Design Engineering Manager

Engineering Manager / Design Manager - MEP

Location:        London / Southeast

Salary:            £80,000.00 – £90,000.00 + Package

Sector:            Building Services / MEP

Projects:         Major Commercial & Complex Building Projects

The Opportunity

A leading UK building services contractor is looking to appoint an experienced Engineering Manager / Design Manager to join its Engineering team.

The role will have a strong focus on projects during the PCSA and preconstruction stages, taking responsibility for assessing the MEP design, identifying technical and commercial risk, and ensuring projects are sufficiently developed before moving into contract.

You will work closely with clients, main contractors, consultants, preconstruction and commercial teams to interrogate the design and ensure outstanding technical issues are identified and resolved at an early stage.

The objective is simple: de-risk the project before contract and ensure the delivery team inherits a coordinated, buildable and commercially robust MEP design. Project will predominantly be Commercial shell and core, Education, Leisure and Healthcare schemes.

Role & Responsibilities

• T ake technical ownership of MEP projects through the PCSA and preconstruction stages.
• Review consultant designs and specifications to assess completeness, compliance and buildability.
• Identify design gaps, ambiguities, discrepancies and technical risks before contract.
• Ensure outstanding design issues are captured, tracked and resolved by the relevant consultants.
• Review projects from both an engineering and commercial risk perspective, identifying areas that could impact programme, cost or delivery.
• Lead design reviews and technical workshops with clients, main contractors, consultants and specialist subcontractors.
• Challenge designs where appropriate and develop alternative solutions to improve buildability, efficiency and value.
• Establish clear design responsibilities, deliverables and information requirements.
• Work closely with estimating, commercial, procurement and project teams throughout the PCSA.
• Support the development of MEP design from early-stage consultant information through to a position suitable for contract and delivery.
• Ensure technical assumptions, exclusions and outstanding design items are clearly understood prior to contract.
• Manage external consultants and specialist subcontractor design where required.
• Support the transition from preconstruction into the delivery team, ensuring technical risks and design strategy are clearly communicated.

The Candidate

The successful candidate will ideally come from an MEP / Building Services contractor background and have experience taking major projects through PCSA or preconstruction.

You could currently be operating as an Engineering Manager, Design Manager, MEP Design Manager, Technical Manager or Principal Design Engineer.

You will ideally have:

• Strong mechanical and/or electrical building services knowledge.
• Previous experience working for an MEP contractor.
• Experience reviewing and developing consultant-led MEP designs.
• A strong understanding of the PCSA and preconstruction process.
• The ability to identify technical, buildability, programme and commercial risk within a design.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary MEP design.
• Confidence challenging consultants and driving design issues through to resolution.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work with clients, main contractors, consultants and internal commercial/project teams.
•  A relevant Building Services, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering qualification would be advantageous.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to join an established and highly regarded building services contractor with a strong pipeline of projects across London and the South East.

Rather than simply managing design during construction, you will have genuine influence over projects before they enter contract, helping shape the engineering strategy, identify risk and ensure projects are set up correctly for successful delivery.

The business offers a strong package, long-term career progression and the opportunity to work across technically challenging, high-value MEP projects.