Associate Director - Mechanical Engineer

Purpose of the Job

This is a senior technical and delivery leadership role responsible for the successful design and delivery of multiple data centre and mission-critical engineering projects across France.

The role provides technical direction, manages key client relationships, leads engineering teams, and supports business development and commercial delivery across a portfolio of projects.

The successful candidate will

Lead technical delivery across a portfolio of data centre and mission-critical projects

Provide senior technical governance, design assurance and quality oversight

Manage key client relationships and represent the client in senior technical and commercial discussions

Support business development, fee proposals and commercial management of projects

Lead, mentor and develop engineering teams within a high-performance delivery environment.

Job Accountabilities

Design & Delivery Leadership

Lead multidisciplinary design delivery across a portfolio of data centre projects.

Oversee concept, schematic, detailed design and construction-stage deliverables across projects.

Provide senior technical review and sign-off of calculations, specifications and drawings.

Ensure compliance with international standards, client requirements and design governance.

Resolve complex, cross-disciplinary technical and design coordination issues.

Project & Commercial Management

Manage project delivery, programme and commercial performance across multiple assignments.

Oversee fee proposals, resourcing plans and budget management for allocated projects.

Coordinate with project leads and disciplines to ensure integrated, efficient delivery.

Monitor risk, quality and delivery performance across the project portfolio.

Client & Stakeholder Management

Act as senior technical point of contact for key clients on allocated projects.

Lead technical workshops, design reviews and client presentations.

Build long-term client relationships to support repeat business and growth.

Support construction-stage stakeholder coordination, including contractor and authority liaison.

Business Development

Support technical input into fee proposals, bids and framework submissions.

Identify opportunities for repeat business and portfolio growth with existing clients.

Contribute technical content for business development and marketing materials.

People Leadership

Lead, mentor and develop Principal, Senior and Intermediate Engineers.

Support technical training and career development within the engineering team.

Promote design excellence, technical consistency and best practice standards.

Technical Knowledge

Strong knowledge and hands-on experience required across:

Data Centre and mission-critical facility design across mechanical and/or electrical disciplines.

Infrastructure resilience and redundancy philosophies (N+1, 2N, Concurrent Maintainability).

Tier III / IV design principles and Uptime Institute requirements.

Energy-efficient design and PUE optimisation strategies.

Coordination of multidisciplinary engineering teams on large-scale programmes.

International design standards and best practice (ASHRAE, Uptime Institute, EN 50600, etc.).

Commercial awareness, fee management and contractual frameworks.

Qualifications & Education

Degree in Mechanical, Electrical or Building Services Engineering (accredited university).

Experience

15 20 years of relevant consultancy experience.

Demonstrated delivery of large-scale Data Centre / mission-critical projects.

Proven team leadership and senior client relationship management.

Experience in international engineering consultancy environments.

Knowledge & Skills

Chartered Engineer (CEng) or equivalent professional accreditation.

Strong exposure to Tier III / IV data Centre design and delivery.

Strong commercial awareness, fee management and negotiation skills.