Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

Are you a skilled mechanical engineer looking for a role that offers both technical challenge and a genuine work-life balance? Do you want to use your expertise to lead meaningful projects that provide a vital service to our community? As our Senior Mechanical Engineer, you’ll provide the technical leadership and corporate administration needed to keep our MEICA team moving forward. This is a varied role where you’ll oversee resource allocation, solve complex mechanical queries, and help deliver capital engineering schemes from the initial design through to commissioning. Whether you’re an experienced professional looking for a more stable, value-driven environment or a rising talent ready to step into a senior position, you will find plenty of opportunity here to make a tangible impact.

Main Responsibilities

• Develop Technical Solutions: Coordinate with multi-disciplinary teams—including Process and Civil—to create integrated, practical solutions for water infrastructure.
• Lead Design Reviews: Work independently or as part of a team to check, review, and approve complex mechanical designs, calculations, and specifications.
• Oversee Project Delivery: Manage outline scheme designs and ensure all contractor work aligns with company specifications, WIMES, and current legislation.
• Support the MEICA Team: Act as a deputy authorising engineer and provide technical guidance to the mechanical engineers reporting to you.
• Ensure Safety & Standards: Undertake designer responsibilities under CDM regulations and participate in HAZOP/ALM studies to keep our sites and people safe.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build professional relationships with internal teams and framework partners, representing South East Water at industry working groups.

What you’ll need

• Industry Experience: A strong background in clean water projects, specifically with treatment plants, pumped systems, and chemical dosing.
• Technical Proficiency: Experience with hydraulic systems, including pump selection, head loss calculations, and an understanding of surge requirements.
• Contract Knowledge: Practical experience working with NEC3 Design & Construct or PSC contracts.
• Organisational Skills: The ability to manage your own workload alongside a team’s, staying calm under pressure and meeting budget constraints.
• Communication: Clear verbal and written skills for report writing and collaborating with diverse project teams.
• Licence: A full, clean UK driving licence is required for regular travel to our Snodland office and various sites across our supply area.

We want to be the water company people want to be supplied by and want to work for. We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

Benefits package

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.

What can you expect from your recruitment

To apply for this position, please submit your CV on our career’s website. It is necessary for you to have the legal right to work in the UK when you begin employment with South East Water. Additionally, as part of the employment offer, you will need to pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks.

Compensation package

From £54,000 dependent on experience plus £6,254 car allowance.