Lead HVAC Mechanical Engineer

Zutari: Co-creating an engineered impact.

Zutari is a well-established management-owned engineering firm with almost 90 years experience. As human-centred engineering consultants and advisors we are trusted by our clients business partners communities and other stakeholders across Africa.

We co-create engineering solutions that have a positive impact and improve peoples lives. Zutari values inclusion and recognises the importance of a diverse talented workforce believing that people need other people to succeed.

What kind of talent do we pursue

We employ people with the right attitude and a positive mindset who are motivated by doing the right thing getting things done and share a sense of urgency. People who have an impact in our teams and broader community. People who think differently and connect with those around them to co-create new opportunities and leave a meaningful legacy.

Role responsibilities

• Set the engineering strategy design/shop drawings/quality assurance and controlapproach and technical direction for HVACsystems across all project stages.
• Approve and take responsibility for all critical HVAC decisions ensuring solutions are safe compliant coordinated maintainable and energyefficient.
• Oversee and sign off the disciplines calculations reports schematics specifications and design documentation.
• Drive continuous improvement in HVAC engineering methods standards technical governance digital maturity and riskbased decision-making.
• Lead design execution deliverable quality technical completeness and integration across HVAC workstreams ensuring adherence to programme scope and budget.
• Coordinate proactively with electrical Public health structural civil fire architecture and specialist teams to ensure early interface alignment and a fully integrated design.
• Define and control the HVAC delivery plan including sequencing work allocation stagegate reviews design decisions and resource utilisation.
• Identify and address delivery risks early (technical programme commercial performance or interface) escalating appropriately and implementing corrective actions decisively.
• Provide construction-phase oversight including RFI responses technical clarifications design deviation evaluation site inspections commissioning oversight (FAT/SAT) and ensuring final installation meets design intent and operational requirements.
• Align discipline delivery with fee budgets scope boundaries and commercial assumptions before detailed design begins.
• Enforce change-control discipline ensuring all scope shifts risks or rework drivers are identified documented communicated and commercially managed.
• Forecast and monitor HVACdiscipline hours cost performance and resource utilisation ensuring margin protection and avoidance of nonrecoverable effort.
• Support Project Executives in fee proposals pricing strategies variation claims and Mechanical/HVACspecific commercial negotiations with clients and contractors.
• Ensure all engineering decisions support commercially viable delivery and do not compromise financial performance.
• Act as the primary Mechanical/ HVAC representative for assigned projects leading client discussions workshops reviews and technical decision-making.
• Provide clear structured advice that helps clients understand tradeoffs technical risks valueoptimisation options compliance requirements and performance outcomes.
• Maintain strong trustbased relationships by ensuring transparency proactive communication timely decision inputs and reliable delivery performance.
• Represent Zutari EX with professionalism and authority in all external technical engagements enhancing client confidence and enabling future work.
• Lead and mentor engineers technologists and technicians ensuring clarity of expectations disciplined delivery and strong technical development.
• Assign work effectively based on capability workload and risk ensuring quality and performance standards are consistently met.
• Provide structured technical feedback support performance reviews and identify development needs across the team.
• Contribute to recruitment onboarding and succession planning to strengthen longterm Mechnical/HVAC discipline capability.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement technical excellence accountability and collaboration across the team.
• Identify future opportunities during project delivery by maintaining strong client engagement and understanding evolving client needs.
• Provide discipline-specific input to bids proposals and fee estimates including design strategies assumptions risks and competitive differentiators.
• Ensure high-quality delivery that strengthens Zutari EXreputation and drives repeat business from satisfied clients.
• Advise discipline and sector leadership on emerging market trends capability gaps and opportunities aligned with the business strategy.
• Support early pursuit discussions by providing informed technically grounded perspectives on feasibility scope risks and value creation.

Minimum requirements

• BSc/BEng or MSc/MEng in Mechanical Engineering.

• Minimum requirements: Active professional registration with a certified engineering body

• Minimum of 10 to 12years experience delivering and leading HVAC engineering design on complex building or infrastructure projects across multiple sectors (e.g. commercial industrial andhealthcare).
• Demonstrated experience acting as the HVAC lead on projects with accountability for technical integrity delivery performance multidisciplinary integration and client-facing coordination.
• Proven experience managing HVACscope within fee programme and quality parameters including hours forecasting scope control and early identification of commercial or delivery risks.
• Proven experience managing three or moreproficiently registered Mechanical/HVAC engineers.
• Minimum of 5 years experience mentored and developed junior engineers.

• Strong understanding of local international codes and standards preferably including those applicable to South AfricaMiddle East and Europe.

• Strong technical and view of building services focussing mainly on Mechanical (HVAC).

• Strong proficiency in Revit would be an advantage working on your projects.

• Strong proficiency in mechanical simulation software is highly advantageous. HAP/IES

• Being confident a team player approachable.
• Minimum of 1 to 2 years experience developing shop drawings.

We believe that a diverse workforce is key to our business success. We seek the best people for our jobs based on their skills qualifications and experience. We embrace the principle of equal opportunity in employment and we work towards eliminating all forms of unlawful discrimination in our employment support of diversity and the equal opportunity principle preference will be given to individuals from designated groups within South Africa