Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead M&E design across exciting projects in commercial, healthcare, and mission-critical sectors.
- Company: Dynamic building services contractor with a focus on innovation and quality.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, car allowance, bonus, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Shape impactful projects while developing a high-performing design team.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in senior MEP design leadership and strong knowledge of UK codes.
- Other info: Join a collaborative environment with excellent career progression opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 140000 £ per year.
£120,000 – £140,000 + car allowance + bonus | Building Services | Commercial, Healthcare, Mission-Critical
We’re recruiting an M&E Design Director to lead the design function across a building services-led principal contractor. You’ll take ownership of design governance from bid stage through detailed design, coordination, technical assurance and design handover support, ensuring every scheme is compliant, coordinated, buildable, and commercially sound. Working closely with clients, consultants, supply chain, preconstruction and delivery teams, you’ll shape project strategies, drive design quality, and help win work—while building and developing a high-performing design team.
What you’ll be delivering
- Design leadership and assurance across all M&E projects, ensuring consistency, compliance and technical excellence.
- Clear, robust project briefs, feasibility studies, option appraisals and design strategies that set projects up for success.
- Fully coordinated MEP designs from concept through technical design, aligned to client requirements, programme and budget.
- Strong management of design procurement and consultant appointments—scope, deliverables, design responsibility, fees and programme.
- Proactive design risk identification, mitigation planning and clear compliance pathways.
- Value-led design outcomes: value engineering, buildability improvements and whole-life thinking without compromising performance.
- Trusted client engagement that supports repeat business and new opportunities through confident technical leadership.
- A capable design team with clear objectives, development pathways and performance management.
What you’ll need strong knowledge in
- MEP design and delivery across commercial, healthcare and mission-critical projects.
- UK codes and standards including Building Regulations, CIBSE, relevant British Standards, HTMs (healthcare), SFG20, and water hygiene.
- Design management through RIBA Stages 1–6, including multi-discipline coordination and specialist integration.
- Procurement routes and supply chain engagement for MEP consultants, commissioning/IST partners, and specialist subcontractors.
- Risk management, value engineering methods, and lifecycle/whole-life costing principles.
- Design-side understanding of testing, commissioning, IST, and handover requirements for complex M&E systems.
What you’ll need proven experience in
- A strong track record in a senior MEP design leadership role (e.g. Design Director, Head of Design, Technical Director, Head of Engineering) within a contractor, consultant, or developer environment.
- Leading multi-disciplinary design teams and managing multiple concurrent projects and stakeholders.
- Setting, negotiating and managing scopes, deliverables, programme and fees with consultants and specialist partners.
- Supporting bids and work-winning through technical input, design strategy, and client-facing presentations.
- Strong commercial awareness—understanding how design decisions impact cost, programme, risk and delivery.
- A leadership style that influences senior stakeholders, supports delivery teams, and develops engineers at all levels.
Interested? Send your CV in confidence and we’ll walk you through the role, team structure and progression in detail.
M&E Design Director employer: James Lewis Recruitment
Contact Detail:
James Lewis Recruitment Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land M&E Design Director
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to industry contacts, attend events, and engage on platforms like LinkedIn. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can land you that M&E Design Director role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its projects. We recommend having a few examples ready that showcase your design leadership and problem-solving skills. Show them you’re the perfect fit for their team!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t shy away from showcasing your portfolio! Bring along examples of your past MEP designs and how they’ve led to successful project outcomes. We want to see your technical excellence in action!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we’re here to support you every step of the way in landing that dream job as an M&E Design Director.
We think you need these skills to ace M&E Design Director
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the specific skills and experiences that match the M&E Design Director role. Highlight your leadership in MEP design and any relevant projects you've worked on, so we can see how you fit into our team.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about this role and how your experience aligns with our needs. We want to know what makes you tick and how you can contribute to our success.
Showcase Your Achievements: Don’t just list your responsibilities; showcase your achievements! Use metrics and examples to demonstrate how you've led successful projects or improved processes. This helps us understand the impact you've made in previous roles.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother application process. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and get you into our system quickly, so we can start the conversation about your future with us!
How to prepare for a job interview at James Lewis Recruitment
✨Know Your M&E Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of MEP design and delivery, especially in commercial, healthcare, and mission-critical projects. Be ready to discuss UK codes and standards like Building Regulations and CIBSE, as well as how they apply to the role.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your experience in leading multi-disciplinary design teams. Think about specific projects where you managed multiple stakeholders and how you influenced senior decision-makers to achieve successful outcomes.
✨Demonstrate Your Commercial Awareness
Be ready to discuss how your design decisions impact cost, programme, risk, and delivery. Use real-life scenarios to illustrate your understanding of value engineering and lifecycle costing principles, showing that you can balance quality with budget constraints.
✨Engage with Confidence
Practice your client-facing presentation skills. You’ll need to convey technical information clearly and confidently, so prepare to discuss how you've supported bids and work-winning strategies in the past. This will show your potential employer that you can build trusted relationships.