M&E Design Lead

M&E Design Lead – Critical Infrastructure

Competitive Salary DOE + Package 

Full-Time | Permanent

M&E Design. Technical Leadership. Critical Infrastructure. Data Centres.

Pearson Whiffin Recruitment are currently recruiting for an experienced M&E Design Lead to join a specialist engineering team delivering complex critical infrastructure and data centre projects.

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly experienced Mechanical or Electrical Engineer looking to take technical ownership of multidisciplinary building-services design across high-value and technically demanding projects.

The successful candidate will act as the technical authority for the overall M&E solution, leading integrated design across mechanical, electrical, controls, fire and specialist systems from feasibility and tender stage through detailed design, construction, commissioning and final handover.

The Role

As M&E Design Lead, you will take overall responsibility for the technical integrity of project designs, while continuing to personally develop, review and approve engineering work within your own core discipline.

Responsibilities will include:

Acting as technical lead for multidisciplinary M&E design

Taking ownership of the overall technical solution across complex engineering projects

Producing, reviewing and approving engineering design within your own qualified discipline

Coordinating mechanical, electrical, controls, fire and specialist systems

Developing integrated building-services design strategies

Ensuring designs are technically robust, resilient, buildable and commercially appropriate

Defining design scope, responsibilities, deliverables and technical requirements

Working closely with clients to understand project objectives and develop appropriate technical solutions

Supporting feasibility studies, site audits and technical assessments

Developing tender and bid-stage engineering solutions

Reviewing client specifications, drawings and technical requirements

Producing and reviewing calculations, specifications, schedules, drawings and schematics

Reviewing technical submissions and engineering documentation

Leading technical design reviews and workshops

Identifying and resolving complex engineering issues

Managing multidisciplinary interfaces, dependencies and constraints

Assessing existing facilities and developing upgrade or improvement strategies

Managing technical risk throughout the project lifecycle

Ensuring solutions meet regulatory, safety, performance and operational requirements

Supporting procurement teams with technical assessments and supplier selection

Providing technical support throughout construction and installation

Supporting commissioning teams and ensuring design intent is maintained through delivery

Reviewing technical changes and assessing their impact on performance, programme and cost

Leading site surveys and technical audits

Providing technical guidance to Project Managers, construction teams and clients

Mentoring and developing engineers within the wider design team

Supporting improvements to engineering standards, design processes and technical best practice

About You

We are looking for an experienced engineering professional with strong expertise in either Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, combined with broad knowledge across multidisciplinary building services.

Ideally, you will have:

Significant M&E design experience

Strong technical expertise within either Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

The ability to personally produce, review and approve engineering designs within your specialist discipline

Strong multidisciplinary M&E knowledge

Experience coordinating mechanical, electrical and specialist building-services systems

Experience acting as a Technical Lead, Lead Engineer or senior engineering authority

Strong knowledge of complex building-services systems

Experience managing technical risk and design interfaces

Strong understanding of resilience, redundancy and high-availability engineering

Experience developing engineering solutions from feasibility through to construction

Experience producing and reviewing technical calculations, specifications and reports

Strong understanding of construction and commissioning processes

Confidence making significant technical decisions

Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities

Excellent client-facing and stakeholder-management skills

Ability to explain complex engineering solutions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities

A Degree, HNC, HND or equivalent qualification in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Building Services Engineering or a related discipline is required.

Chartered Engineer status or progress towards professional accreditation would be highly advantageous.

Technical Knowledge

Candidates should have strong knowledge of integrated building-services systems, including areas such as:

Critical power systems

HV / LV electrical distribution

Standby generation

UPS systems

Cooling and HVAC systems

Chilled water systems

Fire detection and protection

Building Management Systems

Controls and monitoring systems

Electrical and mechanical resilience

System redundancy

Plant and equipment layouts

Spatial coordination

Operational and maintenance requirements

Energy efficiency and system performance

You do not need to personally design every discipline, but you must have enough multidisciplinary knowledge to challenge, coordinate and assure the complete M&E solution.

Desirable Industry Experience

Experience within any of the following environments would be particularly beneficial:

Data Centres

Critical Infrastructure

Mission-Critical Facilities

Building Services

Critical Power

M&E / MEP Consultancy

Engineering & Construction

Pharmaceutical

Healthcare

Financial Services Infrastructure

High-Availability Environments

Industrial Engineering

Data centre experience would be highly desirable, although candidates with strong transferable technical leadership experience from other critical, regulated or high-availability environments should also be considered.

Software & Design Systems

Candidates should ideally be familiar with:

AutoCAD

Revit

BIM workflows

Microsoft Office

Engineering calculation and design software

Document-control and design-management systems

Dedicated CAD and digital-engineering support may be available, meaning the role is focused primarily on technical engineering leadership rather than pure CAD production.

Travel

The role may require:

Regular travel to project and client sites across the UK

Site surveys and technical reviews

Occasional international travel depending on project requirements

What's on Offer?

Competitive salary depending on experience

Attractive benefits package

Permanent, full-time position

Opportunity to act as technical authority on major engineering projects

Exposure to high-profile critical infrastructure and data centre projects

Professional training and development

Long-term career progression

Opportunity to mentor and develop other engineers

Significant influence over engineering standards and technical delivery

This role would suit an experienced M&E Design Lead, MEP Design Lead, Lead Mechanical Engineer, Lead Electrical Engineer, Building Services Design Lead, Principal Engineer, Technical Lead or Associate-level Building Services Engineer looking for their next career move