Senior Physical Security Design Engineer - Ethos - Birmingham, United Kingdom

About the Role

The Senior Physical Security Design Engineer is a senior technical role within the Smart Buildings team, responsible for the delivery of high-quality physical security designs across mission-critical, data centre and complex infrastructure projects.

Working alongside the Physical Security Technical Design Lead and multidisciplinary engineering teams, you will take ownership of the technical development of security designs from concept through detailed design, ensuring solutions are compliant, coordinated and aligned with client requirements, industry standards and operational objectives.

The successful candidate will act as a technical authority for physical security systems, supporting project delivery through design development, technical reviews, coordination with other engineering disciplines and mentoring of junior engineers. This role requires extensive experience in designing integrated physical security systems within complex-built environments, particularly data centres and other critical infrastructure.

• Lead the technical design and coordination of integrated physical security systems including CCTV, Access Control, Perimeter Intrusion Detection Systems (PIDS), Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Intercom and Security Management Systems.




• Produce and review security design documentation including design reports, technical specifications, equipment schedules, calculations, schematics, layouts and detailed construction drawings.




• Develop security strategies and engineering solutions that satisfy client operational requirements while complying with relevant standards, legislation and project objectives.




• Coordinate physical security designs with ICT, Electrical, Mechanical, Architectural, Civil and Structural disciplines to ensure fully integrated design solutions.




• Participate in technical workshops with clients, operators, architects, contractors and specialist vendors to develop and validate security design requirements.




• Undertake technical assessments including Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessments (TVRA), security zoning studies, design risk assessments and engineering option appraisals.




• Review vendor proposals, technical submissions and contractor deliverables to ensure compliance with project specifications and design intent.




• Prepare equipment schedules, cable schedules, device layouts and system architecture diagrams suitable for construction and procurement.




• Ensure designs comply with relevant British, European and International Standards together with applicable client design standards and regulatory requirements.




• Undertake design coordination reviews using BIM/Revit, Bluebeam and other digital engineering tools.




• Carry out design QA/QC reviews and technical assurance activities in accordance with the company's Quality Management System.




• Support commissioning planning, witness testing and technical issue resolution during construction and project delivery.




• Provide technical mentoring and guidance to graduate and junior engineers, supporting continuous professional development within the team.




• Maintain awareness of emerging technologies, industry trends and best practice in physical security design, particularly within hyperscale and colocation data centre environments.




• Support continuous improvement initiatives through the development of design standards, templates, technical guidance documents and lessons learned.

About You

Qualifications & Experience

• Degree in Electronic, Electrical, Building Services, Security Engineering or a related discipline.




• Experience designing physical security systems for data centres, critical infrastructure or other high-security facilities.




• Proven delivery of RIBA Stages 2–5 (or equivalent) physical security designs.




• Experience producing specifications, reports, schematics, layouts and coordinated design documentation.




• Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering teams.




• Knowledge of BIM workflows and proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam and Microsoft Office.




• Ability to manage multiple projects and deliver high-quality work to programme.

Strong knowledge of integrated security systems, including:

• CCTV

• Electronic Access Control

• Perimeter & Intrusion Detection Systems

• Intercom Systems

• Security Management Systems (SMS/PSIM)

Technical Expertise

• Understanding of physical security design for mission-critical facilities.




• Knowledge of relevant EN, ISO, BS and IEC standards.




• Familiarity with security risk management, Defence in Depth and layered security principles.




• Understanding of IP networking, security system resilience, cybersecurity interfaces and structured cabling.

Professional Skills

• Strong technical writing, analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to translate client requirements into practical engineering solutions.

• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and multidisciplinary coordination skills.

• Highly organised, detail-oriented and capable of managing competing priorities.

Personal Attributes

• Committed to engineering quality and continuous improvement.

• Collaborative, proactive and accountable.

• Commercially aware with the ability to mentor junior engineers and perform effectively under pressure.

Desirable

• Experience on hyperscale or colocation data centre projects.

• Knowledge of Autodesk Revit, BIM 360/ACC and digital engineering platforms.

• Professional membership or certification (e.g. PSP, ASIS, CPNI, CPP, Security Institute, BICSI).

• Chartered Engineer or working towards chartership.

• Experience with Smart Buildings, Digital Twin or operational technology integration.

Why Join us?

At Ethos, we’re dedicated to fostering an environment that encourages both technical excellence and personal wellbeing.

We offer:

• Flexible Fridays and a 9-day fortnight working schedule — enjoy every second Friday off to maintain work–life balance.




• A culture that values flexibility, learning, and teamwork, with clear progression pathways and support toward professional accreditation.




• Opportunities to work alongside some of the most experienced engineers in the industry, within a forward-thinking, technology-driven consultancy.

Benefits:

• Flexible working times




• 25 Days holidays




• Pension Scheme




• Working tra