Savills Management Resources
Head of Engineering (Associate Director) - Kings Cross Estate, London
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Head of Engineering Services
Purpose of the Role
The Head of Engineering Services will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for all engineering functions across the Kings Cross Estate, ensuring the seamless delivery of building services, infrastructure, and sustainability initiatives. This role requires a visionary and strategic thinker, capable of aligning engineering operations with long-term estate objectives, enhancing asset value, and supporting a first-class experience for occupiers, residents, visitors, and stakeholders.
The HES will work hand in glove with the Operations Director, to whom they report on a day-to-day basis. There will be a dotted line to Director of Engineering Services within SMR with a view to ensuring the HES has access to a wider group of specialists and expertise within the wider Savills business to call upon as necessary to perform their role effectively.
The HES will provide clear strategic technical direction, strong, practical leadership, as well as operational planning. This is very much a solutions-focused role, underpinned by sound commercial acumen.
The HES will be directly responsible for managing the senior engineering manager, energy manager, and IT Digital, Innovation and Project Lead.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and deliver a long-term engineering services strategy that supports the estate’s commercial, residential, retail, leisure, and public realm objectives.
- Act as a trusted advisor to the executive team on engineering, technical risks, energy management, and sustainability.
- Drive innovation in engineering solutions, integrating emerging technologies, smart building systems, and sustainable practices.
- Plan, forecast, and manage capital investment programmes and budgets to ensure the estate’s infrastructure is future-proof, resilient, and compliant.
- Lead the commercial management of key hard service contracts, have financial oversight (comprehensive agreements), and lead procurement and compliance at site level.
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Operational Management
- Lead and oversee all building engineering services, including mechanical, electrical, public health, energy, and critical systems.
- Ensure engineering operations comply with statutory regulations, health & safety requirements, and industry best practice.
- Develop and manage performance standards, KPIs, and service-level agreements for in-house teams and third-party contractors.
- Oversee the maintenance strategy, ensuring a balance between reliability, cost efficiency, and sustainability.
Team Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
- Lead a multi-disciplinary engineering team, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Build strong working relationships with occupiers, residents, retailers, local authorities, and service providers.
- Communicate complex engineering concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders, ensuring transparency and collaboration.
Sustainability & Innovation
- Champion the estate’s sustainability and net-zero ambitions, embedding energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies into operations.
- Identify opportunities for renewable energy, circular economy solutions, and intelligent building systems.
- Support the estate’s ESG commitments by integrating sustainable engineering into asset management and development plans.
Health & Safety
- Take and maintain responsibility for Health & Safety compliance for all technical systems and equipment.
- Ensure that every incident and accident is fully recorded, reported (including to insurers) and investigated and any remedial measures diligently attended to.
- Ensure the technical team achieve full compliance with statutory legislation (LOLER) and ensure that all records are fully maintained and available for inspection through DataStation.
- Advise the Estate Director, Operations Director and Savills Technical Director immediately of any potential threats or reputational damage, major incidents or accidents resulting from an issue with the technical aspects of the estate. Report on any tenant-related issue or any issue that could or will involve the HSE or EHO.
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Skills, Knowledge and Experience
Key attributes:
- Strategic thinker with the ability to balance long-term vision with operational realities.
- Commercially astute, with strong financial and budget management skills.
- Collaborative leader who inspires trust, credibility, and engagement.
- Resilient, adaptable, and able to operate effectively in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment.
Essential:
- Proven senior leadership experience in engineering or building services within a large, complex estate or portfolio (e.g., mixed-use, commercial, or critical infrastructure).
- Strong strategic and commercial mindset with the ability to align engineering services with estate-wide business goals.
- Ideally holds H&S qualification ISOH/NEBOSH.
- Fully conversant with Electrical installation and current IEE regulations/ British Standard BS 7671.
- Operational knowledge of critical works and change management systems.
- Operational knowledge of HV/LV Networks and shutdown management.
- Exceptional leadership, influencing, and communication skills, with experience managing large teams and external partners.
- Track record of delivering innovation, sustainability, and value creation through engineering services.
Desirable:
- Chartered Engineer status or equivalent professional qualification.
- Experience in smart building technologies and digital transformation in engineering services.
- Exposure to estates with high public footfall and complex stakeholder environments.
This Job Description is not an exhaustive list of duties, and you will be expected to perform different tasks as necessitated by your role within the organisation and the changes in the wider King’s Cross Estate development.
Working Hours
- 09:00 – 17:30 – Core Hours
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