Lead HVAC Mechanical Engineer

Description Zutari:
Co-creating an engineered impact.

Zutari is a well-established, management-owned engineering firm with almost 90 years' experience. As human-centred engineering consultants and advisors, we are trusted by our clients, business partners, communities and other stakeholders across Africa.

We co-create engineering solutions that have a positive impact and improve people's lives. Zutari values inclusion and recognises the importance of a diverse, talented workforce, believing that people need other people to succeed.

We employ people with the right attitude and a positive mindset, who are motivated by doing the right thing, getting things done and share a sense of urgency. People who have an impact in our teams and broader community. People who think differently and connect with those around them to co-create new opportunities and leave a meaningful legacy.

• Set the engineering strategy, design/shop drawings/quality assurance and control approach, and technical direction for HVAC systems across all project stages.
• Approve and take responsibility for all critical HVAC decisions, ensuring solutions are safe, compliant, coordinated, maintainable, and energy‑efficient.
• Oversee and sign off the discipline’s calculations, reports, schematics, specifications, and design documentation.
• Drive continuous improvement in HVAC engineering methods, standards, technical governance, digital maturity, and risk‑based decision‑making.
• Lead design execution, deliverable quality, technical completeness, and integration across HVAC work streams, ensuring adherence to programme, scope, and budget.
• Coordinate proactively with electrical, Public health, structural, civil, fire, architecture and specialist teams to ensure early interface alignment and a fully integrated design.
• Define and control the HVAC delivery plan, including sequencing, work allocation, stage‑gate reviews, design decisions, and resource utilisation.
• Identify and address delivery risks early (technical, programme, commercial, performance, or interface), escalating appropriately and implementing corrective actions decisively.
• Provide construction-phase oversight, including RFI responses, technical clarifications, design deviation evaluation, site inspections, commissioning oversight (FAT/SAT), and ensuring final installation meets design intent and operational requirements.
• Align discipline delivery with fee budgets, scope boundaries, and commercial assumptions before detailed design begins.
• Enforce change-control discipline, ensuring all scope shifts, risks, or rework drivers are identified, documented, communicated, and commercially managed.
• Forecast and monitor HVAC discipline hours, cost performance, and resource utilisation, ensuring margin protection and avoidance of non‑recoverable effort.
• Support Project Executives in fee proposals, pricing strategies, variation claims, and Mechanical/HVAC‑specific commercial negotiations with clients and contractors.
• Ensure all engineering decisions support commercially viable delivery and do not compromise financial performance.
• Act as the primary Mechanical/ HVAC representative for assigned projects, leading client discussions, workshops, reviews, and technical decision‑making.
• Provide clear, structured advice that helps clients understand trade‑offs, technical risks, value‑optimisation options, compliance requirements, and performance outcomes.
• Maintain strong, trust‑based relationships by ensuring transparency, proactive communication, timely decision inputs, and reliable delivery performance.
• Represent Zutari EX with professionalism and authority in all external technical engagements, enhancing client confidence and enabling future work.
• Lead…