ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR – MECHANICAL

Black & White Engineering (B&W) is a leading MEP design consultancy. Launched in the UAE in 2007, we became an independent company in 2014 and are now a true global consultancy with offices in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

Our engineering expertise reaches across all sectors of the construction industry, providing pragmatic and practical design solutions to ensure our projects are spatially and operationally efficient. Our design process fully considers the installation and maintenance practicalities on site.

The Associate Director assists in developing and communicating the vision, values, and direction of the business to achieve sustainability, growth, efficiency and profit.

The Associate Director is responsible for managing the development, design, and coordination of engineering project services for Mechanical and / or Mechanical installations, systems, equipment, facilities etc. The Associate Director ensures projects are successfully delivered, adhering to B&W standard / quality and timelines whilst managing resources efficiently. The Associate Director applies a high level of initiative and judgement to prioritise tasks, workload of projects and acts with professionalism, courtesy, and tact with clients and colleagues, and promotes the culture of the company.

The Associate Director’s role is to assist the Technical Director in an ongoing commitment to the philosophy of the business and its implementation and also plays a key part in providing leadership support to the Technical Director in the following areas:

• FO liaison
• Technical leadership (improve your team)
• Staff leadership (grow your team)
• Recruitment (Build your team)
• Own the ‘One Team Culture’
• Provide monthly performance reviews for each team member and give them feedback on areas requiring improvement
• Treat every team member the same
• Ensure annual assessment, increment recommendations rewarding the best performers

The Associate Director position suits a highly experienced and qualified Mechanical engineering design professional. He / she will possess the technical knowledge, design experience, people management and project delivery background necessary to lead design teams in the successful delivery of a broad range of building types.

He / she will have a keen interest in new developments and technical advancements within the MEP engineering design field. Having specific Data Centre design experience will be an advantage.

• BSc / B.Tech / BEng in in Mechanical or have sufficient equivalent experience
• Chartered Engineer status
• Significant experience of design and specification for Mechanical systems for range of applications
• Experience of having managed international projects (desirable).
• Sound knowledge and working application of key health and safety issues and legislation
• Excellent people management and networking skills
• Excellent English communication skills – both verbal and written
• High level of technical understanding with the ability to communicate this knowledge clearly – verbally and in writing
• Ability to prioritise own workload
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Ability to identify scope and scheduling changes in accordance with the change control process, maintaining planning and cost control on all scope
• Technical knowledge in primary discipline and a thorough understanding of PHE & Fire protection & Electrical systems
• Technical knowledge about the type of capital equipment and their applications
• Proficient at using IT based calculation and current discipline based software, like; HAP, Hevacomp, Pipeflo, IES., Navis, Microsoft office, BIM 360 etc.
• Good knowledge of international codes & standards
• Presentation skills
• Leadership and mentoring skills
• Chairing and facilitation of meeting skills
• Willingness to develop further skills and knowledge through ongoing personal development and training

• Deals with complex escalated problems within own area
• Creates new / better operational processes
• Makes time to review projects, to identify and learn from successes and problems
• Thinks beyond the immediate task in hand and considers the impact of decisions further down the line
• Challenges existing working practices and suggests improvements
• Identifies patterns and trends – recommends action
• Provides in-depth analysis of problems and proposes solutions brings others in to contribute to solutions
• Fosters the development of new ideas in others
• Is active in one or more Technical Committee, using the networks as a means of engaging with others to identify and develop new process / approaches
• Examines own area and compares methods and outcomes with other parts of B&W and industry wide, i.e., benchmarks own area’s performance and acts to improve
• Takes difficult decisions, explaining / defending the decision gives constructive criticism
• Predicts long-term effects of current approaches by analysing entire processes; recommends alternative strategies

The post holder will be expected to operate in line with our workplace values which are:

• Accountability – Everyone is accountable
• Integrity – We are straight-talking, respectful, and fair
• Simplicity – Both in our approach and solutions
• Supportive – We are approachable, inclusive, and we recognise success
• Quality – We strive to get it right first time, every time

When working together we are:

• Supportive
• Accountable
• Collaborative
• Respectful

The key tools to be effective are:

• Attention to detail
• Planning
• Solving problems
• Making decisions

• Assist in managing, advises and mentors multi- discipline project engineering design team, focusing on achievement of objectives
• Keeps abreast of latest engineering developments, recommends investigation and adoption of new methods, systems, software etc
• Active member of or provides support to the company’s Technical Committee which is tasked with the ongoing pursuit of design excellence, understanding of new products, technologies, software, analysis tools and legislation
• Actively involved in the training, mentoring, coaching and development of engineering staff
• Travels locally and internationally as required to meet project and company needs
• Responsible for winning work – directly or indirectly
• Responsible for project commercial dashboards and invoicing for Indian projects
• Carries out lessons learnt studies to improve productivity on future projects
• Reviews status advised by project personnel and external parties and modifies schedules or plans as required. Prepares project reports for management, client or others
• Surveys tests and reports on existing services  installations
• Specifies activities to ensure that manufacturing, construction, installation, and operational testing conform to functional specifications and customer requirements
• Represents Company at technical meetings with customers, professional teams and contractor teams
• Carries out engineering calculations (or manages / leads calculations carried out by others) to ensure drawings meet required robust industry and legal standards
• Develops HVAC system design in accordance with the information from Front Office and also provides his technical feedback to Front Office for design improvement
• Discuss and conclude design related challenges considering other associated services with Front Office
• Ensures the calculations, schedules, design drawings etc. are developed according to company standards
• Technical reviews of the drawings and documents to ensure good quality product in one go ‘Right at First Time’
• Closely monitor and ensure that the standard design development process is followed for all project from beginning till end
• Reviews and critics work undertaken by others for technical content, compliance with B&W format together with the accuracy of grammar and spelling
• Leads on the coordination of engineering services
• Ensures risk and performance monitoring analysis takes place through effective systems of internal control and delegation
• Takes a holistic view in the selection and application of engineering concepts and solutions
• Takes an active role in the sales and marketing of the company’s services, ensuring key client relationships are developed and maintained
• Promotes company through exposure in trade press / conferences
• Accepts responsibility for the management of additional tasks as and when required

The Associate Director assists in developing and communicating the vision, values and direction of the business to achieve sustainability, growth, efficiency and profit.

• Proven ability to deal successfully with difficult situations
• Success with B&W Global offices / clients
• Business awareness and efficient management of resources
• Demonstrable interest in the development of appropriate training activities
• Ability to represent B&W externally
• Innovative skills
• Commitment to the philosophy of the firm
• Excellent team and leadership skills, having earned the respect of his or her peers
• Effective contribution to firm wide activities
• Proven success with clients and in business generally, earning respect for the firm and generating work
• Demonstrable commitment to the development of all staff and particularly of future leaders
• Ability to represent B&W at a high level
• Ability to think and act on behalf of the firm rather than self or unit
• Commitment to the philosophy of the firm and its implementation through his or her leadership proven record of project success over a period of years: measured technically and financially