Building Services Manager in London

This is a Building Services construction role, NOT Facilities Management. An established construction business has created a brand new position for a Mechanically Biased Building Services Manager to strengthen and develop its in-house technical capability. This is an opportunity for someone who wants to take the ball and run with it. The position is not replacing an existing employee and there is no rigid template to follow. The successful candidate will have the freedom to help shape the role, improve processes, challenge the way things are currently done and ultimately make the position their own.

There is also genuine scope for the role to develop into a senior leadership position in the future, with progression towards a Head of Building Services, Head of Design or similar technical leadership position as the function grows. This is not a traditional site-based Building Services Manager position. The role has a heavy weighting towards design, preconstruction, tendering and commissioning, working across projects from the earliest stages and helping determine the best technical and commercial approach before works reach site.

The business is currently involved in a significant number of two-stage tenders and PCSA projects and has historically relied heavily on specialist contractors for technical input. The objective behind this new position is to bring more of that expertise in-house. You will work closely with the Construction Director, project teams, design consultants and specialist contractors to challenge designs, assess options and help establish the most effective way of delivering the building services package.

The business delivers a genuinely varied portfolio including:

• Residential developments
• Commercial projects
• Education schemes
• Parliamentary buildings
• Historic and listed buildings
• Theatres
• Complex refurbishment projects

No two projects are necessarily delivered in the same way, so this position requires someone technically strong who is comfortable looking at different solutions rather than simply following an existing design.

As Mechanically Biased Building Services Manager, you will:

• Take a leading role in the mechanical and wider building services design process
• Review mechanical designs, specifications and technical proposals
• Work on two-stage tenders and projects progressing through PCSA
• Assess different technical options and advise on the most appropriate method of delivery
• Challenge designs where there may be a more efficient, practical or commercially viable solution
• Support tender submissions from a building services perspective
• Engage with consultants and specialist MEP contractors throughout the design and preconstruction process
• Review specialist contractor proposals and provide internal technical oversight
• Help reduce the business's reliance on external specialist contractors by developing stronger in-house building services knowledge
• Support procurement and tendering of mechanical and associated building services packages
• Provide technical input throughout construction when required
• Support commissioning strategy, planning and delivery
• Attend project sites where necessary to review progress, technical issues and quality
• Work closely with Construction, Commercial, Design and Project teams from tender through to completion
• Help shape internal building services processes, standards and ways of working as the function develops

The successful candidate will ideally be an experienced Building Services Manager, MEP Manager, Mechanical Manager or Technical Services Manager with a strong mechanical background. You should have:

• Strong mechanical building services knowledge
• Excellent understanding of mechanical design and design development
• Experience working for a Main Contractor or within a construction environment
• Experience with preconstruction and tendering
• Knowledge of two-stage tender processes and PCSA
• The ability to review designs and identify alternative technical solutions
• Experience dealing with specialist MEP subcontractors and consultants
• A strong understanding of commissioning
• The confidence to challenge designs and technical proposals where appropriate
• The confidence and ambition to take ownership of a newly created position
• The ability to communicate technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

The role would particularly suit someone who enjoys getting involved before a project reaches site, interrogating the design and helping establish how the building services should actually be delivered. It would also suit someone ambitious who wants more than simply managing packages. The business wants someone who can become a key internal authority on Building Services and potentially grow into the person who leads the function in the future.

The position is based from the company's Harold Wood office. The business operates a genuinely flexible working policy, with the opportunity to work from home for up to 2 days per week. Site visits will be required depending on project requirements, but this is primarily an office-based technical, design and preconstruction position rather than a permanent site-based role.

Package includes:

• Salary up to £90,000
• £5,800 car allowance
• Private healthcare for the employee
• Company pension with 3% employer contribution
• Bonus through company profit share
• Business travel expenses reimbursed
• Flexible hybrid working

This is a rare opportunity to step into a newly created position, establish how the Building Services function operates and have a genuine influence on design, tendering, procurement and commissioning, with the scope to progress into a senior technical leadership role as the business continues to grow.