Senior Associate Mechanical Engineer – Client‑Facing Lead

Hoare Lea; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-day fortnight

Private medical cover

Electric vehicle salary sacrifice

Stock options

25 days annual leave

Flexible and hybrid working

Professional and technical development

Networking events

Job summary

Hoare Lea in Reading or Bournemouth is seeking an Associate Mechanical Engineer to deliver high‑quality, sustainable mechanical design across building services projects. You will join our Mechanical team based in Bournemouth or Reading, with a longstanding regional presence and a strong focus on professional development.

The role offers a senior level pathway, client leadership responsibilities, and exposure to cutting edge healthcare, data centre and commercial developments.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical/Building Services Engineering or equivalent.
• Chartered status desirable or working towards.
• Extensive project & client leadership experience.
• Strong technical competence in mechanical building services, working to applicable regulations and design guides.
• Ability to lead integrated design teams, coordinate with other disciplines and deliver technically accurate designs.
• Excellent client-facing, written and verbal communication skills; able to manage difficult situations.
• Demonstrable commercial awareness: monitor project costs, identify/mitigate risks and contribute to profitable delivery.
• Proven people leadership: motivate, delegate and develop team members — leads projects.
• Highly organised with strong planning skills; able to work under own initiative and deliver to demanding timescales.
• IT literate with proficiency in industry software and BIM workflows.

Responsibilities

• Act as primary client contact for projects; define and agree briefs and represent Hoare Lea professionally at project meetings.
• Promote Hoare Lea’s services to create opportunities and support customer objectives.
• Lead and coordinate project teams (including specialist groups), prioritise workloads and host/ chair internal project meetings.
• Deliver profitable, high‑quality schemes; monitor project expenditure, report costs and resource needs to line managers/partners.
• Delegate, review and check work from junior staff; contribute to staff development and performance objectives.
• Maintain awareness of consultant appointment conditions, procurement routes and commercial risks; identify and mitigate business risks.
• Contribute to technical knowledge sharing across the firm and ensure technical accuracy and compliance with relevant standards.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with clients, consultants and contractors to support repeat business and growth.

Skills

Project leadership

Client leadership

Mechanical building services

Team leadership

Client communication

Commercial awareness

People development

Time management

BIM workflows

Education

Degree in Mechanical/Building Services Engineering

Chartered status desirable

Tools

BIM workflows

Job description

Hoare Lea in Reading or Bournemouth is seeking an Associate Mechanical Engineer to deliver high‑quality, sustainable mechanical design across building services projects. You will join our Mechanical team based in Bournemouth or Reading, with a longstanding regional presence and a strong focus on professional development.

The role offers a senior level pathway, client leadership responsibilities, and exposure to cutting edge healthcare, data centre and commercial developments.