Electrical Associate Director / Technical Team Lead
At HDR, we are proud to be employee-owned. That means our people share in our success, have a genuine voice in our future and are empowered to make decisions that create lasting value for our clients, communities and one another. We are building an inclusive, collaborative workplace where every employee-owner is respected, encouraged to contribute fresh ideas and inspired to consider a powerful question: what impact will our work have on the world?
Join a business at the forefront of the energy transition. Our teams engineer utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), help stabilise modern grids and respond to the rapidly growing energy demands of AI. As data-centre racks move beyond the megawatt class, we are helping lead the shift towards DC power distribution and designing efficient, resilient DC-to-DC conversion systems for the next generation of digital infrastructure.
We are looking for an accomplished Electrical Associate Director / Technical Team Lead to join HDR’s Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice. As part of our Tech/Media/Telecom & Data team, you will work with world-renowned technology and AI clients on complex hyperscale data-centre campuses from early strategy and concept design through to delivery. You will combine technical authority, people leadership and commercial judgement to shape high-performing teams and landmark projects across the UK and internationally.
This is an opportunity to be recognised by clients as a trusted partner, by colleagues as an inspiring technical leader and by the industry as a champion of engineering excellence. As an employee-owner, you will help shape how we grow, strengthen our technical community and deliver work that has a meaningful, lasting impact. Your responsibilities will include:
Lead complex technical solutions
- Act as the senior technical point of contact for clients, building trusted relationships and guiding projects from concept through to successful delivery.
- Provide authoritative leadership across electrical engineering systems, including power distribution and generation, critical backup systems, energy management and resilient infrastructure.
- Set the standard for technical quality, ensuring designs achieve exceptional levels of innovation, performance, safety, sustainability and reliability.
- Champion advanced engineering tools, digital design technologies and emerging AI capabilities to improve decision-making and deliver better project outcomes.
Deliver Exceptional Client Experiences
- Build long-term partnerships by understanding each client’s ambitions and delivering solutions that create measurable value.
- Lead discussions with senior client stakeholders, translating complex technical challenges into clear, practical business decisions.
- Identify opportunities to broaden our services, deepen relationships and contribute to HDR’s sustainable growth.
Drive Project Success
- Lead multidisciplinary teams in delivering complex projects, balancing technical excellence with programme, budget and quality commitments.
- Maintain a clear view of project performance and provide timely strategic direction to resolve challenges without compromising design integrity.
- Work with HDR leaders and fellow employee-owners to strengthen our technical capability, project performance and reputation in the market.
Elevate Engineering Excellence
- Create a culture of collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement and shared accountability.
- Lead technical reviews, design audits and quality-assurance activities that support consistently outstanding delivery.
- Identify learning and professional-development opportunities that build individual confidence and team capability.
- Encourage the open exchange of knowledge, lessons learnt and best practice across our global employee-owned network.
Inspire the Next Generation
- Be a visible mentor, coach and trusted adviser to engineers at every stage of their careers.
- Develop future technical leaders by offering purposeful guidance, honest feedback and meaningful opportunities to grow.
- Build an environment where curiosity, inclusion, innovation and professional excellence can thrive.
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What you will bring/Requires
- At least eight years’ relevant experience, including substantial experience operating at Senior Engineer level or above.
- A bachelor’s degree in engineering or an equivalent recognised qualification.
- Chartered Engineer status, or clear progress towards achieving chartership, is preferred.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain technical information to non-technical audiences and present clearly to senior leaders, clients and other stakeholders.
- Strong working knowledge of industry-standard design software, such as Amtech, DIALux, Revit and Bluebeam, together with the ability to develop the capability of junior design-team members.
What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.
Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.
Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.
