Ellie is a Civil Engineer with a strong specialism in highways design and engineering, supported by a broad background in urban realm improvement, active travel infrastructure, and utilities coordination.
Ellie’s career in highway engineering began at AECOM, where she undertook an internship within the Transport Hub, designing vehicle restraint barriers using the Road Restraint Risk Assessment Process (RRRAP) for the M6 J21–26A Smart Motorway scheme. Following this, Ellie completed her Master’s degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Manchester, graduating with first-class honours. Her degree covered a range of disciplines including Structures, Geotechnics, Hydraulics, Fire Engineering and Operations Management. For her master’s group project, Ellie specialised in highway design, developing optioneering designs for a road bypass in Broughton from concept design through to detailed design, utilising the DMRB, Traffic Signs Manual and TSRGD.
After graduating, Ellie joined Arcadis as part of their Graduate Programme within the Highways and Transportation team, gaining invaluable experience across a variety of projects. During a client secondment at Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, she worked as a Project Manager focused on business case development and funding approvals to support the growth of Ebbsfleet Garden City, with a strong emphasis on active travel strategy and green corridors. Ellie successfully gained approval for three business cases through the Infrastructure Investment Panel and Board, contributing significantly to the regeneration of pedestrian and cyclist facilities in the area.
Following this, Ellie worked as Utilities Manager for the G2S development area of HS2, where she was responsible for the design, management and assurance of utility diversions. She achieved Level 3 assurance sign-off for two major diversionary schemes and was recognised with the “People and Culture” award for her contribution to the team and project delivery.
Upon returning to the Urban Highways Design team, Ellie developed extensive experience across the full design lifecycle of highway infrastructure projects, from concept through to detailed design and construction support. Over five years, she worked predominantly as Design Engineer, Design Lead and multidisciplinary coordinator, delivering a range of high-profile urban realm and cycle/pedestrian safety improvement schemes across the UK. Her work included utilities coordination and design for the Oxford Street Programme, as well as active travel design on major client frameworks including Transport for London and local authorities.
Ellie has also taken on commercial responsibilities, managing change events and supporting fee preparation and bid submissions for new projects. She is CSCS-accredited and regularly supports on-site activities, providing technical assistance to contractors during the construction phase.
In addition to her technical and commercial work, Ellie has a strong passion for professional development and wellbeing. She led Arcadis’ Urban Highway Design Professional Development Forum for three years, focusing on both personal and professional growth within the team. Ellie was instrumental in organising training sessions, hosting guest speakers, and leading workshops and presentations on key industry topics. She also trained as a Mental Health First Aider and acted as a Wellbeing Advocate within her team, promoting positive workplace culture and support initiatives. Ellie has additionally volunteered with Coast to Capital providing assistance for their virtual work experience day as part of their STEM initiatives, delivering workshops for students to inspire future careers in the construction and engineering sectors.
Ellie is an Associate based in our London office.
