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Senior Mechanical Design Engineer | Principal Mechanical Design Engineer | Mechanical Discipline Lead – Water
Location: Manchester (Hybrid Working Available)
Contract: Permanent or Contract (Outside IR35)
The Opportunity
Our client is a growing engineering design consultancy delivering multidisciplinary projects across the UK water, rail, and utilities sectors. Due to continued growth, they are looking to recruit experienced Senior Mechanical Design Engineers, Principal Mechanical Design Engineers, and Mechanical Discipline Leads to join their Manchester-based team.
This is an excellent opportunity for experienced Mechanical Engineers with a background in the UK water industry to play a key role in delivering major clean water and wastewater projects. Depending on your level, you'll combine hands-on engineering design with technical leadership, mentoring, and discipline governance, helping to shape engineering excellence across multiple water industry frameworks.
Working closely with Design Leads, Project Managers, and multidisciplinary engineering teams, you'll be responsible for delivering innovative, safe, and efficient engineering solutions while supporting the growth and development of the wider team.
The Role
You'll be responsible for producing and leading high-quality mechanical engineering designs that meet client, regulatory, and project requirements.
Key Responsibilities Include:
- Producing mechanical engineering design deliverables that meet safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
- Preparing engineering calculations, technical reports, specifications, and design documentation.
- Producing designs for clean water and wastewater infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects.
- Developing practical and efficient engineering solutions based on client requirements and site investigations.
- Liaising with equipment suppliers and manufacturers, preparing technical specifications, and reviewing tender submissions.
- Preparing scopes of work and reviewing the output of subcontract Mechanical & Electrical design teams.
- Ensuring designs comply with relevant industry standards, water company specifications, and company procedures.
- Managing design changes and ensuring they are fully implemented and documented.
- Estimating design hours and supporting project planning.
- Attending client meetings, design reviews, and technical presentations.
- Working collaboratively with multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver integrated project solutions.
- Mentoring and supporting the development of Engineers, Graduates, and CAD Technicians.
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Principal Engineer / Discipline Lead Responsibilities
At Principal and Discipline Lead level, you'll also:
- Act as the technical authority for the Mechanical Engineering discipline across the business.
- Lead mechanical engineering design across multiple projects and water industry frameworks.
- Review and approve engineering calculations, reports, specifications, and Design Risk Assessments (DRAs).
- Set, maintain, and promote mechanical engineering standards, technical governance, and best practice.
- Ensure design deliverables comply with water company specifications, professional standards, and regulatory requirements.
- Champion Safety in Design principles and embed CDM 2015 Designer responsibilities throughout the design process.
- Verify the technical competency of engineers and support mentoring, CPD, and career development.
- Coordinate with other discipline leads to ensure effective multidisciplinary design delivery.
- Support tender submissions, resource planning, and estimating design hours across projects.
- Drive continuous improvement in engineering quality, technical assurance, and design processes.
About You
We're looking for experienced Mechanical Design Engineers with a strong background in the UK water industry and a passion for delivering high-quality engineering solutions.
Essential
- 5–10+ years' mechanical design experience within the UK regulated water industry.
- Degree, HND, or equivalent qualification in Mechanical Engineering.
- Membership of a relevant professional institution and working towards Chartership (or Chartered Engineer status for Principal roles).
- Experience delivering mechanical designs for water industry projects.
- Experience in clean water and/or wastewater projects.
- Experience across infrastructure and non-infrastructure schemes.
- Strong understanding of engineering drawing practices, construction methods, and materials.
- Good IT and digital engineering skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
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Desirable
- Chartered Engineer (CEng).
- Previous experience as a Principal Engineer, Technical Authority, or Mechanical Discipline Lead.
- Awareness of electrical design and control systems.
- Experience in hydraulic design.
- Experience delivering UMON schemes.
- Experience reviewing subcontractor designs and acting as an independent technical checker.
- Knowledge of BIM and Common Data Environment (CDE) workflows.
- Experience supporting the technical development of Engineers, Graduates, and CAD Technicians.
- Experience contributing to technical governance, competency frameworks, and engineering standards.
- Full UK driving licence.
Why Join?
This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing engineering consultancy delivering essential infrastructure projects across the UK.
You'll benefit from:
- Working on high-profile clean water and wastewater projects.
- Opportunities to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams and influence technical delivery.
- A collaborative environment with genuine opportunities for career progression.
- Involvement in major framework projects across the UK water sector.
- Hybrid working and flexible contract options (Permanent or Outside IR35).
- Competitive salary/day rate and benefits package.
Whether you're an experienced Senior Mechanical Engineer looking to progress, or a Principal Engineer seeking a discipline leadership role, we'd love to hear from you.
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