Location
Romford
Industry sector
Engineering
Job type
Permanent | Full Time
Job start date
ASAP
Posted date
04/03/2026
Closing date
01/04/2026
Critical Mechanical Shift Engineer – £52,000 – Essex
📍 Location: Essex
💷 Salary: £52,000
🕒 Hours: Continental Shift Pattern (Days & Nights)
We are currently recruiting for an experienced Critical Shift Engineer (Mechanical Bias) to join a leading facilities management provider supporting a mission-critical data centre in Essex.
This is an outstanding opportunity to work within a high-availability, critical environment where uptime, resilience, and operational excellence are paramount. You’ll join a business that genuinely values its engineers — offering structured progression, continuous training, and strong leadership committed to long-term career development within the data centre sector.
Key Responsibilities:
- Carry out Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) and reactive maintenance across critical mechanical infrastructure.
- Respond rapidly to plant failures and critical alarms to ensure maximum uptime and resilience.
- Operate and maintain mechanical systems including CRAC/CRAH units, chillers, cooling towers, pumps, pressurisation units, expansion vessels, and associated pipework.
- Fault-find on chilled water systems, HVAC plant, UPS cooling systems, and water treatment equipment.
- Monitor and operate Building Management Systems (BMS) and DCIM systems (Head End experience advantageous).
- Support critical environment compliance, including permit to work systems, risk assessments, and method statements.
- Conduct routine plant inspections, log readings, and ensure all statutory compliance tasks are completed.
- Work collaboratively with electrical engineers and site teams to maintain Tier-level operational standards.
- Ensure all works are carried out in accordance with health & safety regulations and data centre best practices.
Requirements:
- City & Guilds Level 3 (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering, HVAC, Plumbing & Heating, or related discipline.
- Minimum 3 years’ experience within critical environments (data centres, hospitals, banking, or high-availability sites preferred).
- Strong mechanical fault-finding and diagnostic ability within live plant rooms.
- Experience working on chilled water systems and large-scale HVAC infrastructure.
- Understanding of critical cooling infrastructure and redundancy (N+1 / 2N configurations desirable).
- Positive, proactive approach with the ability to remain calm under pressure.
What’s On Offer:
- £52,000 Salary
- Continental shift pattern (work-life balance built into rota)
- Annual leave + bank holidays
- Free on-site parking
- Company pension & private healthcare
- Industry-leading data centre training and career development
- Clear progression pathway into Senior / Lead Engineer roles
- Long-term, stable contract within a high-profile critical facility
- Supportive and technically driven working environment
Ready to take the next step into the data centre sector — or further develop your critical environment experience?