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Principal Instrumentation Controls and Automation Engineer (ICA)

Jacobs London, England, United Kingdom

hybridfull-time
Posted Jan 30, 2026Apply by Mar 18, 2026

Role & seniority: ICA Engineer (across all levels) – UK-wide, full-time; seniority not specified.

Stack/tools: ICA engineering for water/wastewater and bioresources; concept through commissioning; design, build execution, governance, commissioning, through-life O&M considerations; adherence to UK water sector regulations and safety standards.

Top 3 responsibilities

  • Deliver ICA Engineering Excellence: lead or contribute ICA elements from concept to completion with technical quality and governance.

  • Ensure Compliance, Quality and Delivery: apply regulatory/safety standards to ensure timely, compliant project deliverables.

  • Integrate Design, Build and Commissioning: embed constructability, commissioning requirements, and site acceptance testing into designs; support design management, scheduling and risk/change control.

Must-have skills

  • Chartered status or active progression toward chartership (e.g., IEEE or equivalent).

  • Progressive experience in detailed design and Design & Build for water, wastewater, and bioresources projects.

  • Strong ICA engineering knowledge; familiarity with UK water sector regulations and safety protocols.

  • Ability to act as technical authority for E&ICA across multidisciplinary water projects; solid health, safety, and welfare knowledge.

  • Experience fostering knowledge sharing, innovation, and professional growth within ICA.

Nice-to-haves

  • Mentoring or team-development experience; leadership in value enginee

Full Description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

At the forefront of the biggest transformation and investment programme of the UK sector in decades, Jacobs along with our JV Partners and Customers, bring together exceptional talent and expertise to deliver complex turnkey solutions from concept, feasibility, and planning to design, construction management, commissioning and through life asset O&M management, creating once in a generation opportunities.

With multiple ICA roles available across all levels, as part of a UK wide team, you will play a key role in the delivery of an extensive portfolio of projects, contributing to and or leading ICA elements throughout their project lifecycle—from concept and detailed design through to commissioning.

Collaborating with multi disciplined teams, coordinating the development, engineering, design and integration of control systems for new design solutions for both new build and existing operational sites, your remit will include;

Deliver ICA Engineering Excellence Contribute to or lead ICA engineering elements of multidisciplinary projects from concept through completion, ensuring technical quality and governance Add Value Through Collaboration Participate in value engineering and buildability workshops, sharing ideas and driving innovative solutions Create Sustainable Designs Help deliver forward-thinking, sustainable ICA solutions for water and wastewater infrastructure Ensure Compliance & Quality Support and or oversee technical delivery, ensuring adherence to both current and developing regulatory and safety standards and timely, efficient project outputs and deliverables Project Management Contribute to design management, scheduling, risk management, change control, and financial forecasting while collaborating with stakeholders to drive success Embed Constructability & Commissioning Integrate practical and commissioning and site acceptance test requirements into designs Support Team Development Mentor colleagues and peers facilitating a collaborative ICA team culture Champion Safety & Wellbeing Ensure a world class approach to behaviour in health, safety, and wellbeing management in line with Jacobs’ BeyondZero approach

Here's what you'll need

Jacobs are proud to be at the forefront of this transformation, partnering with the largest water companies across the UK, we would be delighted to hear from ICA Engineers (experienced and leaders) looking to play your part in helping us redefine water and wastewater infrastructure, who can demonstrate a blend of the following skills experience and attributes;

Working towards or hold chartered status (e.g., IEEE or equivalent), depending on experience Demonstrable progressive experience in detailed design and Design & Build execution for water, wastewater, and bioresources projects Able to apply robust ICA engineering knowledge to deliver innovative, compliant solutions from concept through commissioning. Familiarity with UK water sector regulations and safety protocols A trusted technical authority in E&ICA engineering, driving excellence and governance across multidisciplinary water infrastructure projects Solid understanding of current health, safety, and welfare legislation, promoting best practices at all levels Ability to foster a culture of knowledge sharing, innovation, and professional growth within the ICA discipline.

#-LINM1

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 https//www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. 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.

Seniority level Not Applicable Employment type Full-time Job function Engineering and Information Technology Industries Business Consulting and Services

InstrumentationControlsAutomationEngineeringDesignProject ManagementCollaborationSustainabilityComplianceQuality AssuranceHealth and SafetyMentoringValue EngineeringInnovationTechnical Authoritymulti-location

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