Arcadiss in-house surge CFD and hydraulics capability in a sustainable and structured way.

Mentoring.Provide hands-on technical mentoring structured development support and professional review guidance to engineers working towards chartered status (CEng/CIWEM/IMechE).

Knowledge Sharing.Lead recurring technical forums deliver internal training sessions and support cross-business knowledge exchange to embed hydraulic expertise across Arcadis Water Management.

Academic & Industry Engagement.Maintain and develop academic links and industry body relationships to attract talent and keep Arcadis connected to the frontier of hydraulic engineering practice.

Qualifications & Experience:

Minimum 12 years of progressive hydraulic engineering experience with substantive specialisation in pressure surge/transient analysis and/or Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applied to water and wastewater infrastructure.

Chartered Engineer (CEng) status with full membership or fellowship of a relevant professional body CIWEM (FCIWEM/MCIWEM) IMechE ICE or equivalent.

Demonstrated technical authority in transient hydraulic modelling including surge assessment pump-station protection design (surge vessels air valves variable speed drives) and rising main risk analysis using tools such as HAMMER Wanda VariSim or equivalent.

Proven CFD modelling capability using ANSYS Fluent OpenFOAM or comparable platforms applied to water and wastewater treatment plant hydraulics reservoir mixing disinfection contact time or related applications.

Track record of providing technical governance authoring assurance frameworks model QA standards and design guidance that improve consistency and quality across programmes.

Demonstrable experience leading mentoring and developing specialist engineering teams with evidence of growing individual and organisational hydraulic capability.

Experience working with major UK water utilities and a solid understanding of the AMP regulatory framework capital delivery structures and client procurement environments.

Strong commercial acumen experience managing project fees supporting bids and framework submissions and sustaining profitable client relationships.

Experience applying AI Machine Learning or data-driven analytical techniques to hydraulic engineering problems (e.g. hybrid CFDML modelling anomaly detection in pressure monitoring data automated calibration).

Published author of technical journal articles design guides or industry reports in pressure surge CFD or advanced hydraulic modelling.

Conference presenter or guest lecturer at university level demonstrating recognised authority in the field.

Experience with digital twin development for water infrastructure integrating live telemetry SCADA data and hydraulic models into operational decision-support systems.

Familiarity with high-frequency pressure monitoring methodology and its integration into transient model calibration and asset management planning.

Experience working in a sub-consultant or framework delivery environment navigating three-tier contractual structures.

IAM Certificate in Asset Management or equivalent qualification in infrastructure asset management.

Why Arcadis

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyones contribution matters. Its why we are pioneering a skills-based approach where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

Youll do meaningful work and no matter what role youll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark on your career your colleagues your clients your life and the world around you.

Together we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality Diversity Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age Disability Faith Gender LGBT and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.

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