MEPH Project Manager (Site Based)

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

About the Project

We are supporting the delivery of a major hyperscale data centre campus in Northumberland, North East England. With a total development value of approximately £10 billion, this programme is one of the largest data centre developments in Europe.

The campus will extend across 540,000 sqm and comprise 10 data centre buildings, together with extensive enabling works, substation infrastructure, and environmental remediation. First-phase enabling works commenced in late 2025, with main construction beginning in 2026.

This is a landmark programme that will create thousands of jobs and represent a significant long-term investment in the region.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced MEPH Project Manager to act as the Employer’s lead for Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health systems delivery across the data centre works.

This is a client-side role focused on the leadership, coordination, monitoring and technical oversight of MEPH systems throughout design development, execution planning, installation, energisation readiness, commissioning integration and handover.

The role will suit a professional with strong experience in hyperscale data centres, mission-critical environments, or other technically complex infrastructure projects, and a proven ability to drive delivery across multiple stakeholders and interfaces.

Key Responsibilities MEPH Delivery Leadership

• Lead the development of MEP strategies for future phases
• Support RFP documentation, tender process management, submission reviews, scoring and recommendations
• Support onboarding of the supply chain and review initial deliverables
• Provide management, coordination, monitoring and technical oversight of all MEPH systems from design development through commissioning and handover
• Manage and support the supply chain through design development and execution planning to align with Client Requirements
• Lead the verification and approval of supply-chain cadence deliverables
• Coordinate supply-chain stakeholders to support campus priorities and programme objectives
• Identify and manage issues early, including mitigation planning and escalation where required
• Liaise with project team members to support technical assurance, contractor management and stakeholder coordination
• Support compliance with project commissioning requirements, health and safety standards, and project delivery culture

Interface Management

You will work closely with key internal and external stakeholders, including:

• CSA Project Manager for progress and readiness to commence works
• Substation Project Manager for energisation dates relating to permanent and temporary substations
• Commissioning Agent
• Planning Consultant to support closure of conditions and occupation readiness
• Building Control Officer and Building Regulations Principal Designer for sign-off and compliance
• FIDIC Engineer in relation to change management

What You Will Bring Experience

• Strong project management experience in MEPH systems delivery
• Experience in hyperscale data centres, mission-critical facilities, or similarly complex technical environments
• Good knowledge of:
  • HV/LV distribution
  • Generators
  • UPS systems
  • Cooling systems
  • Process water systems
  • Fire protection systems
  • Energisation and commissioning readiness
• Experience managing OFCI/CFCI integration, fit-out interfaces and critical equipment dependencies
• Strong capability in programme coordination, technical assurance, reporting and stakeholder management
• Experience working in a client-side role and driving contractor and supply chain performance

Behaviours and Approach

We are looking for someone who is:

• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy
• A strong communicator and effective coordinator
• Detail-focused, technically assured and quality-led
• Committed to safe delivery
• Proactive in resolving blockers and managing risks early
• Collaborative, professional and solutions-oriented

Role Scope This Role Includes

• Employer-side oversight of MEPH delivery
• Monitoring installation progress, readiness and interfaces
• Supporting energisation, commissioning integration and handover readiness
• Coordinating stakeholders and driving issue resolution
• Reviewing contractor deliverables, sequencing and readiness

This Role Does Not Include

• Primary responsibility for CSA project management of core, shell or external works
• Acting as the Commissioning Agent
• Acting as the General Contractor, trade contractor or installation manager
• Responsibility for contractor means and methods
• Responsibility for formal planning or scheduling services, legal services, cost management or facilities management

Key Deliverables Daily

• Attend and contribute to daily activity briefings, floor plate meetings and commissioning meetings
• Carry out site walks and field observations focused on MEPH installation progress, quality and safety interfaces
• Track key MEP systems and critical path activities
• Coordinate daily with CSA, contractor teams and commissioning stakeholders
• Review planned versus actual progress on critical installation activities
• Identify and escalate blockers, access issues, readiness constraints and interface clashes
• Review contractor short-term activities, sequencing and workface readiness
• Monitor OFCI/CFCI equipment delivery, installation status and logistics impacts
• Track RFIs, technical queries and design coordination issues affecting delivery
• Verify site readiness for energisation, equipment installation and commissioning activities where applicable
• Maintain action trackers, risk logs and issue logs
• Provide timely stakeholder communication on urgent issues, critical risks and required decisions

Weekly

• Attend Last Planner meetings
• Produce a weekly MEP progress report covering status, progress against programme, achievements and upcoming activities
• Lead or support look-ahead reviews for planned MEP installations, energisation activities, testing and interfaces
• Support weekly interface coordination outputs with CSA, contractors and package leads
• Review programme status against the master programme, including recovery actions
• Review commissioning readiness by system and area ahead of upcoming activities
• Report on critical equipment status including procurement, manufacture, delivery, installation and readiness
• Summarise quality and compliance matters including inspections, observations, non-conformances and close-out status
• Update risk and issue registers with mitigation actions and ownership
• Review contractor resourcing, sequencing and methodology for upcoming works
• Report on design and technical assurance matters including RFIs, submittals, technical queries and unresolved issues
• Provide stakeholder summaries covering progress, decisions required, risks and key interfaces
• Review handover deliverables including as-builts, O&M documentation and commissioning records
• Support weekly tenant reporting and meetings where required

Monthly

• Prepare monthly executive reporting on overall MEPH delivery performance
• Produce dashboard reporting covering programme, delivery risks, quality, safety interfaces and commissioning readiness
• Report on OFCI/CFCI package integration and critical equipment milestones
• Support strategic reviews of progress against key milestones, energisation strategy and handover dates
• Provide trend analysis on risks, delays, recurring quality issues and interface problems
• Summarise commissioning readiness by system and area aligned with the Commissioning Agent
• Report on contractor performance from an oversight perspective
• Summarise key client decisions, approvals and actions required
• Provide updates on permitting, statutory, utility and regulatory compliance matters relevant to MEP delivery
• Review close-out and handover readiness including defects, documentation, test records and operational readiness
• Capture lessons learned and emerging delivery themes
• Contribute to governance packs and steering meeting inputs for senior stakeholders

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.

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