Senior Design Manager - Mechanical

We are seeking an experienced Senior Design Manager - Mechanical to lead the mechanical and plumbing design delivery for our EPC projects for data center projects. This role sits within the Design Engineering function and is responsible for directing and quality-controlling the work of external engineering consultants, ensuring mechanical and plumbing designs are delivered on time, to budget and in line with technical, safety, and operational standards for mission-critical facilities.

The Mechanical Senior Design Manager acts as the technical authority and single point of accountability for mechanical and plumbing design across assigned projects, working closely with other design disciplines, project delivery teams and both internal and external stakeholders to ensure a fully coordinated, constructible and operationally sound design solution.

Leadership of External Design Consultants

• Direct, brief, and manage external mechanical and plumbing engineering consultants across all project design stages, from concept through to issued-for-construction (IFC) and as-built documentation.

• Set clear design deliverables, quality expectations, and programme milestones for consultants, and hold them accountable against the agreed scope, fee, and schedule.

• Review and critically challenge consultant deliverables - calculations, schematics, drawings, specifications, and equipment schedules - before issue, ensuring technical robustness and compliance.

• Identify design risks, gaps, or underperformance early and drive timely corrective action with consultant teams.

Mechanical & Plumbing Technical Oversight

• Provide senior technical oversight of HVAC and cooling system design for data center environments, including CRAH/CRAC units, chilled water systems, chillers, free/adiabatic cooling, air handling, and airflow management.

• Oversee plumbing, drainage, and fire protection system design (including pre-action and other special hazard suppression systems typical of data center white space and support areas).

• Ensure designs comply with applicable codes, standards, and client/industry requirements (e.g. ASHRAE, local building and mechanical codes, Uptime Institute Tier requirements, and client-specific design criteria).

• Support resiliency, redundancy, and availability targets (e.g. N, N+1, 2N configurations) appropriate to each project's target tier and client specification.

Multi-Discipline Coordination

• Act as the mechanical/plumbing lead within the wider multi-discipline design team, coordinating closely with electrical, structural, civil, architectural, controls, and fire/life-safety disciplines.

• Drive resolution of cross-discipline clashes and interface issues through structured coordination reviews, including BIM/model-based coordination where applicable.

• Ensure mechanical and plumbing design integrates cleanly with construction sequencing, procurement lead times, and site logistics.

Stakeholder & Client Management

• Serve as the primary mechanical/plumbing design point of contact for internal stakeholders (project directors, project managers, construction teams, procurement) and external stakeholders (clients, authorities having jurisdiction, third-party reviewers, and commissioning agents).

• Present design status, key decisions, and risks clearly to stakeholders at design reviews and project governance meetings.

• Support commercial and procurement processes by providing technical input on consultant scopes, equipment selection,and vendor/contractor queries.