JOB DESCRIPTION: Principal Engineer

JOB PURPOSE:
The Principal Engineer will lead the engineering design on projects.
Working closely with an Associate, the Principal Engineer will contribute to the operational delivery of
projects, the management of client relationships and the management of a team, developing their own
skills in these areas with a view to taking on a fuller managerial role in due course.

CUNDALL LOCATIONS AND SERVICES:

Cundall is a multi-disciplinary consultancy, offering a wide variety of engineering and sustainability services,
together with complementary specialisms, from locations across the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle
East and North Africa. More details of our locations, projects and services can be found on our website.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Reporting to Possible Direct Reports Other Key Relationships

Partner / Engineers (Graduate to Engineers of other disciplines

Associate Principal)

Technicians Specialist consultants (eg Acoustics, Fire,

Lighting)

Internal support functions (eg HR, Finance, IT,

Marketing, Legal)

External clients

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE IN THIS JOB?

• Technically sound work consistently designed and delivered, to client-brief
• Evidence of the development of managerial skills (including people management, financial and
commercial management, marketing and business development and project management)

DECISION MAKING AUTHORITY:

1. Lead role in relation to the technical delivery of projects, and provision of technical supervision,
guidance and coaching to less experienced staff.
2. Checking and/or verifying the work of less experienced staff, in accordance with Operational
Procedures.
3. Recognised point of contact for clients on projects, acting as second-in-command to the PM.
4. Under the guidance of a more experienced manager, significant contribution to the financial
management of projects, including the provision of information for “month-end completions”,
invoicing and debt management activities.
5. Some contribution to people management activities including recruitment and selection and
performance appraisal. May have line management responsibility for a small number of staff.

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage engineering designs in line with client brief and/or other project requirements
• Review and provide feedback on designs produced by more junior staff
• Monitor resourcing requirements for projects and provide feedback to Associates / Partners

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 • Under the guidance of a more experienced manager, contribute to the day-to-day management
and control of projects (including commercial and financial management, project management,
and compliance with QA, environmental and health and safety procedures)
• Provide training and coaching to more junior staff, including acting as a mentor to support those
pursuing membership of professional institutions
• Attend internal and/or external marketing and business development events as appropriate
• Contribute to the preparation of submissions and fee bids
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients
• Contribute to Practice-wide technical initiatives (such as the development of technical standards,
software development, knowledge sharing etc)

CUNDALL VALUES
Our Values summarise our response to the question "What makes us Cundall?". They lie at the heart of
what we do, and inform how we work with and treat each other, our clients, our communities and others
who our work touches. In addition to performing the duties and responsibilities of their role, and displaying
the competencies required for that role, we hope and expect that our people will share our values, and
that these values will inform the way in which they approach their work and deal with colleagues and
clients

WE ARE CREATIVE We think differently. We go beyond what our clients expect, and design
solutions that they love. We don’t just deliver the brief; we question
whether the brief should be better. We look beyond the current job and
we evolve to face the future. We invest our time, effort and talent in
research and development because we want to; we know that this
benefits our own business, the wider industry and society

WE COLLABORATE We want our teams to be amazing. We talk to each other – on the

phone or face-to-face. We help each other out. We share our
knowledge and expertise. We provide honest feedback on work that
others have done for us, and we accept feedback on work that we have
done. We build and maintain great relationships with our colleagues
throughout the business, our industry peers and our clients. We have
fun, and we genuinely enjoy working together

WE STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE
We make all our projects outstanding. We push ourselves to do better
on every project that we deliver. We review our successes and our
failures, and we learn from them. We work hard to ensure that our
systems and processes are as good as they can be, and then we follow
them. We commit to continuous self-improvement, through training
and knowledge-sharing. We teach others what we know, and we learn
from others.

WE BEHAVE WITH INTEGRITY
We operate within a strong moral code. We stick to our promises and
give our best at all times, to our colleagues and our clients. We meet
our deadlines, and we turn up on time. We say what we mean, and we
mean what we say, even if this means having the difficult
conversations. We are honest with ourselves and each other. We
consider others’ priorities, and we do our best to help them. We are
courteous, and we are kind. We care about each ot her, and this shows
in our words and in our actions.

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HOW YOU WORK – CORE COMPETENCIES:
Cundall's competency framework sets out the key competencies that are needed to perform each role in
the business successfully.
The following competencies are considered critical to success in this role:
• Working with People
• Delivering Results and Meeting Customer Expectations
• Presenting and Communicating Information
• Applying Expertise and Technology
• Achieving Personal Work Goals and Objectives
• Adhering to Principles and Values
Please make sure you fully understand the specific behaviours that underpin each of the above
competencies, by reviewing the associated competency document.

QUALIFICATION, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:

Qualifications Knowledge / Experience

Engineering qualification at Bachelor’s degree Proven technical competence and experience

level or higher in a relevant discipline

Some experience of representing a business or

team at internal and external meetings

Proven ability to work effectively as part of a

team, and to lead and motivate others

Proven ability to plan and programme own work

and that of others

Demonstrable ability to delegate to others, and to

provide appropriate and timely feedback

Evidence of progress towards achieving

recognition as a Chartered professional

EQUALITY STATEMENT
Equality and diversity is at the core of our values and staff are expected to work collectively and individually
to promote a constructive and sensitive approach to others from a variety of backgrounds, where the work
of others is valued and respected.

JOB DESCRIPTION PURPOSE

Cundall’s job descriptions are intended to provide a non-exhaustive summary of what jobs at particular
grades might look like, and to set out consistent expectations across the business in terms of the behaviours
and competencies expected. They also provide a framework for discussion around personal development
and career progression (for instance, at an employee’s annual Professional Development Discussion).