M&E Design Director

James Lewis Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruitment agency is seeking an experienced M&E Design Director to take charge of the design function in a building services-focused firm. This role requires expertise in M&E design and delivery, with a focus on commercial, healthcare, and mission-critical projects. You'll oversee design governance, ensuring projects are compliant and commercially viable, while developing a high-performing team. Strong leadership skills and a proven track record are essential for success in this position.

Qualifications

• Strong track record in a senior MEP design leadership role (e.g., Design Director, Head of Design).
• Leading multi-disciplinary design teams and managing multiple concurrent projects.
• Understanding how design decisions impact cost, programme, risk, and delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design function across various M&E projects.
• Ensure compliance, coordination, and buildability of designs.
• Engage with clients and stakeholders to shape project strategies.

Skills

MEP design and delivery

Strong commercial awareness

Risk management

Design leadership

Job description

M&E Design Director

£120,000 - £140,000 + car allowance + bonus | Building Services | Commercial, Healthcare, Mission-Critical

We're recruiting an M&E Design Director to lead the design function across a building services-led principal contractor. You'll take ownership of design governance from bid stage through detailed design, coordination, technical assurance and design handover support, ensuring every scheme is compliant, coordinated, buildable, and commercially sound. Working closely with clients, consultants, supply chain, preconstruction and delivery teams, you'll shape project strategies, drive design quality, and help win work—while building and developing a high-performing design team.

What you'll be delivering

• Design leadership and assurance across all M&E projects, ensuring consistency, compliance and technical excellence.
• Clear, robust project briefs, feasibility studies, option appraisals and design strategies that set projects up for success.
• Fully coordinated MEP designs from concept through technical design, aligned to client requirements, programme and budget.
• Strong management of design procurement and consultant appointments—scope, deliverables, design responsibility, fees and programme.
• Proactive design risk identification, mitigation planning and clear compliance pathways.
• Value-led design outcomes: value engineering, buildability improvements and whole-life thinking without compromising performance.
• Trusted client engagement that supports repeat business and new opportunities through confident technical leadership.
• A capable design team with clear objectives, development pathways and performance management.

What you'll need strong knowledge in

• MEP design and delivery across commercial, healthcare and mission-critical projects.
• UK codes and standards including Building Regulations, CIBSE, relevant British Standards, HTMs (healthcare), SFG20, and water hygiene.
• Design management through RIBA Stages 1-6, including multi-discipline coordination and specialist integration.
• Procurement routes and supply chain engagement for MEP consultants, commissioning/IST partners, and specialist subcontractors.
• Risk management, value engineering methods, and lifecycle/whole-life costing principles.
• Design-side understanding of testing, commissioning, IST, and handover requirements for complex M&E systems.

What you'll need proven experience in

• A strong track record in a senior MEP design leadership role (e.g. Design Director, Head of Design, Technical Director, Head of Engineering) within a contractor, consultant, or developer environment.
• Leading multi-disciplinary design teams and managing multiple concurrent projects and stakeholders.
• Setting, negotiating and managing scopes, deliverables, programme and fees with consultants and specialist partners.
• Supporting bids and work-winning through technical input, design strategy, and client-facing presentations.
• Strong commercial awareness—understanding how design decisions impact cost, programme, risk and delivery.
• A leadership style that influences senior stakeholders, supports delivery teams, and develops engineers at all levels.

Interested? Send your CV in confidence and we'll walk you through the role, team structure and progression in detail.