Mechanical Engineer

About VIRTUS

VIRTUS Data Centres is the UK’s fastest growing data centre provider which owns, designs, builds and operates the country’s most efficient and flexible data centres. Our mission is to consistently exceed the expectations of customers through innovative, high-quality solutions and services. We employ intelligent thinkers – people with positive attitudes, who add to the quality of our customer proposition and business. We value individual endeavour and initiative, encourage teamwork and togetherness because collective experience and expertise is VIRTUS’ greatest strength.

Job Summary

VIRTUS Data Centres is seeking a skilled Mechanical Engineer to support our continued growth and expanding customer base. This role sits within the VIRTUS Engineering team and is responsible for the design, installation, commissioning, and ongoing compliance of mechanical and life safety systems across our data centre portfolio. The Mechanical Engineer plays a key role in ensuring all mechanical systems meet technical standards, safety regulations, and operational requirements, with a strong focus on energy efficiency, resilience, and minimising downtime. The role will involve conducting mechanical surveys, defining technical requirements, and producing Scope of Works documentation to support tendering and project delivery. Working closely with Project Management, MEP design, construction teams, contractors, vendors, and internal stakeholders, the Mechanical Engineer will support the successful delivery of projects within agreed timeframes and budgets. The role also includes responsibility for monthly mechanical configuration audits across the portfolio to ensure systems remain aligned with VIRTUS standards and industry best practice. The Mechanical Engineer will review and approve changes through the VIRTUS Change Management process, assessing risk, impact, and compliance with health and safety requirements. This is a primarily site-based role, requiring flexibility and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced operational environment. As part of a collaborative engineering team, the Mechanical Engineer will help drive VIRTUS standards and contribute to delivering best-in-class outcomes for our customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with internal teams and external stakeholders, including clients, contractors, and consultants, to deliver integrated mechanical systems for data centre projects.
• Ensure that all mechanical designs meet industry standards, building regulations, and client specifications.
• Oversee the development and production of technical drawings, specifications, and calculations.
• Provide technical support for the design, installation, and commissioning of mechanical systems in data centres.
• Perform detailed mechanical calculations, simulations, and load assessments to ensure optimal design solutions.
• Contribute to project planning and scheduling to ensure timely delivery of mechanical projects.
• Identify and resolve potential design issues, providing solutions to minimize disruption to the project timeline.
• Identify mechanical design risks, conduct risk assessments, and implement mitigation measures to ensure safety and functionality of systems.
• Ensure all designs adhere to industry codes, standards, and regulations, including ASHRAE standards, and client-specific requirements.
• Contribute to energy-efficient and sustainable mechanical systems, focusing on minimizing energy consumption, reducing emissions, and supporting VIRTUS’ commitment to green initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities (Additional)

• Develop a strong and comprehensive technical understanding of all building services, systems, and components within the VIRTUS Data Centres portfolio.
• Manage mechanical engineering aspects of data centre projects from inception to completion.
• Oversee the complete lifecycle of mechanical, ensuring they meet required technical and operational standards for projects and customer specifications.
• Contribute as an integral member of the Engineering Department, supporting the wider engineering team with business deliverables.
• Support commissioning, ensuring it is completed to a consistent quality and standard in line with VIRTUS Commissioning Principles.
• Support VIRTUS Senior Mechanical Engineering Discipline objectives and goals.
• Survey and report on existing mechanical installations for defects and issues that could lead to service impact.
• Support day-to-day engineering activities within the Data Centre Clusters.
• Review mechanical engineering aspects of change approval tickets within the VIRTUS change management system.
• Lead mechanical engineering during construction, installation, and operational testing of building service equipment, aid development of full life cycle management of critical infrastructure.
• Identify opportunities to improve site infrastructure and reduce power usage effectiveness.
• Review and analyse capacity of installed infrastructure as part of the Data Centre capacity management.
• Advisory support to Campus Technical Teams on Mechanical Engineering requirements.
• Perform bi-annual mechanical configuration audits across all data centre clusters.
• Advise DCO teams on optimising existing technical infrastructure, balancing energy effectiveness with resilience.
• Support VIRTUS in ensuring that all fire, health and safety regulations and best practices are upheld.

Qualifications

• City and Guilds, NVQ or equivalent in a Mechanical discipline.
• A Building Services or Mechanical Engineering degree or higher educational qualification (HNC/HND/BSc).

Experience - Essential

• Technical understanding of chilled water and HVAC mechanical systems.
• Proficient knowledge of fluid and thermodynamic engineering principles.
• Demonstrated experience in operations, maintenance, engineering, construction, and delivery of mission-critical facilities.
• Ability to conduct analysis of problems affecting critical operation of facilities and propose solutions, often with limited information.
• Ideally experience within the data centre industry, with hyperscale data centre operators, lease providers or allied sectors such as petro-chemical/pharma/process control, or heavy process sector or multi-complexity (power/cooling) experience.

Desirable

• Mission critical environment experience (hospitals, finance, data centres).
• ASHRAE mechanical or commissioning understanding.
• BMS and PMS (Trend, Citect SCADA, Schneider PMO, Schneider StructureWare).
• Control systems (Zelio logic and PLCs).
• Electrical/Mechanical/Controls and fire & life safety conceptual design.
• Generator and UPS systems.

In line with VIRTUS’ Vetting Policy, the successful applicant must be willing to undergo a BS7858 screening process. VIRTUS is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment. We reserve the right to close this post for applications should sufficient applications be received.