Cara Davidson

Graduate construction supervisor, United Utilities

Expertise

Construction, Water

Location

North West

My highlights

Winning the 2026 ICE North West Rising Star Award for graduates

Progressing to construction supervisor at Bolton Wastewater Treatment Works

Developing practical site experience while building relationships with a diverse range of people

A day in my life

As a graduate, my days are quite varied.

I’ve had the chance to rotate through a few different departments, which has been helpful for my development. Each placement brings something new, so my day-to-day work changes depending on where I am.

So far, I’ve worked in geotechnical engineering and project engineering, and I’m currently on secondment at AtkinsRéalis as a civil engineer.

In my home role as a construction supervisor on the Bolton Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW), most of my day is spent onsite.

I’ll usually start by catching up with contractors to run through the day’s key activities, setting up work authorisations and making sure everything is ready for work to go ahead safely.

I then link in with the operational staff to coordinate construction with ongoing activities so everything can run smoothly without affecting the treatment process.

I also do regular site walkarounds to check that United Utilities’ SACRED principles are being followed, which are: safety, authorisation, customer, right first time, environment and drinking water.

I realised early on that sitting behind a desk all day wasn’t for me, so I found a path that suited me working in construction onsite.

That’s the great thing about civil engineering, it’s so varied that there’s genuinely something for everyone.

What inspired you to become a civil engineer?

When I was deciding what to study at university, I knew I wanted to go into engineering because I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving, which is really at the core of what engineering is.

After looking into the different disciplines, I chose civil engineering because it interested me the most, especially the idea of working on large-scale infrastructure.

I’ll admit, though, I didn’t fully understand what civil engineering involved until I started studying it. I was pleasantly surprised by the scale and variety of projects.

It’s not just about buildings and bridges, but a lot more than that.

We asked Cara…

I would recommend a career in civil or infrastructure engineering because...

There are so many opportunities in civil engineering.

You can go into almost any industry or area you're interested in and it really feels like there are no limits.

Name one civil or infrastructure engineering myth you'd like to bust

There’s a common perception that it’s a bit of a boys' club, but there absolutely is space for women in the field too.

It’s just about having the confidence to step in and take up that space.

How does your role contribute to addressing climate change?

As part of my role, I’ve worked on a range of projects focused on improving water quality.

This includes work at Bolton Wastewater Treatment Works, where we helped improve the quality of the River Irwell and increased the capacity of the works.

I've also been involved in several Better Rivers projects improving combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to help reduce storm spills.

How does your role contribute to making the industry more diverse and inclusive?

I think just showing up and working in a construction role, where you don’t often see many young women, helps contribute to diversity in itself.

I also make an effort to be welcoming to anyone new coming into the role and be someone they feel comfortable talking to – just trying to be as approachable and supportive as possible.

What is motivating you to become professionally qualified?

I think it’s a great way to keep developing in the profession and gives you a clear sense of direction on how to improve as a civil engineer.

It can be difficult to know if you’re on the right track sometimes, but the qualification acts as a roadmap, with milestones you can work towards as you achieve each attribute. The range of attributes also helps you become a well-rounded engineer.

What's the biggest difference you've noticed from studying to working in engineering?

To me, there isn’t a huge difference between studying civil engineering and working in it.

You’re still constantly learning new things, and the way my graduate scheme is structured, with different placements, almost feels like studying different modules at university.

The biggest difference is the level of independence. You have to think for yourself a lot more.

What do you value most about being an ICE member?

Being a member gives you access to all kinds of seminars and workshops. It's a great way to learn about different disciplines and gain alternative perspectives.

It also helps you to gain a wider network and meet new people.