Associate Design Director — Lead Engineering for Net-Zero Infrastructure
Are you a senior design leader with the ambition to shape real, tangible change in the UK’s energy landscape?
We’re partnering with a market-leading sustainable energy infrastructure organisation that designs and delivers complex, future-facing energy systems — from low-carbon plant rooms and heat networks to innovative renewable technologies. With over 30+ years of experience helping clients decarbonise and transform how energy is generated, distributed and managed, this business is proud to deliver engineered solutions that matter — for communities, businesses and the planet alike.
You’ll join a senior leadership team that believes great design is the foundation of successful projects — resilient, efficient, safe and beautifully engineered. As Associate Design Director, you’ll be at the heart of shaping how multi-discipline engineering teams collaborate, innovate and deliver excellence across the full project lifecycle.
What This Role Is About
This is strategic design leadership with real impact:
Lead & Develop Design Teams
Provide direction, coaching and mentorship to mechanical, CAD and engineering professionals.
Champion quality, consistency and excellence in technical delivery.
Build a culture of curiosity, collaboration and continuous improvement.
Shape Design Strategy & Standards
Own and evolve design processes, documentation and technical assurance.
Foster innovative, engineered solutions that meet client requirements and align with future-facing low-carbon goals.
Ensure compliance with legislative, safety, environmental and contract standards.
Drive Project Delivery
Maintain accountability for design quality, costs and scheduling across complex programmes.
Work closely with project leads to provide technical direction, risk oversight and problem resolution.
Be a trusted, visible voice on projects — internally with teams and externally with clients and partners.
Be a Client & Industry Leader
Engage with stakeholders to understand needs, provide insight and build confidence.
Offer technical advice throughout and beyond construction, including on-site visits when needed.
Who We’re Looking For
You’re someone who thrives on leadership and loves solving engineering challenges with creativity and precision:
Experience & Expertise
Chartered engineer with a strong track record of leading design teams.
10+ years’ post-qualification experience, with recent senior responsibility.
Broad experience in mechanical and multidisciplinary design management, ideally spanning consultancy and design-build delivery.
Confidence with complex systems — heat pumps, boiler/CHP systems, energy centres, distribution design and emerging low-carbon technologies.
Comfortable with RIBA Plan of Work stages, risk reviews and design compliance frameworks.
What Sets You Apart
A clear communicator who makes complex ideas easy to understand.
A proactive mentor and collaborator, passionate about developing talent.
A strategic thinker with commercial awareness and a solutions-first mindset.
Energised by sustainable innovation and delivering high-quality outcomes in a fast-moving environment.
Why This Opportunity Matters
You won’t be walking into a typical engineering role — you’ll be influencing how strategic design is done, supporting teams to push boundaries, and delivering infrastructure that matters for the UK’s energy future. This organisation’s breadth of work — from bespoke renewable projects to multi-discipline urban energy networks — gives you space to lead, innovate and make your mark.
If you’re ready to elevate design leadership and help shape the built energy systems of tomorrow, we’d love to hear from you