Consultant name: Alfie Woonton
Call for more information on this position:
Job reference: 000000000087699
Date posted: 04/03/2026
Critical Mechanical Shift Engineer – £52,000 – Essex
📍 Location: Essex
💷 Salary: £52,000
🕒 Hours: Continental Shift Pattern (Days & Nights)
We are currently recruiting for an experienced Critical Shift Engineer (Mechanical Bias) to join a leading facilities management provider supporting a mission-critical data centre in Essex.
This is an outstanding opportunity to work within a high-availability, critical environment where uptime, resilience, and operational excellence are paramount. You’ll join a business that genuinely values its engineers — offering structured progression, continuous training, and strong leadership committed to long-term career development within the data centre sector.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Carry out Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) and reactive maintenance across critical mechanical infrastructure.
2. Respond rapidly to plant failures and critical alarms to ensure maximum uptime and resilience.
3. Operate and maintain mechanical systems including CRAC/CRAH units, chillers, cooling towers, pumps, pressurisation units, expansion vessels, and associated pipework.
4. Fault-find on chilled water systems, HVAC plant, UPS cooling systems, and water treatment equipment.
5. Monitor and operate Building Management Systems (BMS) and DCIM systems (Head End experience advantageous).
6. Support critical environment compliance, including permit to work systems, risk assessments, and method statements.
7. Conduct routine plant inspections, log readings, and ensure all statutory compliance tasks are completed.
8. Work collaboratively with electrical engineers and site teams to maintain Tier-level operational standards.
9. Ensure all works are carried out in accordance with health & safety regulations and data centre best practices.
Requirements:
10. City & Guilds Level 3 (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering, HVAC, Plumbing & Heating, or related discipline.
11. Minimum 3 years’ experience within critical environments (data centres, hospitals, banking, or high-availability sites preferred).
12. Strong mechanical fault-finding and diagnostic ability within live plant rooms.
13. Experience working on chilled water systems and large-scale HVAC infrastructure.
14. Understanding of critical cooling infrastructure and redundancy (N+1 / 2N configurations desirable).
15. Positive, proactive approach with the ability to remain calm under pressure.
What’s On Offer:
16. £52,000 Salary
17. Continental shift pattern (work-life balance built into rota)
18. Annual leave + bank holidays
19. Free on-site parking
20. Company pension & private healthcare
21. Industry-leading data centre training and career development
22. Clear progression pathway into Senior / Lead Engineer roles
23. Long-term, stable contract within a high-profile critical facility
24. Supportive and technically driven working environment
Ready to take the next step into the data centre sector — or further develop your critical environment experience?
Alfie Woonton