Principal Building Physics Engineer

Stantec UK Careers; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Stantec is seeking a Principal Building Physics Engineer to lead and grow our national capability across the Southwest, with weekly travel to the Plymouth office. The role combines technical leadership, project advisory, and discipline specialization in building physics, energy strategy, and sustainable design decisions.

You will mentor teams, oversee complex modelling, and drive integration across MEP, architecture and sustainability workflows while engaging clients and stakeholders across the

Qualifications

• Extensive experience delivering building physics and energy modelling in a consultancy.
• Advanced proficiency in IES-VE including complex simulation, calibration, and modelling QA.
• Strong understanding of passive design, low-carbon buildings, façade performance and dynamic environmental behaviour.
• Demonstrable project leadership experience and ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Excellent communication skills with the confidence to engage clients and present technical information clearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical delivery of building physics workstreams across large and complex projects.
• Oversee dynamic modelling (IES-VE, TAS, DesignBuilder) including thermal, energy, daylight, overheating, natural ventilation, and comfort analysis.
• Develop and review energy strategies, operational energy assessments (TM54), embodied carbon considerations, and net-zero design solutions.
• Provide expert guidance on façade performance, passive design strategies, solar control, and building fabric optimisation.
• Ensure compliance with relevant UK regulations (Part L, TM52/TM59, EPC requirements) and support BREEAM/WELL/LEED credits.
• Author high-quality technical reports and present findings to clients, design partners and stakeholders.

Skills

Project leadership

Client-facing

Communication

Mentoring

Education

Degree in Building Physics

MSc/MEng preferred

Tools

IES-VE

TAS

DesignBuilder

Job description

We are recruiting a Principal Building Physics Engineer to help lead and grow our national capability across the Southwest. Working closely with the senior leadership team, the role will ideally require weekly travel to the Plymouth office.

About The Team:

Our Building Physics specialists play a critical role in shaping our design strategy influencing early-stage decisions, driving energy performance, and ensuring our solutions stand up to technical scrutiny. We work across a broad portfolio that includes science & technology, healthcare, education, commercial, transport hubs, and regeneration projects throughout the UK and internationally.

At Stantec, we create the connections that get people and communities moving. Across our Buildings & Sustainability teams, we design high-performing, low-carbon, human-centred environments. Our collaborative culture brings together engineers, designers, modellers and sustainability specialists to deliver buildings that are resilient, efficient, and ready for a net-zero future.

When we say community, we mean everybody with a stake in the work we do from the clients we collaborate with across many sectors, to the populations we reach, to the thousands of us working together to serve them.

Our promise, our values, and our voice support our purpose and guide us in all that we do.

We are defined by more than our services. We are defined by what we stand for, what we believe, and why we do what we do. We make a difference in the world by creating communities.

This is our purpose, learn more here:

Purpose & Values | Stantec

The Opportunity:

As a Principal Building Physics Engineer at Stantec, you will act as a technical leader, project advisor, and discipline specialist guiding clients and internal design teams through building performance, energy strategy, façade optimisation, and sustainable design decisions.

You will provide strategic input at concept stage, oversee complex modelling and simulation activities, and drive the integration of building physics principles across MEP, architecture and sustainability workflows.

You’ll also have a key role in mentoring our growing team and supporting the long-term development of our national Building Physics offer.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Delivery:

• Lead the technical delivery of building physics workstreams across large and complex projects.
• Oversee dynamic modelling (IES-VE, TAS, DesignBuilder) including thermal, energy, daylight, overheating, natural ventilation, and comfort analysis.
• Develop and review energy strategies, operational energy assessments (TM54), embodied carbon considerations, and net-zero design solutions.
• Provide expert guidance on façade performance, passive design strategies, solar control, and building fabric optimisation.
• Ensure compliance with relevant UK regulations (Part L, TM52/TM59, EPC requirements) and support BREEAM/WELL/LEED credits.
• Author high-quality technical reports and present findings to clients, design partners and stakeholders.

Client & Project Leadership:

• Act as a key client-facing representative for building performance and sustainability topics.
• Support bidding, project scoping, programme planning and technical strategy for major opportunities.
• Build long-term relationships with public- and private-sector clients including developers, local authorities, universities, healthcare trusts and major infrastructure bodies.

Team Development & Mentoring:

• Mentor and develop graduates, building physics engineers and early-career sustainability specialists.
• Provide internal technical training and champion excellence in building physics across the UK offices.
• Contribute to shaping Stantecs national building physics capability, thought leadership, and innovation roadmap.

About You:

Essential:

• Extensive experience delivering building physics and energy modelling work in a consultancy environment.
• Advanced proficiency in IES-VE (or equivalent) including complex simulation, calibration, and modelling QA.
• Strong technical understanding of passive design, low-carbon buildings, façade performance and dynamic environmental behaviour.
• Demonstrable project leadership experience and ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Excellent communication skills with the confidence to engage clients and present technical information clearly.

Desirable:

• Experience supporting net-zero carbon strategies, operational energy modelling, heat decarbonisation or embodied carbon analysis.
• Knowledge of digital tools, parametric modelling or workflow automation.
• Experience in mentoring and line management.

Qualifications:

• Degree (and ideally MSc/MEng) in Building Physics, Mechanical/Environmental Engineering, Building Services Engineering or related field.
• Chartership (CEng) via CIBSE, IMechE or equivalent