Mechanical Engineering Lead

Overview

As our Mechanical Engineering Lead, you'll take a national leadership position shaping and expanding our mechanical engineering capability. You'll guide the delivery of major water and wastewater infrastructure programmes, influence strategic decisions for high‑profile UK water clients, and play a pivotal role in embedding best practice across the business. This is your opportunity to shape direction, raise standards, and build a high‑performing mechanical engineering team from the ground up.

If you’re energised by joining a fast‑growing, newly‑formed UK water practice, where you can directly influence the team’s trajectory and help shape the future of national water infrastructure, then this role offers you the platform to make a genuine, lasting impact.

• Lead the mechanical design of municipal water and wastewater treatment projects across the UK, covering feasibility, optioneering, concept, outline and detailed design across major programmes (e.g. AMP8, WINEP, SROs, etc).
• Set and uphold the mechanical design approach for treatment work: in‑house standards (in line with water industry asset standards), checking, and consistency of outputs across projects and teams.
• Fulfil designer duties under CDM 2015 for mechanical works, ensuring effective hazard identification and risk reduction and, where designated, supporting or undertaking Principal Designer responsibilities on assigned projects.
• Take ownership of the mechanical scope within multidisciplinary delivery, driving clear decisions on operability, maintainability, access and whole‑life performance.
• Produce and quality‑check core mechanical outputs such as equipment selection, specifications, datasheets, calculations, schedules and design narratives (e.g., pumping and packaged plant where relevant).

• Act as a senior client‑facing technical lead, running workshops and design reviews, advising clients and building long‑term relationships with regulated water stakeholders.
• Provide design assurance and technical support during delivery phases, including reviewing contractor submissions, answering design queries and supporting handover/commissioning activities when required.

• Grow the mechanical capability through business development and work‑winning: identify opportunities, shape scopes, contribute to bids and build a healthy forward pipeline.
• Help translate the UK water growth strategy into practical actions: target sectors, priority accounts, capability gaps and delivery plans focused on treatment.
• Build the mechanical arm of the UK water consultancy team through recruitment, mentoring and skills development, including pathways, coaching and technical governance.
• Work with the wider business to evolve new and improved service offerings, including sustainability‑led and value‑focused mechanical solutions for treatment assets.

• BEng/MEng (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering.
• Registered as a chartered engineer (CEng) or equivalent professional membership (e.g., IMechE).
• Strong track record in the UK regulated water market, focused on municipal water and/or wastewater treatment.
• Demonstrated leadership across the design lifecycle: feasibility/optioneering, concept, outline and detailed design, plus support through delivery stages as the designer.
• Practical depth in treatment mechanical engineering: selecting and specifying equipment, integrating packaged plant, and producing/reviewing high‑quality design documentation.
• Working knowledge of UK water industry standards, regulatory expectations and safety‑by‑design/CDM as applied to treatment facilities.
• Experience supporting projects delivered via frameworks, alliances and/or D&B models, including design review, technical query response and design assurance.
• Confident client and stakeholder manager; clear communicator, comfortable presenting and able to lead technical conversations with credibility.
• Evidence of BD/work‑winning contribution (or strong demonstrable aptitude): opportunity shaping, bid inputs, client development and service‑line growth.
• People leadership experience: building teams, hiring and…