Head of MEP Systems

About the company

Utopia is an ultra-luxury hospitality and lifestyle brand creating a global ecosystem of properties and experiences.

We develop private villa retreats in beautiful locations around the world, each with high-end service. Utopia also offers a wider ecosystem of leisure experiences and services available both to those staying on property and to external visitors.

Utopia designs and builds its properties in-house. Our projects span the full journey: from concept and architecture to construction, interiors, landscape, guest experience, and long-term operation. For architects and designers, this means contributing on properties from the ground up, with the ability to influence how each place is planned, built, and experienced. For hospitality professionals, it means collaborating with a brand where service is personal, attentive, and built around each guest’s stay.

We’re a young, ambitious team with high standards and a hands-on approach. We value strong ideas, practical thinking, attention to detail, and people who are ready to take ownership of their part of each project. If you’re interested in architecture, design, hospitality, or guest experience, we invite you to explore opportunities with Utopia.

About the role

The Head of MEP Systems is responsible for leading the MEP design function across Utopia’s portfolio of luxury residences, resorts and boutique hotels. The role requires proven experience delivering very high-end luxury residential and hospitality projects and a proactive approach to identifying risks, resolving issues and improving design quality before problems reach site. The Head of MEP Systems establishes technical standards, oversees design coordination and guides internal teams and external consultants from concept through construction, commissioning and handover.

Responsabilities

• Lead MEP design strategy and technical reviews across projects and design stages.
• Establish and maintain MEP standards, design briefs, deliverable requirements and review procedures.
• Guide the global MEP team and coordinate specialist resources across projects.
• Review project briefs, concepts, calculations, drawings, specifications, schedules and equipment selections.
• Proactively identify design gaps, technical risks and coordination issues, then drive them to resolution with clear owners and deadlines.
• Coordinate MEP systems with architecture, interiors, structure, landscape and specialist equipment.
• Ensure designs are buildable, maintainable, compliant with applicable codes and suited to each project’s location and operating requirements.
• Protect the comfort, reliability, energy and water performance, and guest experience expected in very high-end projects.
• Lead technical reviews and value engineering, balancing cost and programme with quality and long-term performance.
• Coordinate with local engineers and consultants on authority requirements and statutory submissions.
• Support procurement and delivery teams with tender reviews, technical clarifications and proposed substitutions.
• Provide technical oversight during construction, inspections, commissioning, integrated systems testing and handover.
• Track design decisions, changes, risks and unresolved actions, escalating material issues promptly.
• Develop reusable standards, specifications, technical libraries and lessons learned across the portfolio.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or a relevant master’s degree or professional registration is an advantage.
• Significant MEP design experience, including leadership of teams, consultants or multidisciplinary packages.
• Proven experience delivering very high-end luxury residential and hospitality projects, such as private villas, luxury resorts and boutique hotels.
• Experience overseeing MEP design from concept through construction, commissioning or handover.
• Strong knowledge of integrated HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and building systems.
• Experience coordinating international project teams and local consultants.
• Familiarity with Revit, Navisworks, BIM coordination and relevant engineering design tools.
• Fluent English.
• Preferred Competencies:
• Proactive, hands-on leadership, with a track record of anticipating issues and driving solutions through to completion.
• Strong technical judgement and the ability to manage priorities across multiple projects.
• Excellent communication, coordination and decision-making skills.
• Ability to review and challenge technical documents and explain complex issues clearly.
• Practical approach to design risk, buildability, maintenance and value engineering.Nice to have

• Spanish speaking skills (optional)
• Experience in tropical, coastal or remote locations.

• High-end international projects. Work on premium developments abroad, a valuable addition to any professional portfolio
• Upscale clientele. Regular collaboration with high-profile clients brings exposure to demanding standards and valuable professional connections
• Project security. The investor is developing each property for their own use as a hospitality venture, which means strong commitment and a guarantee that projects will be carried through to full completion
• Fully remote with business trips. You’ll collaborate from anywhere within GMT 0 to GMT+2.
• All the tools you need. A laptop, home office supplies and infrastructure, and access to our project and documentation tools from day one
• Properties across three continents. You’ll deliver projects in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America
• A team that spans 30+ countries. Developers, architects, engineers, and legal specialists from every corner of the world, held to the same standards and the same bar for qualityBy submitting this application, I agree that my personal data will be collected, processed, and retained by the company solely for the purposes of managing and assessing my candidacy