Job Overview The Principal Mechanical Engineer will provide professional leadership and assurance for the Trust’s mechanical engineering systems, ensuring they are safe, reliable, compliant, and fit for purpose in a healthcare environment. The role exists to safeguard patient and staff wellbeing by overseeing statutory compliance, risk management, and technical standards across all mechanical assets, including ventilation, medical gases, pressure systems, water safety, boilers, and energy systems. Acting as a senior technical authority, the post-holder will support the Head of Compliance and Assurance in delivering a robust estates compliance framework, drive continuous improvement in system performance, and contribute to the Trust’s strategic objectives in sustainability, energy efficiency, and service resilience. Main duties of the job Key Responsibilities Deputise for the Head of Assurance, overseeing compliance across PAM, audits, risk assessments and safety groups, ensuring action plans and estates risks are monitored and updated. Manage the estates policy library, assurance training matrix and asbestos risk register, and coordinate statutory maintenance and PPM scheduling in line with SFG20. Build strong working relationships with stakeholders, producing performance and compliance reports, including for the Hospital Infection Control Committee. Liaise with Estates teams to ensure maintenance aligns with SFG20, escalate end‑of‑life assets for capital replacement, and travel to Trust sites to assess requirements and arrange inspections. Participate in safety group meetings, support out‑of‑hours engineering activities, and provide technical advice to capital project managers. Witness and sign off works in line with HTM/HBN guidance, supervise mechanical works and contractors, and maintain AP competence through ongoing training. Ensure compliance with all HTMs, HBNs, SFG20, British Standards, PAM and statutory health & safety requirements, including testing programmes and Trust duties relating to infection control, safeguarding, equality, and information governance. Working for our organisation Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available. Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too. We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users. Frimley Health Trust benefits on Vimeo Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities A detailed and comprehensive version of the job description and main responsibilities can be found in the attached JD and person specification. Person specification Qualifications Essential criteria Undergraduate degree in engineering. Postgraduate master’s degree in relevant engineering discipline or demonstrate working towards master’s level qualification Chartered professional registration with the engineering council, or equivalent IEng experience. Authorised Person/ Responsible Person training/qualifications. Evidence of CPD Desirable criteria H&S qualification, NEBOSH Diploma, IOSH. Asbestos awareness. Medical Gas Authorised Person qualification. Experience Essential criteria Proven experience of working in a management/leadership role to include staff management. Experience of working within the NHS or similar public sector organisation. Budget management Significant experience of managing and monitoring the compliance aspects of FM services. Previous experience in creating and maintaining MS Word documents, Excel spread sheets, cloud hosted databases. Desirable criteria Experience of using Healthroster. Experience of using EPROC Skills Essential criteria Excellent communication skills Strong presentation skills. Enhanced problem-solving skills and the ability to respond under sudden unexpected demands. Strong time management and organisational skills Working knowledge of financial processes. Good knowledge of NHS standards, including Health Building Notes and Health Technical Memorandums Full understanding of the importance of Method statements and Risk assessments and the ‘Permit to Work’ system Skills in data collation or analysis Advanced problem solving. Desirable criteria Knowledge of mechanical systems. Familiarity with asset tracking and maintenance scheduling Project management experience – especially in capital works, refurbishment, or compliance improvement programmes Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities. Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first. We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand-new £100m state-of-the-art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services. We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future-proofed, featuring on-site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Through our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to helps us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations. Alongside estates’ investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care. Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together. Apply online now