Senior Associate Director - Instrumentation, Control & Automation (ICA)

Job description

Senior Associate Director - Instrumentation, Control & Automation (ICA) The water sector is evolving rapidly, and the decisions we make today will help safeguard resources, protect communities, and build resilience for generations to come. As a Senior Associate Director - Instrumentation, Control & Automation (ICA), you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of critical water and wastewater infrastructure across the UK.

You'll lead the delivery of innovative ICA solutions on some of the industry's most significant programmes, influencing everything from strategy and design to construction and long-term operations. This is an opportunity to leave a lasting impact while helping clients solve some of their most complex infrastructure challenges.

What's In It for You

At Jacobs, you'll have the opportunity to combine technical leadership with business influence in a role that offers genuine scope for growth and impact.

You'll benefit from:
* The opportunity to shape and grow a nationally recognised ICA capability
* A leadership role on major UK water frameworks and flagship programmes
* Flexible and hybrid working options that support work-life balance
* Exposure to industry-leading digital, automation, and smart water technologies
* Career development within a global organisation committed to innovation and excellence
* The chance to mentor and develop talented engineers while building high-performing teams
* Meaningful work that supports environmental sustainability and resilient communities

About the Opportunity

We're looking for an established ICA leader to drive technical excellence, capability growth, and project delivery across our Regulated Water business.

Working with leading water companies including United Utilities, Northumbrian Water, Thames Water, Severn Trent Water, and Anglian Water, you'll provide strategic direction and technical leadership across a diverse portfolio of major capital projects.

You'll lead multidisciplinary teams delivering complex water and wastewater infrastructure schemes through feasibility, detailed design, construction support, commissioning, and operational readiness. Along the way, you'll champion innovation, digital transformation, safety by design, and best practice across the ICA discipline.

Key areas of focus include:
* Leading the delivery of complex ICA solutions across treatment works, pumping stations, reservoirs, sludge facilities, and network infrastructure
* Acting as a Technical Authority or Design Lead on major projects
* Driving technical quality, governance, and compliance
* Supporting strategic pursuits, framework opportunities, and client engagement
* Building trusted relationships with clients, contractors, and alliance partners
* Developing and mentoring ICA engineers and designers
* Promoting innovation, standardisation, and continuous improvement across the business We're looking for a proven technical leader with:
* A degree in Electrical Engineering, Control Engineering, Automation, or a related discipline
* Chartered Engineer status
* Significant experience within the UK water and wastewater sector
* Extensive experience delivering ICA solutions through detailed design and construction support phases
* Demonstrable leadership experience managing multidisciplinary engineering teams
* Experience working on major UK water company frameworks
* Strong knowledge of PLC, SCADA, telemetry, process instrumentation, and control systems
* Understanding of functional safety, cyber security principles, and industrial communications
* Experience within Design & Build and/or Alliance delivery environments

You'll also bring the ability to influence senior stakeholders, balance technical excellence with commercial outcomes, and inspire teams to deliver their best work.

Why Jacobs?

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow. We deliver solutions that make a positive difference to people, places, and the planet. Our teams are empowered to think differently, collaborate openly, and solve complex challenges that matter.

If you're ready to shape the future of water, influence major programmes, and lead a growing ICA capability, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and help us create a more sustainable, resilient future for communities across the UK.

#LI-MF3 https://careers.jacobs.com/en_US/careers/JobDetail/47477 Leeds|West Yorkshire|United Kingdom Manchester|Greater Manchester|United Kingdom Glasgow|Lanarkshire|United Kingdom Edinburgh|East Lothian|United Kingdom Newcastle|Tyne and Wear|United Kingdom Bristol|Bristol City|United Kingdom Edinburgh|East Lothian|United Kingdom Reading|Berkshire|United Kingdom Exeter|Devon|United Kingdom London|Greater London|United Kingdom Civil and Structural Water

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we've gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You'll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you'll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals - all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we're more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we're keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.