Morgan McKinley
Head of Engineering
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Head of Engineering (Process and Design)
Location: Central UK / Midlands & South East (Multi-site focus, hybrid working)
Package: £90,000 to £95,000 + Car Allowance + Bonus + Benefits
Role Type: Permanent, Full-time
The Business
Our client is a market-leading, multi-site UK developer and operator of sustainable energy and circular economy infrastructure. At the forefront of the UK’s transition to net zero, they transform resources into green power, biomethane, and renewable energy across an expanding nationwide asset portfolio. To support strategic corporate growth, they are establishing a new, executive-level position: Head of Engineering (Process and Design).
The Role: Strategic Engineering Leadership
Reporting directly to the Projects Director, this is a high-level, governance-led mandate for a proven engineering leader. Rather than focusing on day-to-day drawing delivery or detailed calculation work, you will operate as the supreme Design Authority for the business—setting engineering standards, driving multi-site strategy, and establishing disciplined design governance across all operational assets and capital development projects.
You will provide cross-functional leadership across central operations, project delivery teams, site managers, and external contractors. Additionally, you will hold direct line-management responsibility for the corporate CAD and design function, coaching team members, managing workload allocation, and embedding modern drawing control processes across the group.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Engineering & Master Planning: Formulate and maintain long-term site expansion and development strategies across all facilities. Assess site layouts, infrastructure, space, and capacity to maximize potential, optimize energy output, and support commercial growth.
- Design Authority & Technical Governance: Establish, own, and enforce corporate engineering standards. Chair structured design reviews, oversee complex technical models (mass balances, P&IDs, process flow diagrams), and hold site teams and EPC contractors accountable to rigid standards.
- Team Leadership & CAD Management: Provide direct line management, mentorship, and workload planning for the central CAD/BIM function. Drive drawing quality control, version management, and document registers, fostering a culture of continuous development and technical excellence.
- Process Safety & Regulatory Leadership: Set the tone for process safety governance across the business. Direct or support HAZOPs for major projects, enforce Control of Change (CoC) frameworks, and ensure complete compliance with COMAH, DSEAR, ATEX, and safe-access regulations.
- Stakeholder & Contractor Influence: Act as the primary technical leader across internal divisions (Operations, Compliance, Projects) and external bodies (regulators, specialist suppliers, and planning authorities). Translate complex engineering concepts into clear strategic decisions for non-technical stakeholders.
- Principal Designer Oversight (CDM 2015): Take on Principal Designer responsibilities for major projects during pre-construction phases, ensuring design risk management and statutory health and safety files are delivered seamlessly.
- Commercial Innovation: Lead the evaluation and adoption of emerging process technologies, digital monitoring, and new revenue streams, building structured business cases for future energy solutions.
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What We Are Looking For
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We are seeking an influential, highly credible engineering manager who combines executive presence with technical authority. You should be a collaborative leader capable of bringing operations, project delivery, and commercial teams together under a unified engineering strategy.
Key Requirements:
- Proven Leadership Record: Strong track record as an Engineering Manager, Head of Function, or Technical Authority managing multi-site operations, team workloads, and corporate governance frameworks.
- Regulated Industry Background: Leadership experience within a process-driven, high-hazard, or regulated infrastructure environment (e.g., Biogas/Biomethane, Industrial Gases, Utilities, Energy, Waste-to-Energy, Circular Economy, or Chemicals).
- Design Authority Credibility: Senior process or design engineering background with the maturity to set, approve, and hold others accountable to process design standards (mass balances, P&IDs, design reviews).
- Safety Leadership: Credible experience embedding process safety governance, Control of Change, and HAZOP oversight across multi-site operating teams (COMAH/DSEAR/ATEX).
- People Management & Coaching: Demonstrated success in line-managing technical staff or drawing office/CAD functions, improving processes and team performance over time.
- Full UK driving licence and willingness to visit operating sites across the UK.
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