MEP Design Manager

Central London | Data Centres | Permanent

£100,000 - £115,000

If you’re an MEP Design Manager who wants to work on data centre projects where design decisions actually matter, this is a strong opportunity.

You’ll be joining a specialist data centre business delivering design, build, installation and managed service solutions across mission-critical environments. The role is based in Central London and will focus on the design development of resilient, scalable and efficient data centre infrastructure.

This is not a role for someone who just moves drawings between consultants. The business needs someone who can lead the mechanical and electrical design process, challenge technical information, coordinate stakeholders and make sure the design can actually be built, commissioned, maintained and operated properly.

The role

You’ll lead the M&E design development of data centre projects from concept through to commissioning and handover.

That means coordinating consultants, specialist subcontractors, vendors, internal project teams and client stakeholders to make sure mechanical and electrical designs meet client requirements, industry standards, sustainability targets, operational resilience objectives and project delivery timelines.

You’ll be working across critical power, cooling, monitoring, controls, fire, security, cabling and associated building services infrastructure, making sure the design is technically robust, commercially sensible and aligned with how the project will actually be delivered on site.

What you’ll be doing

Leading the M&E design process across data centre projects from early-stage design through to commissioning and handover.

Managing and coordinating design consultants, specialist subcontractors, equipment suppliers and technical stakeholders.

Reviewing mechanical and electrical design documentation, drawings, specifications, technical submissions and design deliverables.

Making sure designs comply with project specifications, client standards, regulations and relevant industry requirements.

Driving design optimisation around efficiency, resilience, constructability, maintainability and cost-effectiveness.

Coordinating the design and integration of HV and LV power distribution, UPS systems, battery storage, standby generators and fuel systems.

Overseeing cooling system design, including CRAH, CRAC, chilled water, free cooling, chiller systems and high-density cooling requirements.

Coordinating BMS, EPMS, DCIM, fire detection, fire suppression, security, telecommunications and structured cabling infrastructure.

Acting as the main M&E design contact for clients, project teams, consultants and technical partners.

Chairing design coordination workshops, technical meetings and design review sessions.

Working closely with construction, commissioning and operations teams to make sure the design supports delivery, testing and long-term operation.

Supporting procurement and the technical evaluation of suppliers, subcontractors and major equipment packages.

Identifying design risks early and implementing practical mitigation strategies.

Managing design change control, technical queries, design deliverables and programme milestones.

Supporting commissioning planning, testing activities, project handover and close-out documentation.

Representing the business professionally with clients, consultants, suppliers, subcontractors and third parties.

Maintaining client confidentiality and following project procedures around data protection, information security and controlled project information.

What you’ll need

You’ll need proven experience in M&E design management, building services design or technical design coordination within data centres, mission-critical projects or complex MEP environments.

Strong data centre experience would be a major advantage, especially if you have worked on resilient power, critical cooling, BMS / EPMS / DCIM, fire systems, structured cabling, commissioning-heavy projects or live technical environments.

You should understand mechanical and electrical design principles and be confident coordinating multidisciplinary design teams.

Experience working in design-and-build, EPC, specialist subcontracting or technical delivery environments would be useful.

You’ll need strong knowledge of data centre resilience, redundancy, maintainability, commissioning, operational readiness and technical risk.

Experience with Tier III or Tier IV design principles, Uptime Institute guidance, TIA-942, BREEAM, LEED, local building regulations and health and safety requirements would be beneficial.

Experience with liquid cooling, chiller systems, high-density cooling, cloud provider requirements or colocation environments would also be valuable.

A degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Building Services Engineering or a related discipline would be preferred.

Professional memberships such as CIBSE or IET would be useful, and Chartered Engineer status would be an advantage.

The right person

You’re technically strong, organised and confident dealing with clients.

You can challenge design information without slowing the job down, and you understand that good design management is about more than compliance. It needs to support procurement, installation, commissioning, handover and long-term operation.

You can bring consultants, contractors, vendors and project teams together, cut through technical noise and keep design deliverables moving in line with the programme.

You’ll suit this role if you have already worked across complex M&E design and want to move deeper into the data centre sector, or if you are already operating in mission-critical design and want a senior role with proper influence.

The salary is £100,000 - £115,000, depending on experience.

Apply

Send your CV or get in touch for a confidential conversation.

James Lewis Recruitment

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