Build your career in lighting design

Lighting Designer Careers at HDS Lighting

Join a specialist UK lighting consultancy and develop your skills through real highway, infrastructure, environmental and exterior lighting projects.

Send Your CV Explore Career Routes

Lighting designer careers with HDS Lighting Ltd

A career shaped by real projects

Lighting design brings together engineering, technology, creativity and environmental responsibility. At HDS Lighting, our designers work on projects that influence how people travel, how developments are approved and how the night-time environment is protected.

Our work includes Section 38 and Section 278 highway schemes, strategic roads, lighting impact assessments, private developments, specialist infrastructure, product applications and technical reporting. This gives lighting designers the opportunity to build practical knowledge across the complete project lifecycle.

Why HDS Lighting?

Work within a specialist lighting design consultancy
Contribute to live UK projects from an early stage
Learn directly from experienced lighting engineers
Develop both technical and client-facing skills
Gain experience across design, assessment and reporting
Build knowledge of standards, approvals and environmental requirements

Lighting design career routes

Experienced professionals

Lighting Designers and Engineers

For lighting designers, highway engineers and electrical professionals who want greater project responsibility, technical variety and direct involvement with clients and approving authorities.

Highway and exterior lighting design
Lighting calculations and technical reports
Project coordination and client liaison
Design reviews and approval support

Early careers

Graduates and Junior Designers

For graduates and technically minded candidates looking to develop a professional career in lighting through structured project experience, mentoring and progressive responsibility.

Learn lighting software and design methods
Understand BS 5489 and BS EN 13201
Develop CAD, reporting and calculation skills
Support real projects and authority submissions

Start Your Career

Transferable skills

Career Changers

Lighting attracts people from electrical engineering, highways, architecture, product design, CAD, environmental consultancy and other technical disciplines. Relevant ability and curiosity can be as important as previous job titles.

Electrical and engineering backgrounds
CAD, BIM or technical drawing experience
Environmental and planning knowledge
Analytical, design or project skills

Discuss Your Experience

What you could work on

Section 38 residential highway lighting
Section 278 highway improvement schemes
Street and strategic road lighting
Lighting impact assessments
Environmental and ecological lighting constraints
Private and specialist exterior lighting

Skills you can develop

Lighting design software and calculations
CAD drawings and technical detailing
Standards and lighting-class selection
Technical writing and report preparation
Client, contractor and authority liaison
Project planning and quality control

Professional development

Mentoring from experienced lighting engineers
Continuing professional development
Exposure to ILP guidance and industry practice
Support in developing professional competence
Increasing responsibility as capability grows
Opportunities to build a broad project portfolio

What makes a good lighting designer?

Strong lighting designers combine technical accuracy with practical judgement. You do not need to arrive knowing everything, but you should be interested in how places work after dark and willing to develop both engineering and communication skills.

Careful and technically accurate

Curious and willing to learn

Comfortable solving problems

Able to explain technical decisions

Aware of people and the environment

Reliable when managing project details

Relevant backgrounds

We are interested in people with experience or qualifications connected to:

Lighting design or lighting engineering
Electrical or electronic engineering
Highways and civil engineering
Architecture, urban design or product design
CAD, BIM and technical drawing
Environmental assessment or ecology
Physics, mathematics or other STEM subjects

Equivalent practical experience can also be valuable. Applications are considered on the evidence of your skills, approach and potential.

Your development at HDS

Learn the fundamentals

Build an understanding of light, standards, user needs, environmental constraints and the design process.

Work on live projects

Apply that knowledge through calculations, drawings, reports and design coordination.

Take greater responsibility

Progress into client communication, authority liaison, technical review and project delivery.

Build professional standing

Develop your portfolio, CPD record and professional competence within the lighting industry.

A specialist team where your work is visible

HDS is not a large multidisciplinary corporation. Our designers work within a focused lighting team where individual contributions matter and project experience is not restricted to one small part of the process.

You may be involved from the first client discussion through design development, calculation, reporting, approval and construction support. That breadth can help capable designers progress quickly and understand how technical decisions affect the full project.

Meet the HDS Team

Current opportunities

Specific vacancies will be shown here when available. We are also interested in hearing from capable lighting designers, highway lighting engineers, graduates and technically experienced people who believe they could contribute to HDS Lighting.

Applications should include a CV and a short explanation of your lighting, engineering, CAD, environmental or project experience.

Send a Speculative Application

Before you apply

Explain why lighting design interests you
Identify the technical skills you already have
Include relevant projects, drawings or portfolio examples
Describe any software, standards or engineering experience
Tell us what you would like to learn next

Please do not send confidential information belonging to a current or former employer.

Could your next career move be into lighting design?

Send HDS Lighting your CV and a brief introduction. We will review your experience and contact you when there is a suitable opportunity to discuss.

Main Menu Send Your CV