Engineering Manager - Data / Control Centres

Lead Project Engineer / Engineering Manager - control Centre

Birmingham / Washwood Heath | Hybrid Working (3 Days Office/Site)
£85,000 – £92,000 (potential to £101,500 subject to approval) + 12% Pension + Benefits
HS2 Washwood Heath Depot – National Infrastructure Control Centre (NICC)
⏳ Long-Term Programme | Flagship Critical Infrastructure Asset

Shape One of the UK’s Most Critical Control Centres (Data Centres)

This is a rare opportunity to join High Speed Two Ltd in a senior client-side engineering leadership role, taking ownership of the National Infrastructure Control Centre (NICC), a mission-critical facility at the heart of Britain’s new high-speed railway. This control centre building is similar to a Data Centre & will have similar power, cooling and building systems to cope with large amount of computers and electrical equipment. Candidates from both from rail & non rail environments are sought.

The NICC is a highly complex operational control environment, requiring exceptional levels of resilience, systems integration, and engineering assurance. You will lead the technical delivery, coordination, and assurance of the building from design through to construction, commissioning, and operational handover.

You will act as the client’s senior technical authority, ensuring the supply chain delivers a fully compliant, integrated, and operationally robust facility that meets stringent safety, performance, and regulatory requirements.

Why This Role Stands Out

* Client-side leadership role on a nationally significant infrastructure asset

* Ownership of a mission-critical control centre within HS2’s rail operations network

* High exposure across MEP, building systems, controls, and infrastructure interfaces

* Full lifecycle involvement: design, construction, testing & commissioning

* Significant stakeholder engagement across contractors, engineers, and senior leadership

* Complex systems integration environment with multiple interfacing work packages

* Strong long-term programme security and career progression

* Opportunity to lead and develop a small team of senior engineers

* Hybrid working with a delivery-focused, flexible culture

The Role

Reporting into the Head of Engineering, you will lead the risk-based technical assurance of the NICC building across all phases of delivery.

You will act as the key interface between HS2 and multiple Tier 1 contractors, ensuring that mission-critical building systems are designed, built, and commissioned in line with client, regulatory, and operational requirements.

A core focus of the role is systems integration and assurance, ensuring mechanical, electrical, HVAC, digital, and control systems operate cohesively within a high-availability operational environment.

You will also be responsible for supporting CDM Principal Designer duties and NEC Supervisor responsibilities, working closely with project managers, commercial teams, and technical specialists.

Key Responsibilities

* Lead technical assurance of NICC building design, construction, and commissioning

* Review and approve contractor submissions against client and regulatory standards

* Manage systems integration across MEP, controls, and building infrastructure

* Discharge CDM Principal Designer Representative and NEC Supervisor duties

* Ensure compliance with operational, safety, and resilience requirements

* Coordinate technical interfaces between multiple contractors and work packages

* Identify and manage technical risk, assumptions, and engineering change

* Support commissioning, testing, and operational readiness activities

* Provide clear technical direction and resolve complex engineering challenges

* Lead reporting on technical progress, assurance, and risk

* Manage and support a small team of Senior Project Engineers

What We’re Looking For

You are likely a senior engineer or engineering manager with experience delivering or assuring complex, mission-critical infrastructure buildings.

Essential Experience

* Strong background in MEP, building services, or complex infrastructure delivery

* Experience on large-scale buildings (£100m+), ideally mission-critical environments

* Understanding of systems integration across multi-disciplinary engineering teams

* Experience working under NEC contracts

* Familiarity with CDM 2015 and Principal Designer responsibilities

* Strong stakeholder management across contractors and client organisations

* Ability to manage technical risk and drive engineering decisions

Desirable Backgrounds

Data centres or control centres

Rail, aviation & nuclear control centres

Telecommunications hubs or mission-critical environments –

Large-scale industrial or automated facilities

Client-side, consultancy, or Tier 1 contractor experience

The Opportunity

This is a career-defining opportunity to lead the technical delivery of one of HS2’s most important operational buildings.

You will play a central role in shaping how a mission-critical control environment is delivered, integrated, and commissioned, directly influencing the safe and reliable operation of Britain’s future high-speed railway for decades to come