Civils Design Consultant

NES Fircroft continue to support their long term HV Cabling client in the UK. We are partnered to find a Lead Contractor Design Approval Engineer. Responsible for reviews and accepts/rejects design deliverables coming from designers, subcontractors, and suppliers before the work is built.

In that environment, “Lead Contractor Design Approval Engineer” is best understood as the Principal Contractor’s Technical Assurance / Design Acceptance lead: the person who runs the contractor-side “acceptance for construction (AFC/IFC)” gates and makes sure what arrives on site is buildable, coordinated, safe-to-construct, and compliant with the Employer’s/Network standards.

Core purpose                                      
To ensure anything the contractor is about to build has a controlled, coordinated, compliant design package and that design changes don’t quietly create safety, programme, cost, or interface failures.
Typical responsibilities (what “design approval” means in practice)
1) Design submittal review + acceptance workflow

• Runs the contractor’s Technical Submittal / Design Submittal process.
• Checks submissions for:
  • Contract requirements / Employer’s Requirements / Scope
  • Applicable standards/specs (client, DNO/TSO, highways, rail, etc.)
  • Completeness (drawings, calcs, specs, method constraints)
  • Design Intent Document

2) Buildability + construction methodology alignment

• Ensures the design is constructible with the intended plant, access, sequencing, tolerances, and temporary works.
• Flags “paper design” issues that will fail on site.

3) Interface management and coordination

• Detects and manages clashes and gaps between packages/contractor (civil/structural/M&E/controls/earthing/comms/etc.).
• Maintains design interface registers and design responsibility boundaries.

4) Design risk and CDM alignment (contractor-side)

• Verifies that designers have addressed design risk and residual risks are:
  • Identified clearly
  • Communicated to construction
  • Reflected in RAMS / temporary works / sequencing
• Ensures the contractor’s team actually sees and controls residual hazards.

6) Quality and compliance gates

• Ensures installation is backed by:
  • Approved drawings / IFC packs
  • Inspection & Test Plans (ITPs)
  • Hold points / witness points
  • Materials approval where relevant

Competence profile

• Solid engineering base (civils/structural/E&P/mech depending on sector)
• Understanding of contractor delivery constraints + temporary works interaction
• Strong experience in HV and civils design (cabling is desirable) 
• Strong document control + governance discipline (version control, traceability)
• Ability to challenge designers and subcontractors without “owning” their design

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.