MEP Design Manager in City of London

Location: London, United Kingdom

Company Overview: GagaMuller is a Project Management Consultancy with specific divisions focused on providing Project Management, Cost Management, and Digital services to owner organisations within the construction industry. With a proven track record working alongside global technology leaders and data centre developers, we combine local expertise with global standards to ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest quality. At GagaMuller, we empower people and organisations to build with data.

Role Description: We are seeking an experienced MEP Design Manager (Owner Representative) to lead and coordinate all Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Health design activities on behalf of the Client across data centre projects. This role will provide technical leadership and assurance throughout design development, procurement, and early construction stages, ensuring that MEP systems are fully coordinated, buildable, compliant, and aligned with Client performance requirements. The successful candidate will come from a strong MEP engineering background and possess deep technical knowledge of mission-critical building services systems. This is a client-side role focused on governance, integration, and technical excellence rather than detailed design production.

The Opportunity: This position offers the opportunity to influence the technical direction of high-value, complex data centre projects. You will work closely with consultants, contractors, and internal Owner Representative teams to ensure that MEP design intent translates effectively into construction-ready solutions and operationally robust facilities. The role combines strategic oversight with technical depth, ensuring design decisions support programme certainty, cost control, and long-term operational performance.

Responsibilities:

• Scope & Delivery Management: Lead and coordinate all MEP design activities on behalf of the Client from concept through to technical design completion. Review and validate consultant design deliverables to ensure compliance with Client standards, statutory requirements, and data centre performance criteria. Ensure MEP systems (HVAC, chilled water, power distribution, standby generation, fire protection, controls, and public health) are fully coordinated and integrated. Monitor design progress against programme milestones and provide early warning of potential design-driven delays. Ensure design documentation is sufficiently developed to support procurement, construction sequencing, and commissioning planning. Review buildability, maintainability, and operational considerations within the MEP design.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Act as the primary Client-side technical interface for MEP design consultants and specialist designers. Coordinate closely with CSA, Commercial, and Schedule teams to ensure alignment between technical solutions, cost plans, and programme constraints. Facilitate design workshops and coordination meetings to resolve technical clashes, interface risks, and system integration challenges. Support site-based Owner Representatives during construction to ensure design intent is maintained. Provide structured updates to senior stakeholders on design status, risks, and decision requirements.
• Risk & Compliance Management: Identify and manage technical design risks, ensuring mitigation strategies are defined and implemented. Ensure compliance with local statutory regulations, international standards, and Client-specific technical requirements. Review technical submittals and proposed deviations to ensure operational integrity and redundancy standards are maintained. Ensure that design change control processes are rigorously applied and that impacts on cost and programme are clearly understood. Support risk workshops with particular focus on system reliability and operational resilience.
• Reporting & Documentation: Provide clear and structured reporting on MEP design progress, technical risks, and coordination status. Review and approve key technical documentation in line with agreed governance procedures. Ensure technical decisions, clarifications, and design changes are properly documented and traceable. Support preparation of executive-level summaries on design readiness and technical risk exposure.
• Collaboration & Integration: Ensure seamless integration of MEP systems with structural, envelope, architectural, and operational technology components. Support commissioning planning by ensuring systems are designed with testing, validation, and phased energisation in mind. Collaborate with Commercial and Procurement teams to ensure technical specifications are clear, coordinated, and aligned with contract strategies. Promote continuous improvement in design standards and technical processes across projects. Provide mentoring and technical guidance to junior engineers or discipline representatives where required.

Qualifications: Degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Building Services Engineering. Chartered Engineer status (e.g. Engineers Ireland, CIBSE, IET, or equivalent) desirable. Significant experience in MEP design and coordination on large-scale construction projects, ideally within data centres or other mission-critical environments. Strong understanding of both mechanical and electrical building services systems in high-reliability facilities.

What Experience We Are Looking For: Proven experience leading or managing MEP design development on complex projects. Deep technical understanding of HVAC, power distribution, redundancy strategies, and commissioning requirements in mission-critical facilities. Experience working in a client-side or consultancy oversight capacity. Strong coordination skills across multidisciplinary design teams. Ability to challenge design proposals constructively while maintaining collaborative stakeholder relationships.

Benefits: Comprehensive healthcare coverage. Generous company pension contribution. Competitive annual leave allowance and work-life balance benefits. State-of-the-art technology and hardware. Collaborative office environment that values teamwork and open communication. Mentoring and professional development opportunities.