Chief Engineer (Critical Infrastructure)

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the senior engineering authority for all critical facility operations.
• Lead and support engineering teams in the maintenance and operation of electrical and mechanical systems.
• Oversee planned preventative maintenance (PPM), corrective maintenance, and emergency response activities.
• Ensure maximum uptime and reliability of critical infrastructure.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex technical and operational issues.
• Support infrastructure upgrades, capacity expansion projects, and system improvements.
• Conduct root cause analysis and develop corrective actions following system or equipment failures.
• Implement engineering best practices, standard operating procedures, and safety initiatives.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, contractors, and specialist vendors.
• Monitor system performance and identify opportunities to improve resilience, efficiency, and operational excellence.
• Ensure compliance with all health & safety, regulatory, and site-specific requirements.
• Participate in an on-call rota and provide out-of-hours support when required.

Required Experience

• Significant experience operating within a critical environment such as data centres, utilities, power generation, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, healthcare, or other mission-critical facilities.
• Strong technical knowledge of: Electrical distribution systems, Switchgear, UPS systems, Transformers, Circuit breakers, Standby generators, HV/LV systems.
• Proven experience leading engineering teams and managing critical incidents.
• Strong understanding of preventative and reactive maintenance strategies.
• Experience conducting fault finding and root cause analysis.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, schematics, and engineering documentation.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Desirable Experience

• Previous experience as a Chief Engineer, Lead Engineer, Engineering Manager, or Critical Facilities Manager.
• Data centre or critical facilities background.
• Knowledge of cooling infrastructure, including chillers, CRAC/CRAH units, and associated mechanical systems.
• Experience delivering infrastructure improvement projects.
• Relevant engineering qualifications in Electrical, Mechanical, or Building Services Engineering.

What's on Offer?

• 6-month contract.
• Up to £330 per day.
• Inside IR35.
• Opportunity to contribute to large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure projects.
• Collaborative environment with exposure to industry-leading engineering practices.