PROJECT ENGINEERING MANAGER – MECHANICAL

What you will do

• Set the engineering delivery strategy, plan, team and priorities from client needs, project objectives and technical requirements.
• Lead and integrate mechanical, process, CE&I, civil/structural, safety and other discipline inputs.
• Own requirements, the technical baseline, interfaces, deliverables, reviews, decisions and engineering dependencies.
• Make or secure timely decisions and chair key technical reviews, supported by proportionate evidence.
• Maintain oversight of progress, risk, assumptions, change, resources and constraints; intervene early when delivery is at risk.
• Set proportionate governance, configuration control, verification and approval arrangements.
• Align technical, safety, cost, schedule and commercial considerations with project, planning and commercial colleagues.
• Act as the senior engineering contact for clients, technical authorities, suppliers and delivery partners.
• Apply mechanical engineering judgement and constructive challenge to complex or high-consequence issues.
• Lead and develop engineers while strengthening React’s project-engineering methods and capability.

What success should look like

• Projects have credible integrated engineering plans, clear accountabilities, realistic interfaces and sufficient resource.
• The team has clear priorities, delegated authority and decision routes, allowing issues to be resolved at the right level.
• Technical risks, changes, assumptions and constraints are actively managed and visible early.
• Clients, project directors and technical approvers have confidence in the quality, governance and direction of the work.
• The team delivers practical solutions, applies governance proportionately and develops stronger engineers.

Essential experience & evidence

• Degree or equivalent professional qualification in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Around 10 years post-graduation experience, including success in a comparable Project Engineering Manager, Engineering Manager or Lead Project Engineer role.
• A track record of leading multidisciplinary engineering delivery and taking accountability for technical quality and project outcomes in a regulated or complex industrial environment.
• Strong understanding of the engineering lifecycle, requirements, design maturity, verification, configuration, change and assurance.
• Evidence of setting direction, coordinating resources, resolving priorities and securing timely decisions without unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Credible senior-level communication with clients and technical stakeholders, combined with reliable ownership and early escalation.

Desirable, but not essential

• Nuclear, decommissioning, defence, energy, process plant or other highly regulated sector experience.
• Experience of site surveys, installation, commissioning, plant modification or operational interfaces.
• Chartered Engineer status, or evidence of equivalent professional competence and continued professional development.
• Exposure to project controls, NEC contracts, CDM, safety-case interfaces or supply-chain technical management.
• Experience developing engineers and improving project-engineering methods or capability.

The behaviours that matter in this role

• You naturally look for the whole problem rather than optimising one technical detail in isolation.
• You are decisive but not reckless: willing to act with uncertainty while knowing what evidence and assurance are required.
• You care about whether engineering outputs can actually be implemented on a project or site.
• You set clear direction and create the conditions for other people to make sound decisions and do good work.
• You are comfortable being visibly accountable, use governance intelligently and do not hide behind process or hierarchy.

What you can expect from React

• A clear mandate and meaningful authority to shape engineering delivery, not simply administer a deliverables list.
• Direct access to executive, project and technical leaders, with the opportunity to influence important delivery decisions.
• Varied work across strategy, engineering and delivery, with scope to strengthen project teams and broaden your leadership impact.
• Support towards chartership and continued professional development, subject to confirmation of the formal package.
• A candid, office-based environment where people solve problems together and good judgement is noticed.

Advice to Potential applicants

To apply for this role or to request more information, please apply via the apply now link.

The deadline for applications is the 20th of September 2026.

Only short-listed candidates will be invited for interviews.

All short-listed candidates will be required to prove that they have the Right to Work in the UK during the recruitment process.

All candidates offered employment will be required to undergo pre-employment security checks against the Baseline Personal Security Standard before employment can commence.

Personal data acquired during the application process will be used in accordance with the GDPR and Data Protection Act. This means that information is confidential and can only be used for assessment and selection, and for employment records if their application is successful.

React Engineering is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

For further information on how React will process your data please contact Jessica Sisson on jsisson@react-engineering.co.uk.