Senior Mechanical Services Engineer

12 Month Contract

Up to £70 per hour umbrella (Inside IR35)

Mostly Remote – onsite 2 days per month in Plymouth

Job Role:

The Senior Engineer will act as a key interface to the Design Manager and Principal Mechanical Engineer (Mechanical Services Lead), providing technical leadership, risk ownership, supplier oversight, and mentoring to engineers and designers.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Design Ownership:

• Own/manage the technical baseline and requirements for assigned packages; act as Responsible Engineer and technical focal point from need identification through handover.
• Check and review key deliverables: calculations, drawings, specifications, BoMs, method statements, T&IPs, installation details and as‑built records.
• Lead design optioneering and LFE (lessons learned), ensuring solutions are buildable, maintainable and operable.
• Provide formal checking/verification and sign‑off per project quality plans; act as Checker where authorised.

Planning, Control & Reporting:

• Build and own the design work plan (scope, assumptions, estimates, resources), align with schedule, and track/report progress.
• Manage change control, configuration, and auditable records; maintain risk/issue/action registers.
• Provide clear status reporting to the Design Manager/Project Manager and drive recovery actions where needed.

Quality, Governance & Assurance:

• Ensure compliance with the Business Management System and Technical Manuals, applicable codes/standards and site rules.
• Organise and lead package‑level Design Reviews, HAZIDs, constructability and ALARP reviews; close actions as required.
• Deliver right‑first‑time outputs (coordinated, clash‑checked, specification‑compliant).

Safety, CDM & Risk:

• Discharge Designer duties under CDM; lead elimination/reduction of risk through design and document residual risks.
• Own safety assumptions, interlocks and protection logic (e.g., cranes/machinery), ensuring compliance with LOLER/PUWER principles

Stakeholder & Interface Leadership:

• Lead coordination with EC&I, Civils/Structural, Construction, Commissioning, Operations, Safety, Security and Supply Chain.
• Direct supplier engineering: manage technical queries, submittals, factory tests, concessions and design integration; review and accept vendor drawings/data.

People & Capability:

• Mentor engineers/designers; provide task leadership, technical coaching, and quality feedback on deliverables.
• Support competence assessment and contribute to resource shaping and onboarding for the package team.

Commercial Awareness:

• Support the PM in forecasting, cost/value inputs, early warning/change notices and claims/variation reviews for technical content.

Required Deliverables:

• Design basis, scope definitions; requirements & interface schedules.
• Calculations (loads, strength, stability, clearances, sizing, pressure/flow) and supporting reports.
• GAs, details, assemblies, schematics, marking/zoning plans, interface definition.
• Specifications (equipment, coatings, NDT, QA requirements), BoMs and technical bid evaluations.
• Test & Inspection Plans, FAT/SAT plans and commissioning method statements.
• As built redlines, asset data packs and handover files (including safety case inputs as required).

Key Attributes:

• Demonstrate experience and knowledge in the design and implementation of Mechanical Systems/Services, preferably fluid systems such as water/pipe systems, pneumatics or hydraulics.
• Demonstrate understanding of how to substantiate complex requirements, preferably from the nuclear industry.
• Demonstrate experience of the design support to construction, operation, refit/repair of conventional and nuclear submarines and/or facilities.
• Demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills required in the technical management of complex design development throughout the design lifecycle.
• Demonstrate a sound understanding of engineering design and safety practice as relevant to discipline, post and project requirements.
• Demonstrate project specification, planning, project management and budgeting experience.
• Lead on safety, support regulatory and nuclear processes (CDM Designer, ALARP) and HAZIDs.
• Maintain rigorous configuration/document control to BMS/Technical Manuals.
• Drive design delivery and quality (requirements, calculations, drawings/specs/BoMs, T&I, FAT/SAT, commissioning inputs), lead design reviews, and deliver packages in highly regulated (nuclear/defence) environments.
• Demonstrate capability with CAD systems, document management systems such as BIM/CDE/Vault and MS Office; produce clear reports/presentations, lead meetings (incl. MS Teams), mentor juniors, plan/estimate/track work, and manage stakeholders/suppliers.

Qualifications:

The candidate will have a degree or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.

Preferably Chartered Engineer status and member of relevant institute or significant demonstrable engineering experience and capable of registration with the Engineering Council at IEng or CEng level.