Lead Mechanical Engineer

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering; Leiston; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Medical health cover

Company car or car allowance

Discretionary annual bonus

25 days annual leave plus bank holidys

Pension savings schemes

Enhanced maternity/paternity and…

Job summary

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering leads a major clean energy project in Leiston, Suffolk, delivering safe, reliable mechanical plant operations for 60 years of low-carbon electricity.

The Lead Mechanical Engineer will supervise mechanical teams, oversee maintenance, inspections and repairs, and ensure compliance with RAMS, OEM standards, and BB policies across piling rigs and associated plant equipment.

Qualifications

• Significant experience with heavy construction plant, piling rigs, or similar specialist equipment.
• Proven experience in a supervisory or lead mechanical engineering role.
• Strong diagnostic capability across mechanical and hydraulic plant systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate mechanical maintenance and repair activities across project plant and equipment.
• Ensure plant equipment is safe, compliant, reliable, and operating at optimal performance levels.
• Oversee planned preventative maintenance programmes and effective breakdown response.
• Provide technical guidance and support for complex mechanical, hydraulic and associated system faults.
• Allocate work, manage priorities, and ensure efficient use of resources across multiple work fronts.

Skills

Leadership

Diagnostic capability

Stakeholder management

Communication

Health & safety knowledge

Education

NVQ Level 3 in Construction Plant Maintenance

CPCS or NPORS qualifications

IOSH Managing Safely

Job description

About The Role

Lead Mechanical Engineer

Location: Leiston, Suffolk.

Be part of this ‘once in a generation’ project that will deliver clean energy to 6 million homes for the next 60 years. Sizewell C will see the creation of a 3.2 Gigawatt nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast to provide reliable low‑carbon electricity.

The Civil Works Alliance is an extended delivery enterprise involving Sizewell C and three international construction companies: Balfour Beatty, Bouygues Travaux Publics and Laing O’Rourke. We are bringing together a single delivery organisation with years of learning and experience from other major complex infrastructure programmes worldwide.

Role Purpose

To lead, manage and coordinate all mechanical plant engineering activities across the project, ensuring the safe, efficient and reliable operation of piling rigs and associated plant equipment. The role provides technical leadership, supervises mechanical teams and ensures all maintenance, inspection and repair activities are delivered in line with project requirements, OEM standards and Balfour Beatty policies.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead and coordinate mechanical maintenance and repair activities across project plant and equipment;
• Ensure plant equipment is safe, compliant, reliable, and operating at optimal performance levels;
• Oversee planned preventative maintenance programmes and effective breakdown response;
• Provide technical guidance and support for complex mechanical, hydraulic and associated system faults;
• Ensure inspection, maintenance, and repair works are completed in line with RAMS, OEM guidance, and company standards;
• Supervise, direct, and support mechanical engineers, fitters, subcontractors, and plant teams;
• Allocate work, manage priorities, and ensure efficient use of resources across multiple work fronts;
• Promote high standards of workmanship, safety, mentoring, and right‑first‑time delivery;
• Ensure full compliance with health, safety, environmental, quality and maintenance documentation requirements;
• Support plant operations in line with project programme, cost, quality and performance targets;
• Monitor plant performance, defects, downtime and repair trends to identify improvements and inform decision‑making;
• Provide accurate maintenance records, inspection reports, job tracking updates and regular reports to project and plant leadership teams.

Qualifications and Experience

• Significant experience working with heavy construction plant, piling rigs, or similar specialist equipment;
• Proven experience in a supervisory or lead mechanical engineering role;
• Strong diagnostic capability across mechanical, hydraulic and associated plant systems;
• Sound understanding of plant maintenance best practice and health and safety legislation;
• Ability to lead teams across multiple sites and work effectively within a joint venture or complex project environment;
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with confidence to engage across teams and suppliers;
• NVQ Level 3, or equivalent, in Construction Plant Maintenance, Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline;
• Relevant CPCS or NPORS qualifications would be advantageous;
• IOSH Managing Safely, OEM training or other relevant plant training would be desirable;
• A results‑driven, collaborative, customer‑focused approach, with a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary;
• Medical health cover;
• Company car or car allowance;
• Discretionary annual bonus;
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays;
• Pension savings schemes;
• Enhanced maternity/paternity and family‑friendly policies;
• Access to our Refer and Earn scheme;
• Annual salary reviews.

About Us

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering is one of the UK’s leading specialist geo‑technical contractors, providing innovative piling and ground improvement solutions across all sectors. Our comprehensive ground engineering capabilities, equipment and experience support the foundations for infrastructure projects of any height, from city skyscrapers to cross‑country rail and road projects.

We have delivered projects including HS2, The Shard, Wembley Stadium, Reading Station Viaduct, Marble Arch Place, Battersea Power Station redevelopment and the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement project.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone D&I Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of identity or background.

Equal Opportunities

We are a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and reservists. We are also a Disability Confident Employer and are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long‑term health conditions, offering interview opportunities to those who meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more information, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/.