MEP Project Manager in Cardiff

• Location: Cardiff (Occasional European Travel)
• Contract: Permanent
• Salary: Up to £90,00 (DOE)

About the Role

We are recruiting an experienced MEP Project Manager to support the delivery of major mission-critical data centre projects across Europe.

The successful candidate will take responsibility for the delivery of mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) packages from pre-construction and design coordination through installation, commissioning and handover.

This is a technically demanding role requiring strong MEP project management experience, excellent contractor and stakeholder management skills, and previous experience working within data centre or other mission-critical environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage MEP activities across data centre projects from design through to commissioning and handover.
• Oversee MEP contractors, subcontractors and specialist vendors delivering mechanical, electrical, BMS, fire protection and ELV systems.
• Ensure works are delivered safely, on programme, within budget and to the required quality standards.
• Monitor progress against project programmes and implement mitigation measures where required.
• Manage MEP change control and associated commercial impacts.
• Review and coordinate MEP design documentation, including HVAC, UPS, generators, MV/LV distribution, cooling, containment and fire protection systems.
• Oversee the installation, integration, testing and commissioning of mission-critical systems.
• Support and drive commissioning strategies, including Integrated Systems Testing (IST).
• Act as a key interface between clients, consultants, main contractors and MEP subcontractors.
• Chair technical coordination meetings and resolve design and installation interface issues.
• Provide regular reporting on programme, risk, cost and quality.
• Ensure compliance with relevant European standards, regulations and HSE requirements.
• Identify project risks and implement appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Support QA/QC processes and ensure project documentation is maintained to the required standards.

Candidates should have:

• Minimum 5 years' experience in MEP Project Management, ideally within large-scale or technically complex projects.
• Proven experience delivering data centre, mission-critical or similarly complex MEP projects.
• Previous experience working on projects within European markets.
• Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical building services.
• Experience with MV/LV systems, UPS and generator systems.
• Strong knowledge of chilled water and air-cooled systems, including CRAH/CRAC units.
• Experience with BMS / SCADA systems.
• Understanding of fire detection and suppression systems.
• Strong commissioning, testing and handover experience.
• Experience managing multiple contractors and specialist subcontractors.
• Strong understanding of programme, commercial, risk and quality management.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Qualifications & Experience

• Degree qualified in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Building Services Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience working on Tier III / Tier IV or other mission-critical facilities would be highly desirable.
• Previous experience with Integrated Systems Testing (IST) would be advantageous.
• Familiarity with Uptime Institute standards would be advantageous.
• Experience working with FIDIC contracts or equivalent European construction frameworks would be beneficial.
• Proficiency with project management software such as Primavera P6 or MS Project.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills; additional European languages would be advantageous.