Mechanical Engineering Lead

RG Setsquare; Coventry; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

RG Setsquare is seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineering Lead to support a hospital estate in Coventry, with occasional travel to Rugby. The role emphasises hands‑on, technical leadership rather than people management, acting as the recognised mechanical technical authority.

You will mentor engineers, guide complex decisions, ensure compliance and improve the reliability of building services within a 24/7 hospital environment.

Qualifications

• Recognised mechanical apprenticeship and relevant qualifications.
• Extensive experience in mechanical building services or complex estates.
• AP responsibilities and safe systems of work knowledge.
• Strong fault-finding and diagnostic skills.
• Experience with complex mechanical plant and infrastructure.
• Understanding of compliance, maintenance standards and risk.
• Ability to act as technical authority and influence decisions.
• Excellent communication and mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as Mechanical SME and technical authority across the contract.
• Diagnose and resolve complex mechanical faults and plant issues.
• Provide technical assurance to operational teams.
• Support statutory compliance, asset management and lifecycle planning.
• Lead root cause investigations and implement permanent fixes.
• Develop and improve maintenance standards and safe systems of work.
• Mentor engineers and share technical knowledge.
• Provide technical support for escalated operational issues and on-call rota.

Skills

Mechanical engineering expertise

Technical authority

Fault-finding

Mentoring engineers

Communication skills

Education

Mechanical apprenticeship

Engineering qualifications

Job description

Engineering Lead - Mechanical

Coventry

Occasional travel to Rugby

The Opportunity

We are currently recruiting for an experienced Mechanical Engineering Lead to join the engineering team supporting a hospital in Coventry, with occasional travel to a site in Rugby.

This is an excellent opportunity for a technically strong Mechanical Engineer to take on a senior specialist role within a complex, critical healthcare environment. You will act as the recognised mechanical technical authority across the estate, providing expert guidance on complex engineering issues, supporting compliance and improving the reliability of essential building services.

Importantly, this is a hands‑on technical leadership position rather than a traditional people management role. You will remain closely involved in engineering operations while providing technical direction, mentoring fellow engineers and supporting key engineering decisions across a busy 24/7 hospital environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the Mechanical Subject Matter Expert and technical authority across the contract.
• Diagnose, investigate and resolve complex mechanical engineering faults and critical plant issues.
• Provide technical assurance, advice and guidance to operational engineering teams.
• Support statutory compliance, asset management and lifecycle planning activities.
• Lead root cause analysis investigations, identifying underlying issues and implementing permanent corrective solutions.
• Develop and improve engineering standards, maintenance procedures and safe systems of work.
• Ensure mechanical systems are maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, technical standards and site requirements.
• Support the reliability, performance and resilience of critical mechanical infrastructure.
• Mentor and coach engineers, sharing technical knowledge and improving engineering capability across the team.
• Provide technical support for complex engineering decisions and escalated operational issues.
• Participate in the senior technical on‑call and escalation rota.

About You

We are looking for an experienced mechanical engineering professional who combines strong technical knowledge with the confidence to advise on complex engineering matters.

You will ideally have:

• A recognised mechanical engineering apprenticeship and relevant engineering qualifications.
• Significant experience in mechanical building services, facilities management or another complex engineering environment.
• Previous Authorised Person (AP) responsibilities and a strong understanding of safe systems of work.
• Extensive fault‑finding, diagnostic and problem‑solving experience.
• Experience working with complex mechanical plant, equipment and infrastructure.
• A strong understanding of engineering compliance, maintenance standards and operational risk.
• The ability to act as a technical authority, providing clear guidance and influencing engineering decisions.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to mentor and support other engineers.

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of Healthcare Technical Memoranda (HTM) or equivalent Ministry of Defence (MOD) engineering standards.
• Experience with energy centres, steam systems, boilers, water services, ventilation or other specialist mechanical infrastructure.
• Previous experience within a hospital, healthcare estate or PFI contract.
• Professional engineering membership and additional technical qualifications.
• Asbestos awareness certification.

Why Apply?

This role offers the opportunity to take ownership of mechanical engineering standards and technical performance across a major acute hospital estate. You will work on complex building services where engineering reliability, safety and compliance are essential to the delivery of healthcare.

It would suit an experienced Mechanical Engineer or Authorised Person looking to step into a senior technical specialist position without moving away from hands‑on engineering.