Senior Project Engineer — MEP

Senior Project Engineer — MEP

We're working with a major client delivering the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems for one of Europe's most complex tunnel projects, and we're recruiting a Senior Project Engineer to lead technical assurance on the £160 million MEP fit-out of the 5 ventilation shafts and 5 headhouses across the Chiltern Twin-Bore Tunnels.

This is not a support role. You own the MEP engineering risk. Your job is to verify that MEP systems meet HS2's technical requirements, standards and contractual obligations and to enforce compliance when they don't. You review technical solutions, assess contractor deliverables, conduct spot-checks during installation and commissioning, and determine when works are built correctly. You make autonomous decisions within your delegated authority: deciding on departures, assessing defects under the NEC3 contract, reporting non-compliance. You also hold formal legal duties under the Construction Design Management Regulations 2015 as Principal Designer Representative and NEC3 Supervisor.

You manage day-to-day technical communication with the contractor, resolve technical queries, represent the client's position when working on site at the shafts or in their offices, and escalate engineering risks clearly. You'll work with a small direct team (0-2 people), but coordinate activity across a wider network  approximately 10-20 people indirectly supporting assurance work, plus Subject Matter Experts within the client, other Senior Project Engineers on neighbouring tunnel contracts, railway systems engineers, and the Align JV partners.

The two things that create most complexity are: delivery of highly technical MEP systems through a major JV over whom you have contractual but not operational control (you drive compliance through technical credibility and contractual authority, not line management), and multi-disciplinary coordination across constrained shaft and headhouse spaces during design, installation and commissioning.

The right candidate will have Chartered Engineer status (or equivalent professional institution membership) in a mechanical, electrical, or plumbing discipline, proven experience managing engineering and safety standards on large complex infrastructure programmes, and demonstrated ability to manage competing project and engineering demands where cost and schedule implications matter. You'll understand UK construction regulations including CDM, know the regulatory and legislative framework relevant to HS2, and have commercial awareness.

You'll demonstrate problem solving, technical leadership across the MEP disciplines, technical communication, sound decision-making and effective information management
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed