Head of Design & Technical Services
Location: Watford Head Office
Salary: Competitive
Help Shape the Future of Low-Carbon Heating Design
Sustain is an award-winning renewable heating and solar business delivering high-quality heat pump, solar PV and low-carbon energy solutions across the UK.
As a certified B Corporation, we believe business should be a force for good. Alongside delivering exceptional customer outcomes, we are committed to reducing carbon emissions, creating local employment opportunities, investing in our people and helping accelerate the UK's transition to a low-carbon future.
Having established ourselves as a trusted provider of renewable energy solutions, we have ambitious plans to develop and grow our Design & Technical Services offering, supporting manufacturers, developers, housing associations, consultants, contractors and other organisations delivering the transition to low-carbon heating and energy systems.
As our Head of Design & Technical Services, you will play a pivotal role in turning that ambition into reality.
This is more than a design management role. We are seeking an entrepreneurial technical leader who can help build, develop and grow our Design House capability into a recognised centre of excellence for heat pump and low-carbon heating system design.
Working with leading manufacturers, developers, consultants and contractors, you will help establish Sustain as a trusted technical partner across both new-build and retrofit markets.
You will be responsible for shaping the future direction of our Design & Technical Services function, developing service offerings, building strategic relationships, growing the team and ensuring the highest standards of technical quality.
For the right individual, this represents a unique opportunity to create something meaningful, influence the future of a growing business and help drive the decarbonisation of UK homes at scale.
The Opportunity
As Head of Design & Technical Services, you will be responsible for the strategic development, operational management and technical leadership of Sustain's Design House and technical services offering.
You will lead a growing team of designers whilst remaining closely involved in technical delivery, quality assurance, customer relationships and business development.
Working with heat pump manufacturers, developers, architects, M&E consultants, housing associations, contractors and installation businesses, you will help establish Sustain as a trusted outsourced design partner for renewable heating projects across the UK.
The successful candidate will have the freedom to influence strategy, develop new service offerings, build key industry relationships and create a scalable business unit capable of supporting long-term growth.
Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Leadership
- Develop and execute the long-term strategy for Sustain's Design & Technical Services function.
- Identify new market opportunities and service offerings.
- Support the commercial growth of the department.
- Establish Sustain as a recognised provider of heat pump and renewable heating design services.
- Work closely with senior leadership to define growth plans and operational objectives.
- Represent Sustain at industry events, manufacturer meetings and technical forums.
Design House Development
- Build and develop a high-performing design team.
- Establish design standards, processes and quality assurance procedures.
- Create scalable systems that support future growth.
- Drive innovation, efficiency and continuous improvement throughout the department.
- Develop service level agreements, reporting structures and performance metrics.
- Implement best-practice engineering and quality management processes.
Technical Leadership
- Act as the senior technical authority for Design House projects.
- Review and approve complex system designs.
- Oversee heat loss calculations, emitter sizing, hydraulic design and system optimisation.
- Ensure compliance with Building Regulations, MCS standards, MIS 3005, Future Homes Standards and industry best practice.
- Support commissioning, troubleshooting and performance optimisation activities.
- Maintain technical excellence across all outputs.
Manufacturer Partnerships
- Develop and strengthen relationships with manufacturers and other leading heat pump suppliers.
- Work collaboratively with manufacturer technical teams to deliver high-quality design services.
- Support specification development, technical consultancy and design solutions.
- Establish Sustain as a preferred outsourced design partner.
- Identify opportunities to expand partnerships and service offerings.
Business Customer Solutions
Lead the delivery of design and technical services for:
- Housebuilders and developers
- Housing associations
- M&E consultants
- Principal contractors
- Local authorities
- Retrofit providers
- Energy companies
- Heat pump manufacturers
- Renewable energy contractors
You will act as a trusted technical advisor, helping customers navigate complex design challenges and deliver successful low-carbon heating projects.
New Build Design Services
A key part of this role will be developing Sustain's capability as a Design House partner for manufacturers and business customers delivering new-build housing developments.
You will:
- Lead the delivery of heat pump designs for new-build residential developments.
- Work closely with developers, architects, consultants and contractors.
- Support compliance with Part L, SAP and Future Homes Standard requirements.
- Develop scalable design processes for multi-plot developments.
- Create design standards and quality assurance procedures suitable for volume delivery.
- Position Sustain as a trusted technical partner within the new-build market.
- Support the continued growth of manufacturer-backed design services for business customers.
Team Leadership
- Recruit, mentor and develop designers and technical engineers.
- Foster a culture of learning, accountability and continuous improvement.
- Conduct technical reviews and provide coaching.
- Support succession planning and team development.
- Ensure resources are effectively allocated across projects.
Qualifications & Professional Memberships
We recognise that great engineers come from a variety of backgrounds. While we value formal qualifications and professional development, we are equally interested in proven technical expertise, leadership capability and a passion for advancing low-carbon heating solutions.
Essential
- Minimum 5 years' experience in heat pump, HVAC, building services or renewable energy design.
- Demonstrable experience leading technical teams and managing design outputs.
- Strong understanding of:
- Heat pump system design
- Hydraulic design
- Heat loss calculations
- Domestic hot water systems
- Building Services Engineering principles
- Building Regulations, Part L and low-carbon heating standards.
- Experience producing and reviewing technical reports, calculations, specifications and schematics.
- Strong stakeholder management and client-facing experience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Commercial awareness and an ability to identify opportunities to develop and grow technical service offerings.
Desirable
- Degree (BEng, MEng or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering, Building Services Engineering, Energy Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent demonstrable industry experience.
- Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng), or actively working towards professional registration.
- Membership of a recognised professional institution such as CIBSE (MCIBSE/ACIBSE), IMechE (MIMechE), IET (MIET) or the Energy Institute (MEI).
- Heat Geek Design Qualification or equivalent low-carbon heating design certification.
- Experience working with heat pump manufacturers, developers, housing associations, M&E consultants or principal contractors.
- Experience building, managing or scaling a design function or consultancy service.
- Experience with BIM, Revit, AutoCAD or related design software.
- Knowledge of SAP, EPC and Future Homes Standard requirements.
- Experience designing systems for new-build residential developments and multi-plot projects.
What Success Looks Like
Within your first 12 months, you will have:
- Established a clear growth strategy for Design & Technical Services.
- Strengthened relationships with manufacturers and strategic partners.
- Built scalable design processes and quality assurance systems.
- Developed a high-performing technical team.
- Expanded Sustain's design and technical service offering beyond its current capabilities.
- Created new opportunities within the new-build and renewable heating sectors.
Within three years, you will have helped establish Sustain as one of the most respected independent providers of renewable heating design services in the UK.
Why Sustain?
At Sustain, we believe exceptional businesses are built by exceptional people.
We invest heavily in training, development and innovation, creating an environment where talented individuals can make a genuine impact.
You'll join a company that:
- Is a certified B Corporation, balancing purpose and profit.
- Is carbon neutral and committed to climate action.
- Has won national awards for both Heat Pump and Solar Installation.
- Is trusted by homeowners, developers, manufacturers and partners across the renewable energy sector.
- Invests heavily in employee development, innovation and technical excellence.
- Encourages entrepreneurial thinking and continuous improvement.
- Has ambitious growth plans within the renewable energy sector.
- Is committed to delivering outstanding customer outcomes.
Most importantly, you'll have the opportunity to help build something genuinely significant within one of the UK's most exciting and rapidly evolving industries.
If you're looking for a role where you can shape strategy, lead technical excellence, build industry partnerships and create lasting impact, we'd love to hear from you.
Pay: £35,000.00-£60,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
