Senior Mechanical Project Manager in Cheshunt

Our client is an established mechanical building services contractor delivering a varied portfolio of projects across London and the surrounding areas. Their work covers a broad range of mechanical services including HVAC, heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning and associated building services installations, with projects typically ranging from approximately £250k through to £5m in value. The business has a strong pipeline of work and is continuing to grow its London delivery team. They are now looking for an experienced Senior Mechanical Project Manager who can take genuine ownership of projects technically, commercially and operationally.

This is not simply a site-management position with responsibility for coordinating labour and subcontractors. The successful individual will be expected to understand the complete project lifecycle, retain control of design and delivery, identify problems early and confidently drive projects through to completion.

You will take responsibility for the successful delivery of mechanical building services projects across London. Depending on the project, this could involve managing a number of smaller schemes, one or two projects in the £2m-£4m range, or taking responsibility for a larger mechanical package approaching £5m. The important distinction is the level of ownership. You will be expected to understand what is happening technically, commercially and operationally across your projects and to actively manage the process rather than simply report progress.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Taking full ownership of mechanical projects from handover through to completion
• Managing and progressing the mechanical design throughout the project
• Reviewing drawings, specifications and technical information
• Identifying design issues and developing practical solutions
• Driving value-engineering opportunities rather than relying entirely on consultants to provide solutions
• Managing design changes and understanding their commercial and programme implications
• Developing, monitoring and actively managing project programmes
• Identifying programme risks before they become critical
• Managing procurement, materials, plant and subcontract packages
• Managing subcontractors, suppliers, supervisors and site teams
• Monitoring progress and actively driving the delivery team where required
• Understanding project costs, variations and commercial performance
• Recognising the financial implications of procurement, programme and design decisions
• Working closely with the commercial team while retaining strong commercial ownership of your projects
• Leading client, consultant and main contractor meetings
• Representing the business confidently in difficult or commercially sensitive discussions
• Challenging decisions constructively where necessary
• Managing quality, testing, commissioning, handover and close-out
• Maintaining strong health and safety standards throughout delivery

A particularly important part of this position is design management. You do not need to be a design engineer, but you must be technically strong enough to understand, challenge and progress a mechanical design. The client is looking for somebody who can retain control of the design process, identify potential problems and develop solutions with the wider project team. That includes understanding value-engineering opportunities and being capable of proposing practical alternatives rather than simply passing technical issues back to the consultant. Experience across different building types would therefore be particularly valuable.

Relevant sectors could include:

• Commercial offices
• Education
• Healthcare
• Laboratories
• Clean rooms
• Student accommodation
• Residential
• Other technically demanding building services environments

You do not need experience across every sector, but exposure to several different project types is likely to have created the breadth of technical and delivery experience required for the role.

The client is particularly interested in depth of experience actually operating as a Project Manager. Ideally, you will have around 10 years' experience working at Project Manager level, managing mechanical building services projects of comparable size and complexity. Someone may have 20 years within the mechanical industry, but experience progressing through pipefitting, plumbing and site supervision does not necessarily provide the same exposure as somebody who has spent a substantial period genuinely managing projects.

The distinction they are looking for is somebody who has personally been responsible for:

• Design management
• Programme
• Procurement
• Commercial decisions
• Client relationships
• Subcontractor performance
• Technical problem-solving
• Project risk
• Delivery through to commissioning and handover

In short, someone who has run projects, rather than predominantly managed the site element of them.

The business has a strong orderbook and a number of projects either starting or progressing through pre-construction and delivery across London. They are strengthening the team with an experienced individual who can take responsibility for their own projects and become a key part of the London operation. They need somebody senior enough to be trusted with the complete delivery process. That means understanding the technical detail, appreciating the commercial consequences of decisions, controlling the programme and being confident enough to represent the company directly with clients, consultants and main contractors.

This is a hands-on Project Management role where you will have genuine responsibility and visibility. You will not be several layers removed from your projects or restricted to reporting information upwards. You will have the autonomy to make decisions, solve problems and influence how projects are designed, procured and delivered.

The opportunity offers:

• Mechanical projects ranging from approximately £250k to £5m
• A varied portfolio of building types
• Genuine project ownership
• Significant involvement in design and technical decision-making
• Direct access to senior management
• Strong support from commercial, engineering and site teams
• The opportunity to influence project strategy and delivery
• Long-term progression as the London operation continues to develop

You should be able to demonstrate:

• Significant experience operating specifically as a Mechanical Project Manager
• Ideally around 10 years' genuine Project Management experience
• Experience delivering mechanical projects of comparable value and complexity
• Strong mechanical building services knowledge
• Good understanding of HVAC, heating, cooling, ventilation and associated systems
• Strong design-management capability
• The ability to review, challenge and progress mechanical designs
• Confidence identifying technical solutions and value-engineering opportunities
• Experience developing and actively managing project programmes
• Strong commercial awareness
• Understanding of variations, procurement and the financial impact of project decisions
• Experience managing subcontractors and supply chains
• The ability to identify programme, technical and commercial risks early
• Strong client-facing communication skills
• Confidence dealing directly with consultants and main contractors
• The ability to lead difficult conversations when necessary
• Experience managing projects through commissioning, handover and close-out
• Strong leadership and communication skills
• A practical, proactive approach to project delivery

You do not necessarily need to have spent your career delivering £5m mechanical projects. However, you must be able to demonstrate substantial experience genuinely managing complex mechanical building services projects and taking ownership of them technically, commercially and operationally.

The client is prepared to offer:

• Up to £110,000 basic salary, depending on experience
• Company benefits
• Pension
• Holiday entitlement
• Training and professional development
• Genuine long-term progression

The final package will depend on the depth and relevance of your experience.

Interested? You don't need to have made a decision to leave your current employer. An initial conversation can be completely informal and confidential and will give you the opportunity to understand the projects, team and longer-term opportunity before deciding whether you would like to take things any further.

Contact Nimble Recruitment for a confidential discussion. A CV isn't essential at this stage.