Mechanical Design Manager – Water United Kingdom Derby, Glasgow, London, York Application Deadl …

August 15, 2026
Urgent

Job Description

Do you want to be a part of a growing M&E team? Can you collaborate with colleagues across UK and International projects? Are you an experienced Mechanical Engineering Manager working within the UK water sector? Then, this could be the next adventure in your career.

Create Solutions that will enable a better tomorrow

To further expand our capability in delivering water sector MEP projects, we are looking for an experienced Mechanical Design Manager to join us. You will use your experience to oversee the delivery of our Water projects to time and budget. Your role will be focused on the design environment, which while based in the UK, will involve day-to-day interaction with colleagues across our global hubs.

Your key responsibilities will be:

  • Leading and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams to deliver water sector project work to agreed quality, time and budget requirements
  • Using your mechanical delivery experience to provide an effective technical gatekeeping role on delivery quality in recognition of client requirements. Ensuring compliance with standards relevant to the UK water industry
  • Communicating with clients and other stakeholders including ensuring requirements are understood and documented and feeding this back into the project team’s approach
  • Effectively handling project risk using contractual processes and escalating matters as appropriate. Managing scope and change control effectively, professionally challenging requests when the need arises
  • Mentoring team members in mechanical design development

Your skills. Our team. Together we design the future.

The first step to success in this role is that you are eager to collaborate with the people around you, whether they are colleagues, partners, or customers. Developing ties with others is something you do by acting respectfully and delivering on your promises. And you never get set in your ways but keep exploring new insights and ways to improve.

On top of that, you’ll have:

  • A degree in mechanical engineering
  • Membership of a recognised professional institution
  • Chartered Engineer status or equivalent
  • Demonstrable inter-personal Client facing skills and experience leading multi-disciplinary teams
  • Experience programming design activities with other disciplines
  • A solid understanding of water-based systems such as pressurised water supply mains, pumping stations and treatment works apparatus
  • Experience with hydraulic modelling of pipe networks, steady state and transient analysis calculations
  • Knowledgeable on pipe support and stress calculations
  • Broad experience in mechanical system design for the UK water sector. Experience in developing control philosophies
  • Experienced in 3D and BIM delivery
  • Knowledge of relevant Water Industry Specifications (WIMES)
  • Experience of applying CDM2015 regulations to design tasks

A place to work and so much more

At COWI, we work together with our customers to shape a sustainable and liveable world. We do it by applying our knowledge and curiosity – and sometimes even our courage – to create the solutions the world needs today to enable a better tomorrow. We support our customers’ transition towards increased sustainability. We strive to lead by example by embedding environmental management, social responsibility and good governance into our business practices and the options we provide to our customers.

We value differences and development and cultivate an environment of belonging and having fun. Because that is what brings out the best in you, at work and at home.

With offices primarilylocatedin the Nordic region, the UK, NorthAmericaand India, we are currently more than 7,500 people who bring theirexpertisein engineering, architecture,energyand environment into play.

What we also offer:

To us, a fair reward is more than a competitive salary. We want to take care of our people professionally and personally as well.

Some of our benefits include:

28days’ holidayplus all UKbank and public holidays

Formalised development plans and yearly promotion opportunities

Private health care, for you anda contribution from you foryour immediate dependents

Flexible and hybrid working conditions

Annual subscription fees paid for your membership of two Professional Institutions

Group personal pension scheme – salary exchange

Life assurance

Maternity Leave: 1-20weeks full pay, 21-26 weeks half pay, 27-39Statutory (SMP) 40-52 weeks unpaid (eligibility criteria will apply)

Paternity Leave: 12 weeks full pay (eligibility criteria will apply)

Optional benefits include:

Electric vehicle lease

Annual Rail card (available for under 30s)

If you have any unanswered questions about the role or what we have to offer, please reach out to our Talent Acquisition Specialist Laura Dobson at .

Get to know us even better at our website where you can learn more about our projects, our strategy, what we want to achieve and what life is like at COWI.

Equal opportunity employer.

COWI provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to ethnicity, colour, religion, gender, national origin, age or disability. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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