Overview

Principal Mechanical Design Engineer – Building Services

Location: Wolverhampton or Edinburgh

Employment Type: Permanent

Hours: Mon-Fri

Salary £65,000-£80,000

A leading multi-disciplinary building services consultancy delivering innovative, sustainable engineering solutions across a wide range of sectors including healthcare, education, commercial, and mission-critical environments. With a strong project footprint across the UK and Ireland, they offer a collaborative, BIM-integrated design environment and a culture that supports personal and professional development.

As the business continues to expand, they are seeking a highly experienced Principal Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the mechanical discipline across major projects.

What you’ll be doing

In this key role, you'll lead the design and delivery of complex mechanical building services packages for both new-build and refurbishment projects. You’ll work across the full project lifecycle — from concept to commissioning — and play a central role in both project execution and team development.

This is a senior leadership role, combining technical delivery with mentoring, project coordination, client engagement, and BIM integration.

Your responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design from concept to detailed design, tender, and construction stages.
• Develop technically sound, regulation-compliant designs across a range of mechanical systems:
• HVAC (ventilation, heating, and cooling)
• Domestic hot and cold-water services
• LTHW/CHW systems
• Renewable/low carbon technologies (e.g. ASHP, GSHP, CHP)
• Steam and compressed air (as required)
• Building Management Systems (BMS) and control strategies

• Oversee and mentor engineers and design teams, ensuring technical quality, delivery standards, and programme alignment.
• Prepare and review detailed mechanical calculations (duct/piping sizing, heat loss/gain, pressure drops, equipment selection).
• Coordinate mechanical designs with architectural, structural, sustainability, and other MEP disciplines.
• Attend and lead technical meetings, design reviews, workshops, and client presentations.
• Ensure compliance with UK and Irish building regulations, energy performance standards, and best practices.
• Support the integration of BIM Level 2 and ISO 19650 standards across all project stages.

Technical & Regulatory Knowledge

• Strong understanding of:
• UK Building Regulations (Part L), BRUKL assessments
• CIBSE Guides A, B, etc.
• BSRIA guides and Soft Landings
• BREEAM, LEED, and Net Zero Carbon principles
• Irish Technical Guidance Documents (TGD Part L)

Tools & Digital Skills

• Hevacomp (load and sizing calculations)
• IES VE (thermal modelling, DSM, Part L compliance)
• MagiCAD for AutoCAD/Revit (system design)
• Autodesk Revit MEP (3D coordination, BIM)
• AutoCAD (2D schematics)
• Microsoft Excel (engineering calculations/schedules)
• Familiarity with BMS integration platforms (e.g. Trend, Siemens)

What we’re looking for

• Degree in Mechanical or Building Services Engineering (BEng/BSc minimum; MEng desirable).
• Chartered Engineer (CEng) with CIBSE or IMechE – or actively pursuing.
• 8–10+ years of UK-based experience in mechanical building services design, with demonstrable team and project leadership.
• Experience delivering major schemes with £10M+ M&E value.
• Strong command of UK BIM workflows and coordination protocols (ISO 19650).
• Excellent communication and client engagement skills.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in whole-life carbon and decarbonisation strategies (e.g., TM65).
• Cross-border experience with both UK and Irish design standards.
• Sector-specific knowledge (e.g. HTM for healthcare, DfE guidelines for education, or data centre design).
• Experience preparing bid documentation, proposals, and project delivery plans.

What’s in it for you?

Join a collaborative, forward-thinking consultancy where your technical leadership and input will shape the success of major projects. Expect the opportunity to work with high-performing teams and influence the delivery of low-energy, sustainable designs.

• Competitive salary and package
• Flexible/hybrid working
• CPD support and route to further leadership
• Meaningful project work across UK and Ireland
• Inclusive, growth-focused company culture