Engineering Manager in Manchester

A fantastic opportunity has arisen to work on a prestigious and unique building in Central Manchester. The role of Engineering Manager is to deliver the Hard FM Services on a high-profile Grade 1 listed building, taking full technical and operational leadership of the site. The Engineering Manager will need to have outstanding technical knowledge within Mechanical, Electrical, HVAC and BMS systems, ideally within historical buildings.

This is a flagship role responsible for all hard services, KPI’s, the coordination of a multidisciplinary workforce, and the management of specialist subcontractors, while safeguarding the historic, architectural, and cultural significance of one of the UK’s most prestigious buildings. This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to take stewardship of a nationally significant building at a pivotal moment in its lifecycle. You’ll play a defining role in protecting, optimising, and future-proofing an iconic asset while leading a highly skilled engineering operation.

The Engineering Manager will act as the technical authority on site, ensuring building systems operate safely, efficiently, compliantly, and in alignment with the original design intent and conservation requirements, operating within a complex, high-value, heritage environment.

Key Accountabilities

• Support the soft-landing process, acting as the technical focal point between construction, commissioning, design teams, and operational engineering.
• Review and validate commissioning plans, test scripts, and integrated systems testing.
• Ensure full technical handover, including O&M manuals, asset data, drawings, control philosophies, and digital records.
• Verify systems operate in line with design intent, performance criteria, and conservation requirements.
• Maintain contract KPI’s when in steady state.
• Support the soft-landing strategy, ensuring systems, processes, and people are fully operational and aligned with design intent.
• Act as the interface between construction teams, designers, commissioning engineers, and the client during handover and early occupation.
• Oversee/support commissioning, witnessing, snagging, SE, and post-occupancy evaluation.

Hard Services Management

• Take supervisory responsibility for all hard services, including but not limited to:
• HV/LV electrical distribution and standby generation
• Electrical power and lighting
• Life safety systems (fire detection, suppression, evacuation)
• BMS and smart building technologies
• Water, drainage, and specialist heritage systems
• HVAC Systems
• Review RAMS, method statements, and technical proposals prior to works.
• Ensure building systems perform efficiently, safely, and in compliance with statutory, regulatory, and conservation requirements.

The Ideal person would have experience in:

• Proven experience in a senior engineering management role on large, complex buildings (£100m+).
• Strong background in building services engineering and hard services operations.
• Proven ability to manage multidisciplinary teams and specialist subcontractors.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience working with Grade I or II listed buildings or culturally significant assets.
• Extensive experience in hard services engineering management within complex, high risk, public or mission-critical environments.
• Proven experience leading soft landing, commissioning, or major system handovers.
• Strong technical knowledge across mechanical, electrical, and life-safety systems.
• In-depth understanding of UK statutory compliance and building safety legislation.