A UK building and engineering contractor, founded in 1869 by Robert McAlpine, based in Kings Langley, that has built stadiums, theatres, hospitals and heritage landmarks.
Sir Robert McAlpine is a UK building and engineering company that has been operating since 1869. It works across infrastructure, heritage, commercial buildings, arenas and stadiums, healthcare, education and nuclear sectors. Since a 2023 reorganisation it has focused on healthcare, commercial offices, industrial buildings, heritage and complex schemes, plus rail, transport and nuclear work. It is also a partner in a joint venture working on lot C1 of HS2. Its own recruitment profile describes it as a family-owned company that builds and restores major structures in partnership with clients.
The founder, Robert McAlpine, was born in 1847 near Motherwell in Scotland and started work in the coal mines at the age of seven. He became a bricklayer's apprentice at 16 and began contracting on his own at 22. He earned the nickname "Concrete Bob" because he experimented with concrete blocks. His firm went on to work on railways in Scotland, and in the twentieth century it built Wembley Stadium (1924), the Dorchester Hotel in London (1931), the Shell Centre, the Royal National Theatre and One Canada Square. More recent landmarks include the Millennium Dome (now The O2), the Eden Project, the Emirates Stadium and the Olympic Stadium for London 2012. Its profile also lists Victoria Gate in Leeds, the M74 completion in Glasgow and the restoration of the Elizabeth Tower.
The company describes its values as safety, quality, engineering excellence, sustainability and a focus on what the client needs, along with a wish to have a positive effect on communities and the environment. It describes an "inclusive family culture" and says it champions equality and welcomes diverse talent. These are the company's own claims, from a student-recruitment profile.
The head office is in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire. Until 2023 it ran regional centres for Scotland and the North, Central, Wales and the West, the South, and London; the Wales business had been merged into the Southern region in 2020. After the 2023 change it moved to sector-based teams, so the old regions may no longer describe how it is organised. Neil Martin became chief executive in 2024 and Edward McAlpine, a member of the founding family, became chairman in 2019.
The jobs at a contractor with this kind of history include site managers, building and civil engineers, quantity surveyors, planners, heritage and restoration specialists, health and safety advisers, and finance, legal and human resources staff. Anyone interested in historic buildings and how they are kept going, or in the engineering behind stadiums and hospitals, will find real examples here. The firm's website lists vacancies.
Website: www.sir-robert-mcalpine.com
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