Principal/Senior Consultant (Surface Water) - Cardiff, United Kingdom
SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd is an independent, international consulting practice which provides globally integrated consulting services to the international mining and natural resources industry.
The SRK Group employs over 1,400 professional consultants internationally and has 45 offices on 6 continents. SRK has been providing its clients with innovative, practical and cost effective solutions for 40 years and our client base covers a wide range of industries, particularly within the resources and engineering sectors.
SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd, located in Cardiff City Centre is the European arm of the SRK Consulting Group and currently has over 100 employees. SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd is an employee owned company.
We are seeking a Principal/Senior Consultant (Surface Water).
Description Of Responsibilities
Join to help solve complex water challenges on global engineering and mining projects as a
Principal / Senior Consultant – Surface Water with
SRK Consulting in Cardiff (Hybrid).
SRK is an employee-owned, international consultancy working at the intersection of
water, environment, natural resources and infrastructure, with a strong track record in the global mining and minerals sector. Our UK office, based in Cardiff (approximately 150 people) works closely with colleagues across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia, advising investors, operators, governments and insurers on complex, high impact projects.
The Opportunity
We’re seeking an experienced
Senior or Principal Surface Water Specialist to take a key technical and client facing role in our UK Water Group (part of SRK’s Geoenvironmental Department, alongside ESG and Geochemistry).
You’ll work on projects from due diligence and early-stage scoping through design, operations and closure, including:
- Hydrological and hydraulic studies (rainfall–runoff, flood, drainage, stormwater).
- Mine water management and integrated water management plans.
- Design inputs for channels, culverts, impoundments and other surface water infrastructure.
- Hydrological / hydraulic modelling, including data analysis, model build, calibration and validation.
- Climate and climate change analysis
You’ll often lead the surface water workstream in multidisciplinary teams, working with geotechnical, civil, ESG and hydrogeology specialists in the UK and overseas, with opportunities for international travel and site visits, including remote locations.
Key Responsibilities
- Act as technical lead for surface water on complex, multidisciplinary studies.
- Manage and deliver projects – scope, budget, program, quality and client communication.
- Build and maintain client relationships and support business development.
- Represent SRK in meetings, workshops, reviews and audits.
- Mentor, support and review the work of junior and midlevel staff, and contribute to thought leadership.
Essential Requirements
About you - Essential:
- Degree (or equivalent) in Civil/Environmental Engineering, Water Resources, Hydrology or related discipline.
- Strong track record in surface water / hydrology on complex mining, industrial or infrastructure projects.
- Excellent teamwork, leadership and client-facing skills.
- Strong analytical skills – confident with complex data, models and uncertainty, and able to explain results clearly.
- Clear, concise technical writing and verbal communication.
- Experience in several of: climate / climate change analysis; stormwater or site/mine water plans; design and sizing of surface water features; hydrological/hydraulic modelling.
Mining experience is advantageous, but we welcome candidates from broader water, infrastructure or industrial backgrounds with strong transferable skills and an interest in the mining sector.
Desirable
- Chartered status or equivalent professional recognition (or clear progression towards it).
- Experience with HECHMS, HECRAS or equivalent, and with hydrological monitoring networks.
- Familiarity with stochastic water balance / systems models (e.g. GoldSim) and resource optimization.
- Data science skills (e.g. Python, R, MATLAB), a second language, and/or dam breach analysis experience.
If your experience aligns strongly with surface water, hydrology or water resources engineering but you don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.
Why join SRK?
- Employee owned, nonhierarchical culture – real influence over projects and your career.
- High impact, international projects alongside recognized experts in water, geotechnics, ESG, geology and more.
- Competitive salary, profit related bonus, private healthcare, and the option to buy shares in SRK UK and SRK Global.
- Strong support for professional development – funded professional registration, training, conferences, mentoring and innovation initiatives.
- Benefit schemes including Payroll Giving, Cycle to Work, Corporate Gym Membership, annual leave that increases with length of service, and long service awards.
- A genuine commitment to health, safety, diversity and inclusion – we want you to bring your whole self to work and grow with us.
In return for considering a future with us, we offer:
- An attractive compensation package.
- Diversity of projects and clients within a non-hierarchical consultancy environment.
- Opportunity to purchase shares in the company; the SRK Group is an independent group, owned by its employees.
Applicants should respond by submitting their CV online by clicking the button below. The candidates under consideration will be contacted directly, no phone calls please.
