Job Title: Principal Mechanical Design Engineer
Location: Reading
Hours: 36 hours per week (Hybrid working available)
Car allowance: £5,800 per annum
First Off - What’s in it for you?
The Principal Mechanical Design Engineer will benefit from a strong package and clear progression within a technically influential environment:
* £80,000 basic salary DOE
* Annual performance-related bonus
* 26 days annual leave (rising with service) plus bank holidays
* Private medical cover and wellbeing support
* Life assurance and employee assistance programme
* Professional membership and chartership support
* Opportunity for the Principal Mechanical Design Engineer to influence engineering standards across major UK water programmes
Now - The Role
This Principal Mechanical Design Engineer role offers an opportunity to take a leading technical authority position within a specialist engineering function supporting major UK water and wastewater infrastructure programmes.
The position is focused on engineering governance, design assurance, and the application of industry standards, with a strong emphasis on WIMES compliance, technical approval, and consistency across mechanical design outputs. The Principal Mechanical Design Engineer will play a key role in shaping standards and ensuring robust engineering delivery across sludge treatment, digestion, and related process systems.
Role Responsibilities
Key responsibilities include:
* Checking, reviewing, and formally approving mechanical design deliverables
* Acting as technical authority for mechanical engineering within regulated water environments
* Ensuring compliance with WIMES standards, UK regulations, and client specifications
* Developing and maintaining industry-wide mechanical design standards and practices
* Providing engineering governance and assurance across project lifecycle stages
* Leading technical input into:
* Sludge treatment and digestion systems
* Biogas and CHP infrastructure
* Pumping stations and pipework networks
* Water and wastewater process equipment
* Supporting consistency and standardisation of engineering outputs across teams
* Mentoring and guiding engineers to improve technical quality and compliance
Experience & Qualifications
The Principal Mechanical Design Engineer should demonstrate the following:
* Degree-qualified in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent)
* Chartered Engineer status (or working towards)
* Strong background in UK water and wastewater engineering environments
* Proven experience with WIMES standards and regulated design frameworks
* Experience in sludge digestion, biogas, CHP, or wastewater treatment systems
* Demonstrable experience in design review, checking, and approval responsibilities
* Strong understanding of engineering governance, compliance, and technical assurance
Interested?
If you are an experienced Principal Mechanical Design Engineer looking to operate as a true technical authority—driving standards, approving critical engineering outputs, and shaping delivery across major water infrastructure programmes—please apply to find out more.
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