Mechanical Principal Engineer

Job Title: Mechanical Principal Engineer / Discipline Head
Location: Manchester, UK
Contract Type: Permanent

We are looking for an experienced Principal Mechanical Engineer to take a leading technical role within a multidisciplinary design team in the water sector.

This position is suited to a Chartered Engineer with strong design experience who enjoys solving complex engineering problems, guiding design teams, and ensuring high standards of technical delivery.

You will lead Mechanical engineering design across projects, mentor engineers at different stages of their careers, and provide technical leadership for the Mechanical discipline across water industry frameworks. The role combines hands-on principal-level design and checking work with discipline-wide technical standards, competency and governance responsibilities.

Working closely with Design Leads and the Engineering Manager, you will play a key role in ensuring projects are delivered to high professional and technical standards, while shaping how Mechanical engineering is delivered consistently across all water industry frameworks.

The Role

As Principal Mechanical Engineer, you will take ownership of the Mechanical engineering design input across a range of water sector projects, acting as the technical authority for the Mechanical discipline across the business.

Key Responsibilities

Design Delivery & Technical Assurance
- Ensuring design deliverables meet safety, quality and regulatory requirements
- Reviewing and approving design deliverables, design risk assessments (DRAs), reports and technical specifications
- Developing efficient and practical engineering solutions based on scopes, site visits and client requirements
- Communicating design solutions clearly to clients and project teams
- Directing and supporting engineers, CAD technicians and graduates
- Guiding design work to ensure compliance with technical standards, professional guidance and water company specifications
- Ensuring design changes are properly implemented and recorded within project documentation
- Working within established design processes and procedures to maintain quality and consistency
- Attending and presenting engineering solutions at design reviews and key meetings
- Reviewing, or appointing competent checkers for Mechanical designs produced in-house or by subcontracted designers, to ensure compliance with required technical standards

Discipline Leadership & Technical Governance
- Setting, communicating and maintaining Mechanical engineering technical standards across all live projects
- Verifying the technical competency of Mechanical engineering staff before they are allocated to projects
- Monitoring discipline engineers' performance and utilisation
- Identifying training needs and supporting CPD planning for the Mechanical engineering team
- Coordinating with other discipline leads on cross-discipline interface items, to ensure clear ownership where scope overlaps
- Estimating Mechanical design hours at tender stage, and supporting resource forecasting and capacity planning across active projects
- Reviewing and interpreting technical standards, procedures and updates relevant to the Mechanical discipline
- Championing safety-in-design principles within Mechanical engineering, ensuring CDM 2015 designer duties are embedded across all design and checking activity
- Providing key technical guidance for both projects and tenders
- Supporting the continuous improvement of engineering standards and design practices

Requirements

About You

We are looking for an experienced Mechanical Engineer with strong knowledge of water industry design and a track record of leading engineering solutions and providing discipline-wide technical leadership.

Essential
- 10+ years' design experience within the regulated water industry
- Degree or HND in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline
- Chartered Engineer status
- Experience producing hydraulic calculations and hydraulic profiles
- Strong understanding of water and wastewater engineering systems and technologies
- Experience delivering both infrastructure and non-infrastructure designs
- Experience working on outline and detailed design stages
- Knowledge of construction methods, materials and engineering drawing practices
- Strong IT and digital design capability
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle

Desirable
- Previous experience in a Discipline Lead, Technical Authority or Principal Engineer role
- Experience supporting the technical development of junior engineers
- Familiarity with client-specific technical standards across multiple water company frameworks
- Experience as an independent checker across multiple disciplines or projects
- Familiarity with BIM / common data environment workflows
- Experience contributing to recruitment, onboarding or competency framework development
- Experience working in a design-centre or framework consultancy model