Senior Mechanical Engineer

Role: Senior Mechanical Engineer (SME)
Project: Major UK data centre programme involving modifications to existing facilities to support AI workloads.
Salary: Competitive hourly rate
Engagement: Contract 
Work Pattern: Hybrid role (three days in office)
Start Date: ASAP

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical engineering activities for facility upgrades designed to support AI compute loads.
  
  
• Develop and optimise liquid cooling systems to manage increased thermal output from high‑density racks.
  
  
• Assess existing mechanical infrastructure and define upgrade paths for chilled water systems, heat rejection equipment, and distribution networks.
  
  
• Produce and review mechanical calculations, specifications, drawings, and technical documentation.
  
  
• Coordinate with electrical, HVAC, BMS, fire safety and architectural teams to ensure seamless integration of upgraded systems.
  
  
• Support commissioning, testing and performance validation of new cooling solutions.
  
  
• Act as a subject‑matter expert throughout the project lifecycle, advising on mechanical resilience and efficiency.
  
  

Requirements

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Building Services Engineering.
  
  
• Strong experience with high‑density cooling in mission‑critical environments, ideally data centres.
  
  
• Background in retrofit or upgrade projects involving chilled water, liquid cooling, or advanced thermal management.
  
  
• Ability to collaborate across multiple technical disciplines and manage interfaces.
  
  
• Experience producing and reviewing technical documentation and leading mechanical packages independently.
  
  
• Strong communication skills and confidence in client‑facing environments.
  
  

What’s on offer

• Hybrid working (3 days in London office).
  
  
• Opportunity to work on cutting‑edge AI‑driven data centre upgrades.
  
  
• Progression into senior technical leadership roles.
  
  
• A highly specialised, engineering‑driven environment.
  
  

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.