Principal Mechanical Engineer

High Power Media Ltd; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension scheme

Flexible benefits scheme

Two Social Impact Days

Job summary

Amey is recruiting a permanent Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead Building Services design within the Consulting Built Environment team. The role covers condition surveys, feasibility studies, design briefs and technical oversight of sub‑consultants across multiple UK offices.

You will lead on design, manage delivery and budgets, mentor junior staff, and liaise with clients at senior levels. A strong background in HVAC and building services is required, with CIBSE accreditation being

Qualifications

• Senior/Lead Engineer or equivalent with building services experience.
• Ability to lead technical teams and mentor junior staff.
• Experience across multiple sectors (Rail, MoD, MoJ, NHS, Education).

Responsibilities

• Lead technical team delivering mechanical/building services designs.
• Mentor junior staff and supervise outputs.
• Oversee designs, calculations, drawings and documentation to meet quality and cost targets.
• Manage budgets and project delivery across multiple locations.

Skills

Building services

Leadership

Client liaison

Engineering software

Risk management

Education

HNC/HND in building services

CEng/IEng with CIBSE

Tools

AutoCAD

Amtech

Hevacomp

Cymap

TAS

IES

Revit

Job description

Requisition ID:10715

Your New Role

We have a fantastic opportunity for a permanent Principal Mechanical Engineer to join our Consulting team. With shared office space in Birmingham, Telford, Manchester, Stafford, Sheffield and Bristol, we welcome applications from Principal Engineers across these regions.

At Amey we have ambitious growth plans for our Consulting Built Environment team and are looking to recruit a Principal Engineer to lead on Building Services design. Typical day‑to‑day duties will include undertaking condition surveys and feasibility studies, developing scope of works and design briefs with clients, advising on the technical elements of projects, site inspections during construction and technical oversight of sub‑consultants.

We deliver projects to a wide range of clients, including the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Local Authorities, National Health Service (NHS), Transport, Education, Transport for Wales, Housing and Utilities sectors.

The standard hours of work are 40 Hours per week.

We offer a range of flexible working practices, including hybrid, part‑time and flexible working patterns. With our network of offices across the UK, we are open to discussing working options that match your needs, with the flexibility to change how you work as your life evolves.

Key responsibilities:

• Acts as a technical team leader, producing and overseeing technically sound engineering deliverables that comply with standards and client requirements.
• Works independently while supervising and mentoring junior staff, taking responsibility for their outputs.
• Demonstrates competencies aligned with the Principal Engineer role, actively pursuing development toward promotion.
• Manages delivery of mechanical and building services elements on multi‑disciplinary projects across sectors such as Rail, Transportation, MoJ, MoD, and Education.
• Leads the preparation, checking, and approval of designs, calculations, drawings, and documentation, ensuring quality, cost, and programme objectives are met.
• Holds accountability for the commercial performance of projects, including budget control and cost management.
• Acts as Design Team Lead, maintaining a full understanding of project scope on both minor and major projects.
• Liaises effectively with clients and suppliers at senior level, including presenting technical and commercial proposals.
• Plays a key role in work winning, leading bids and preparing technical and commercial submissions with accountability to the delivery director.
• Applies engineering principles to complex or ambiguous situations, adapting concepts to reach robust outcomes.
• Demonstrates strong capability with engineering software and analytical tools, including checking others’ work and approving new tools.
• Exhibits excellent communication, CDM knowledge, risk management, interface coordination, and can assume people management responsibilities when required.

What you will bring to us:

• Builds and maintains strong external business relationships, using a personal network to support bidding, supplier engagement and wider business benefit.
• Communicates with clarity and influence, presenting confidently to peers, senior colleagues and clients, delivering training, and tailoring communication to different audiences and situations.
• Applies advanced engineering theory to complex or ambiguous problems, adapting concepts to achieve correct outcomes and resolving discipline interface clashes effectively.
• Leads design and specification processes, fully understanding project scope and acting as Design Team Lead on both minor and major projects.
• Demonstrates high‑level technical expertise, including deep knowledge of mechanical building services (HVAC etc.), and experience as a Senior/Lead Engineer or equivalent.
• Proficient with key engineering software (AutoCAD, Amtech, Hevacomp, Cymap, TAS, IES; Revit advantageous), able to check others’ work and validate new tools.
• Strong understanding of CDM and risk management, capable of acting as Principal Designer and managing hazards, risks and mitigation strategies across projects.
• Experienced in health, safety and welfare compliance, including Integrated Management Systems and CDM Regulations, and able to act as engineering lead (e.g., CEM for Network Rail).
• Effective leader and people manager, able to supervise, mentor and influence multidisciplinary teams across locations, and coordinate training and professional development.
• Makes sound, timely decisions, demonstrating strong judgement, problem‑solving ability, and the capacity to cut through complexity to identify root causes.
• Plans and prioritises effectively, aligning work with organisational goals, anticipating bottlenecks, and ensuring well‑sequenced delivery.
• Drives continuous improvement, optimising processes, monitoring performance, preventing recurrence of issues, and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Delivers high‑quality mechanical design solutions, working independently when required and supporting team members in a multidisciplinary environment.
• Maintains excellent supplier knowledge, ensuring up‑to‑date understanding of services through regular engagement.
• Holds relevant qualifications and credentials, including HNC/HND or degree in building services, CSCS card, and professional membership (CEng/IEng with CIBSE or equivalent).

We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates. If you have most but not all of these skills and experiences, we encourage you to apply, and we will provide you with development or training to support you.

What we can offer

Our benefits are designed to help you thrive at work and in your home life. You will have the flexibility to choose benefits and development opportunities that are best for you.

Some of our benefits include:

• Exceptional personal development, training and progression plans, designed to allow you to shine in your career, all in line with your personal ambition

• Competitive salary and compensation

• Generous pension scheme, with extra contributions from Amey

• 24 days annual leave, plus bank holidays

• Flexible benefits scheme, including the option to buy additional annual leave and insurance benefits, Cycle2Work scheme and access to discounted gym membership

• Our Save with Amey programme gives you access to thousands of discounts from leading retailers to help you save on shopping, days out, or nights in

• Family friendly policies for new parents or if you provide care for a dependant

• Membership of our Affinity Networks who connect, support and inspire diverse communities within Amey

• Two Social Impact Days each year, for volunteering and fundraising opportunities