Lead HVAC Mechanical Engineer

Zutari; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Zutari in Pretoria seeks an experienced Senior Mechanical/HVAC Engineer to lead HVAC design across multiple buildings and infrastructure projects. You will set strategy, supervise design deliverables, and ensure alignment with safety, energy efficiency, and client requirements.

You will mentor engineers, manage scope and budgets, coordinate with electrical, civil, and other disciplines, and drive continuous improvement in technical governance and digital maturity across projects.

Qualifications

• BSc/BEng, or MSc/MEng in Mechanical Engineering.
• Active professional registration with a certified engineering body.
• 10–12 years’ HVAC design leadership experience on complex projects.
• Experience acting as HVAC lead with accountability for technical integrity and client coordination.
• Experience managing HVAC scope within fee, programme, and quality parameters.

Responsibilities

• Set the engineering strategy, design/shop drawings/quality assurance for HVAC across project stages.
• Approve and sign off critical HVAC decisions ensuring safety, compliance, coordination, and energy efficiency.
• Oversee and sign off calculations, reports, schematics, and design documentation.
• Lead design execution, deliverable quality, and cross-discipline integration.
• Coordinate with electrical, public health, structural, civil, fire, architecture and specialists for integrated design.
• Define and control HVAC delivery plan, sequencing, and resource utilisation.
• Forecast and monitor HVAC hours, cost performance, and margin protection.

Skills

HVAC design leadership

Project coordination

Team mentoring

Client-facing

Quality assurance

Education

BSc/BEng or MSc/MEng in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Revit

Mechanical simulation software (HAP/IES)

Job description

Description

Zutari: Co-creating an engineered impact.

Zutari is a well-established, management-owned engineering firm with almost 90 years' experience. As human-centred engineering consultants and advisors, we are trusted by our clients, business partners, communities and other stakeholders across Africa.

We co-create engineering solutions that have a positive impact and improve people's lives. Zutari values inclusion and recognises the importance of a diverse, talented workforce, believing that people need other people to succeed.

What kind of talent do we pursue?

We employ people with the right attitude and a positive mindset, who are motivated by doing the right thing, getting things done and share a sense of urgency. People who have an impact in our teams and broader community. People who think differently and connect with those around them to co-create new opportunities and leave a meaningful legacy.

Role Responsibilities

• Set the engineering strategy, design/shop drawings/quality assurance and control approach, and technical direction for HVAC systems across all project stages.
• Approve and take responsibility for all critical HVAC decisions, ensuring solutions are safe, compliant, coordinated, maintainable, and energy‑efficient.
• Oversee and sign off the discipline’s calculations, reports, schematics, specifications, and design documentation.
• Drive continuous improvement in HVAC engineering methods, standards, technical governance, digital maturity, and risk‑based decision‑making.
• Lead design execution, deliverable quality, technical completeness, and integration across HVAC workstreams, ensuring adherence to programme, scope, and budget.
• Coordinate proactively with electrical, Public health, structural, civil, fire, architecture and specialist teams to ensure early interface alignment and a fully integrated design.
• Define and control the HVAC delivery plan, including sequencing, work allocation, stage‑gate reviews, design decisions, and resource utilisation.
• Identify and address delivery risks early (technical, programme, commercial, performance, or interface), escalating appropriately and implementing corrective actions decisively.
• Provide construction-phase oversight, including RFI responses, technical clarifications, design deviation evaluation, site inspections, commissioning oversight (FAT/SAT), and ensuring final installation meets design intent and operational requirements.
• Align discipline delivery with fee budgets, scope boundaries, and commercial assumptions before detailed design begins.
• Enforce change-control discipline, ensuring all scope shifts, risks, or rework drivers are identified, documented, communicated, and commercially managed.
• Forecast and monitor HVAC discipline hours, cost performance, and resource utilisation, ensuring margin protection and avoidance of non‑recoverable effort.
• Support Project Executives in fee proposals, pricing strategies, variation claims, and Mechanical/HVAC‑specific commercial negotiations with clients and contractors.
• Ensure all engineering decisions support commercially viable delivery and do not compromise financial performance.
• Act as the primary Mechanical/ HVAC representative for assigned projects, leading client discussions, workshops, reviews, and technical decision‑making.
• Provide clear, structured advice that helps clients understand trade‑offs, technical risks, value‑optimisation options, compliance requirements, and performance outcomes.
• Maintain strong, trust‑based relationships by ensuring transparency, proactive communication, timely decision inputs, and reliable delivery performance.
• Represent Zutari EX with professionalism and authority in all external technical engagements, enhancing client confidence and enabling future work.
• Lead and mentor engineers, technologists, and technicians, ensuring clarity of expectations, disciplined delivery, and strong technical development.
• Assign work effectively based on capability, workload, and risk, ensuring quality and performance standards are consistently met.
• Provide structured technical feedback, support performance reviews, and identify development needs across the team.
• Contribute to recruitment, onboarding, and succession planning to strengthen long‑term Mechnical/HVAC discipline capability.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, technical excellence, accountability, and collaboration across the team.
• Identify future opportunities during project delivery by maintaining strong client engagement and understanding evolving client needs.
• Provide discipline‑specific input to bids, proposals, and fee estimates, including design strategies, assumptions, risks, and competitive differentiators.
• Ensure high-quality delivery that strengthens Zutari EX reputation and drives repeat business from satisfied clients.
• Advise discipline and sector leadership on emerging market trends, capability gaps, and opportunities aligned with the business strategy.
• Support early pursuit discussions by providing informed, technically grounded perspectives on feasibility, scope, risks, and value creation.

Minimum Requirements

• BSc/BEng, or MSc/MEng in Mechanical Engineering.
• Minimum requirements: Active professional registration with a certified engineering body
• Minimum of 10 to 12 years’ experience delivering and leading HVAC engineering design on complex building or infrastructure projects across multiple sectors (e.g., commercial, industrial and healthcare).
• Demonstrated experience acting as the HVAC lead on projects, with accountability for technical integrity, delivery performance, multi‑disciplinary integration, and client‑facing coordination.
• Proven experience managing HVAC scope within fee, programme, and quality parameters, including hours forecasting, scope control, and early identification of commercial or delivery risks.
• Proven experience managing three or more proficiently registered Mechanical/HVAC engineers.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience mentored and developed junior engineers.
• Strong understanding of local, international codes and standards, preferably including those applicable to South Africa, Middle East and Europe.
• Strong technical and view of building services, focussing mainly on Mechanical (HVAC).
• Strong proficiency in Revit would be an advantage working on your projects.
• Strong proficiency in mechanical simulation software is highly advantageous. [HAP/IES]
• Being confident, a team player, approachable.
• Minimum of 1 to 2 years’ experience developing shop drawings.

We believe that a diverse workforce is key to our business success. We seek the best people for our jobs based on their skills, qualifications, and experience. We embrace the principle of equal opportunity in employment, and we work towards eliminating all forms of unlawful discrimination in our employment practices. In support of diversity and the equal opportunity principle, preference will be given to individuals from designated groups within South Africa