Principal CFD Engineer - Dams & Hydraulic Structures

Job Description

Are you ready to support a team of talented engineers and shape the future of the water industry?

Join our dynamic and multidisciplinary Water Team as a Principal CFD Engineer and help us deliver projects throughout the UK and internationally. This position offers a hybrid work arrangement with flexibility to work from home and one of our Reservoir Engineering hub offices - Edinburgh, Belfast or Leeds.

At AECOM, we’re at the forefront of innovation, delivering an exceptional portfolio of water programmes and projects through long‑term partnerships with key clients. This position offers an unparalleled opportunity to support and work alongside a talented, diverse team committed to innovation and efficiency.

• Lead end‑to‑end 3D CFD modelling for spillways, energy dissipation structures, intake/outlet works, and other hydraulic infrastructure.
• Analyse turbulent and transient flows, energy losses, cavitation risk, air entrainment, water‑hammer effects, and scale interactions to inform safe, efficient designs.
• Integrate CFD with physical model results (calibration/validation), translating insights into design optimisation and risk reduction.
• Produce high‑quality technical reports, visualisations, and client presentations for interdisciplinary teams and stakeholders.
• Serve as technical authority for hydraulic CFD within the dams & reservoirs team; uphold QA standards and best practice.
• Mentor and guide junior modellers, fostering capability growth and knowledge‑sharing across the practice.
• Contribute to scope definition, proposals, and cost estimation; support business development related to CFD services.
• Coordinate planning, execution, and delivery schedules across multidisciplinary teams to meet project and client requirements.
• Undertake occasional site visits (e.g., surveys, data collection for model build/calibration). (Travel typically occasional; can flex to project needs.)

You’ll thrive in an inclusive and forward‑thinking environment where your contributions are valued – and let's not forget the perks! At AECOM, you’ll enjoy a range of core benefits designed to support your future and well‑being, and flexible benefits you can customise to suit your lifestyle. Take advantage of our technical practice networks, AECOM University, and volunteering days to accelerate your career development, and utilise our flexible hybrid working model to create a healthy work‑life balance.

We recognise that everyone’s circumstances are different, so we’re more than happy to discuss part‑time or flexible working arrangements.

Ready to push the limits of what’s possible?

• Degree (or equivalent) in civil, hydraulic, mechanical engineering or related field.
• Chartered engineer status or actively working towards being chartered.
• Significant experience applying CFD to hydraulic structures (dams, spillways, intakes, outlet works).
• Proficiency in either Flow3D, OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent or other CFD software as well as complementary tools like HEC‑RAS, ICEM CFD, Paraview, Rhino, Grasshopper or other pre/post‑processing tools.
• Demonstrated strength in combining numerical and physical modelling to solve complex hydraulic challenges.
• Experience with analytical problem‑solving, practical engineering judgement, and client‑facing communication (reports, presentations, data visualisation).
• Proven capability to mentor, enforce quality assurance, and deliver robust outputs aligned with regulatory and safety requirements.

We celebrate diversity, including neurodiversity, and believe it enriches our team. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities. If you are an applicant with a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us at Reaso At AECOM, we value everyone’s unique contributions and perspectives.

Interested in the role or curious about life at AECOM? Follow us on Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and You Tube to explore our AECOM voices, employee stories, latest projects, and much more!

For further information about the role, reach out to the recruiter on Linked In – Katie Scales.