Senior / Principal Mechanical Engineer (Data Centres and Mission Critical)

To be successful in this role you'll need:

• Proven experience as a Mechanical Engineer delivering mission critical and data centre projects.
• Experience with Revit, BIM workflows and AutoCAD.
• Strong knowledge of HVAC, chilled water and refrigerant systems, cooling plant, air distribution, heat rejection and high-density / liquid cooling technologies.
• Demonstrable client-facing consultancy experience.
• Excellent technical judgement and a collaborative mindset.
• Experience mentoring and supporting others.

• Mission-critical and data centre mechanical engineering across new-build, live operational upgrades, technical due diligence, feasibility studies and test-fits.
• Large-scale, multi-megawatt data centre developments.
• Hyperscale, colocation and enterprise/research environments.
• Early-stage site appraisal, masterplanning and test-fit studies.
• Cooling infrastructure and heat-rejection options.
• Resilience and uptime design thinking.
• High-density and AI-ready cooling.
• Live operational environments and phased upgrades.
• Campus-scale developments and multidisciplinary coordination.
• Energy efficiency and sustainability in mission-critical design.
• Experience working across the UK; international experience is desirable

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior / Principal Mechanical Engineer to join our Data Centre & Mission Critical (MCDC) team at Hoare Lea.

Data centres are central to the modern economy and the technology that powers them is evolving rapidly. Our Mission Critical team helps clients navigate these changing requirements. At Hoare Lea you'll gain a truly unique experience working across the full spectrum of the data-centre sector - from early-stage site appraisal, master planning and feasibility studies through detailed plant and HVAC design, live plant upgrades, test-fits, commissioning and operational optimisation.

You'll work across close-control environments, data halls, live plant replacement and refurbishment, critical engineering and due-diligence reviews of existing facilities. Projects span mainly in UK, but also across Ireland and Europe.

You will join a collaborative, knowledgeable and highly engaged team with a positive, supportive and flexible culture. Working alongside the Project Leader, you will engage directly with clients, develop designs and produce reports, specifications and guidance, and support testing and commissioning activities to deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes.

In this key and varied role you will:

• Lead day-to-day mechanical design delivery for data centre and mission-critical projects.
• Act as a client-facing engineer, attending meetings, translating briefs and coordinating multidisciplinary inputs.
• Prepare and review mechanical design deliverables, specifications and technical reports.
• Support site appraisals, masterplanning, feasibility and test-fit studies.
• Oversee plant design, testing, commissioning and handover activities.
• Support monitoring of fees, resources and project delivery.
• Mentor and develop next-generation engineers.

We have a Preferred Supplier List of trusted partners who assist us when required. We do not acknowledge speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions from agencies not on the list.