Principal Facilities Engineer (SME) – Associate Director Level

About

We’re supporting a market-leading, innovation-driven life sciences organisation entering a major growth phase, with a strong pipeline across commercial and clinical products.

This is a critical, high-visibility hire. You’ll step in as the go-to Subject Matter Expert (SME) for facilities and infrastructure across multiple sites, playing a key role in enabling production, R&D, and future expansion.

If you’re a hands-on facilities leader who thrives on solving complex problems and owning critical systems, this is a rare opportunity to take full ownership of a technically challenging environment.

Why This Role Stands Out

• Join a business with significant investment and growth ahead
• Take ownership as the leading facilities SME, not just another manager
• Work across commercial manufacturing + advanced R&D environments
• Real influence on capex decisions, system upgrades, and site performance
• Opportunity to shape the function and grow into people leadership over time

The Role

You will be responsible for the reliability, performance, and compliance of critical facility systems, ensuring seamless support for GMP manufacturing and laboratory operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the SME for HVAC and mechanical systems across manufacturing and lab environments
• Own and optimise building management systems (BMS), ideally JCI Metasys
• Lead troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and system optimisation
• Manage and direct 3rd party vendors and service providers
• Support GMP compliance, audits, and regulatory inspections
• Drive facility upgrades, commissioning, and capital projects
• Partner with internal teams to ensure minimal disruption to live operations
• Make key decisions on repair vs replacement of critical equipment

What We’re Looking For

Technical Expertise:

• Mechanical Engineering degree (preferred) or equivalent
• Deep, hands-on experience with HVAC systems in GMP environments
• Strong knowledge of BMS systems (JCI Metasys highly desirable)
• Proven experience supporting regulated manufacturing (FDA/EMA)
• Track record managing vendors, maintenance programmes, and site upgrades

Experience:

• ~10+ years in pharma, biotech, or other regulated environments
• Background as a facilities engineer / SME, not purely managerial
• Experience in commercial-scale operations (not early-stage startups)

Who You Are

• A true subject matter expert who takes ownership
• Comfortable working independently in a high-impact role
• A strong problem solver who can diagnose and fix complex issues quickly
• Able to communicate clearly across technical and non-technical teams
• Someone who builds strong relationships with stakeholders and vendors

What Success Looks Like

• You become the trusted technical authority across sites
• Critical systems are optimised, reliable, and audit-ready
• Strong relationships established with vendors and internal teams
• Key upgrades and improvements delivered with minimal disruption

Package

• Competitive base salary + bonus + equity
• Full benefits package
• Long-term career growth within a high-growth organisation