Principal Mechanical Engineer / Team Leader - ( 260000N3 )

Description

Principal Mechanical Engineer / Team Leader

Stantec is a global leader in sustainable engineering and environmental consulting. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what’s previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure.

We are designers, engineers, scientists, project managers, and strategic advisors. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what’s possible.

Stantec’s Buildings team in New Zealand delivers end-to-end projects for our clients, from feasibility and design through to construction, commissioning, and operation. Our team of 100 brings expertise in mechanical, hydraulic, fire, ICT, electrical and sustainability engineering to local & international projects.

We are proud to put user needs at the centre of design, efficiently delivering client & community outcomes. We are pleased to be growing our team, providing building services mechanical engineering capability across technical projects in the built environment.

The opportunity

We are seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer / Team Leader to join our high-performing Buildings team in Auckland. This is a senior people and technical leadership role, with a clear mandate to lead, support, and grow the Auckland mechanical team while guiding the delivery of advanced and technically complex mechanical building services solutions. Key focus areas include healthcare, laboratories, mission-critical facilities, community and education facilities, commercial developments, and wider infrastructure-related projects.

A central part of the opportunity is people leadership. You will provide visible, approachable leadership for the Auckland mechanical team, creating clarity around priorities, strengthening collaboration, and fostering an inclusive and supportive team culture. Through open communication and knowledge-sharing, you will help create an environment where people feel connected, valued, and able to perform at their best.

Alongside this people leadership focus, you will represent Stantec externally with clients and project partners and contribute to the broader New Zealand Buildings Group. You will enjoy a varied role that balances team leadership and coordination with project delivery, technical guidance, client engagement, and business development. Your decisions will influence team performance, project outcomes, client relationships, and the continued growth of the Auckland mechanical practice.

You will have direct people leadership responsibility for members of the Auckland mechanical team and will lead the day-to-day development and coordination of mechanical engineers and designers. This will include mentoring and coaching, regular performance and career-development conversations, workload and resource planning, recruitment, and succession planning. You will recognise individual strengths, identify future capability needs, and support the team’s continued professional and technical growth.

Day to day tasks would involve:

• Lead the delivery of advanced and technically complex mechanical building services projects across sectors including healthcare, laboratories, mission-critical facilities, education, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure.

• Exercise independent professional judgement to resolve complex technical and project-delivery issues, including situations requiring interpretation of standards or the development of solutions where established precedents may be limited.

• Provide senior technical leadership, design review, and quality oversight to ensure mechanical engineering solutions are accurate, complete, practical, coordinated, and aligned with client, programme, budget, and regulatory requirements.

• Lead and support design, documentation, project review, construction-phase services, and technical coordination in collaboration with clients, consultants, contractors, and authorities.

• Build and maintain trusted client relationships, identifying opportunities to add value, strengthen repeat work, and support Stantec’s growth in the Auckland market.

• Plan, assign, and coordinate team workloads, reviewing progress and work quality, maintaining delivery schedules, balancing competing priorities, and supporting team wellbeing.

• Provide immediate guidance and support to team members, helping them address technical and delivery challenges while maintaining appropriate professional and quality standards.

• Mentor, coach, and develop mechanical engineers and designers through regular performance and career-development conversations, technical guidance, knowledge-sharing, and access to appropriate development opportunities.

• Contribute to recruitment, onboarding, capability development, and succession planning to support the sustainable growth and resilience of the Auckland mechanical team.

• Work closely with discipline leads, project leaders, and the wider Buildings leadership team to manage pipeline and resourcing needs, address delivery risks, and implement improvements to systems, standards, quality, and ways of working.

About you:

• Strong experience in a consulting environment within the building services industry, ideally at Principal, Associate, or senior leadership level.

• Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering or equivalent, with substantial senior-level professional experience delivering and leading complex mechanical building services projects.

• Demonstrated experience supervising, developing, and supporting the performance of professional engineering staff.

• Proven ability to exercise independent professional judgement and resolve complex technical and project-delivery issues.

• Experience planning and allocating work, managing competing priorities, and maintaining quality and delivery standards across a professional team.

• Strong knowledge of the New Zealand Building Code and relevant Australian and New Zealand Standards.

• Ability to balance project delivery, technical leadership, client engagement, people leadership, and operational performance.

• Ability to establish and maintain trusted client relationships and identify opportunities for repeat work and business growth.

• Commitment to improving engineering systems, standards, quality, and ways of working.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Chartered Professional Engineer status, or progress towards chartership, would be highly regarded.

What we offer

At Stantec, we take your growth and fulfilment seriously. We’re proud to offer many supportive benefits, including:

Professional development and support

• Flexible working arrangements, including purchasing up to an extra four weeks of leave and provision for school term contracts, part-time, and job sharing

• Learning and talent development programmes, including global, online, and on-the-job opportunities

• Professional memberships

• Service recognition awards

• Mentorship

Wellbeing and connection opportunities

• Health insurance, income continuance insurance, and life insurance

• Employee assistance program

• Developing Professionals Group, a global network for those with under 10 years of experience

• Office Social Club and events

About us

We’ve been serving our clients and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand for over 125 years. With almost 900 professionals, our team is based in the main cities and throughout the regions. We collaborate across disciplines and sectors to bring buildings, energy, water, environmental, and transport projects to life.

Globally, Stantec unites approximately 34,000 employees working in over 450 locations across six continents. Our work from initial project concept and planning through design, construction, and commissioning begins at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships.

Please apply directly online.

No agency applications will be accepted

Qualifications

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Primary Location : New Zealand-Auckland-Auckland

Organization : BC-3107 Buildings-NZ

Employee Status : Regular

Job Level : Individual Contributor

Travel : No

Schedule : Full-time

Job Posting : Oct 8, 2026, 7:01:13 PM

Req ID: 260000N3

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with local, state and federal laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. EEO including Disability/Protected Veterans