Team Leader MEP (HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical)

About ATIXIS
ATIXIS is a French engineering and project management group delivering complex construction projects from concept to completion across commercial, healthcare, public, industrial, and energy sectors. Headquartered in Paris, ATIXIS has been expanding its presence in Asia since 2017, with an office in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since 2022, TERAO, a pioneer in sustainable building and energy efficiency consulting founded in Paris in 1993, has been part of the ATIXIS Group. Together, ATIXIS and TERAO provide integrated engineering, project management, and sustainability solutions throughout the entire building lifecycle, including green building certifications (LEED, BREEAM, HQE, WELL), building performance simulations, energy audits, carbon assessments, and operational optimization.

By joining our Vietnam team, you will contribute to innovative international projects while working in a dynamic, multicultural environment committed to technical excellence and sustainable development.

ATIXIS Vietnam is looking for a Team Leader MEP to lead its MEP team in Ho Chi Minh City. The team works mainly on design stages (schematic and detailed design, then tender design) rather than on construction and shop drawings, although execution modelling also features on some projects, in particular those run directly for clients outside ATIXIS France, whether local or international. Its inputs are therefore not detailed drawings, but design minutes issued by the ATIXIS France engineering teams or by the client’s own engineers (HVAC, plumbing, electrical): calculation notes, technical specifications, annotated mark-ups and meeting reports.

The core of the role is to turn that design intent into a brief that can be modelled/drafted: identify system routing and service shafts, size the systems, arbitrate with structure and architecture, put forward two or three options, then direct and check the work of the modelers. This is a senior design engineer / project leader position rather than a senior modeler position: autonomy, engineering judgement and technical decision-making are what the role is built on.

The Team Leader MEP also owns the interface with the engineers and project managers of ATIXIS France, in English and without going through management, and contributes to the pricing and writing of new proposals. The team is two people today (a senior electrical modeler and a junior HVAC modeler) and is expected to grow quickly. The detailed responsibilities are set out below.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Design Development & Technical Decision-Making

·        Read and interpret the design minutes issued by the ATIXIS France engineering teams for HVAC, plumbing and electrical (calculation notes, technical specifications, annotated mark-ups, meeting reports), and translate them into a clear, modellable brief for the team.

·        Define system routing and the layout of plant rooms, vertical shafts and ceiling voids: primary and secondary distribution, risers, clearances, access and maintenance space, available free height.

·        Size HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems (duct and pipe sizing, cable tray routes, plant footprint) and check the consistency of the figures against the engineers' calculation notes.

·        Where space or routing is constrained, develop two or three alternative options, set out the trade-offs (buildability, cost, maintenance, free height, impact on the other trades) and recommend one.

·        Arbitrate technical choices with architecture and structure: penetrations, beam and column constraints, false-ceiling void, plant room location and access.

·        Handle renovation and existing-building projects: work from survey data and existing conditions, avoid new penetrations wherever possible, re-use existing shafts and risers, design around beam-and-column constraints.

·        Carry the design through its successive stages, keeping models and drawings consistent with the latest design decisions and ensuring each deliverable matches the level of detail expected at that stage.

Team Leadership & Production Management

·        Plan and distribute the work of the MEP modelers and draughtsmen, set priorities and deadlines against project milestones, and follow progress day to day.

·        Brief the team on each task: what is to be modelled, to what level of detail, from which input documents and with which design assumptions.

·        Review and check models and drawings before issue; run model quality control (BIM Execution Plan compliance, Level of Development, naming conventions, systems, worksets, parameters).

·        Mentor the team and grow its technical skills: today a senior electrical modeler and a junior HVAC modeler, with further recruitment planned as the entity grows.

·        Report progress, workload, technical risks and resource needs to the Co-Director.

Coordination & Project Interface

·        Lead multidisciplinary coordination with architecture, structure and the other MEP trades; run clash detection and drive issues through to resolution (Navisworks).

·        Hold technical meetings and day-to-day exchanges directly with the ATIXIS France engineers and project managers, in English: raise queries, confirm design assumptions, present options and record decisions.

·        Take on the client relationship directly on international English-speaking projects, as ATIXIS Vietnam develops that portfolio.

Business Development Support

·        Contribute to the pricing of new projects: analyse the scope, estimate the workload and identify the technical risks.

·        Contribute to the writing of technical and commercial proposals, including the description of the methodology and deliverables.

Standards & BIM

·        Apply and help improve the BIM Execution Plan, Level of Development requirements, naming conventions, templates and internal families and libraries.

·        Contribute to the continuous improvement of MEP design and modelling workflows and of internal quality standards.

BENEFITS

·        Attractive salary;

·        13th-month and Tet salary bonus;

·        Salary review every 6 months;

·        Social insurance in accordance with the Labor Law;

·        15 days of annual leaves per year;

·        Gift or allowance for holidays, weddings, sicknesses, etc.;

·        Company trips & other team-building activities;

·        Passionate, talented, young, and driven colleagues;

·        Unlimited potential for your career growth because we are small and fast-growing;

·        Free snacks, tea, and coffee for a tea break on a regular basis.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education & Experience

·        Engineering degree in HVAC, plumbing, electrical engineering, building services or MEP engineering (or equivalent).

·        5 to 8 years of experience in MEP studies, including significant experience in a design consultancy or design office, not solely with a contractor. Experience limited to construction and shop drawings will not be sufficient for this role.

·        Proven experience leading, organising and developing a small technical team.

·        Experience working with a European design office is a strong asset.

·        Experience on renovation and existing-building projects is highly valued.

Professional Skills

·        Ability to size HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems, and to read, understand and use engineers' calculation notes and technical specifications.

·        Sound engineering judgement and the autonomy to take technical decisions, explain them and defend them.

·        Good command of the successive design stages and of the deliverables expected at each of them (schematic design, detailed design, tender design).

·        Priority disciplines are HVAC and plumbing; a solid working knowledge of electrical distribution is required to lead the whole team.

·        Strong knowledge of BIM good practice: BIM Execution Plan, Levels of Development, naming conventions and model quality control.

Technical Skills

·        Autodesk Revit MEP: mandatory, at an advanced level.

·        AutoCAD: solid command.

·        Navisworks for coordination and clash detection.

·        Dynamo and Forma are a plus.

·        MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).

·        Comfortable using AI tools to speed up routine work (document and specification review, data handling, drafting support), with the judgement to check what they produce.

Language skills

·        Fluent written and spoken English is required: it is the working language for the daily interface with the French head office, with international clients and the Co-director.

·        Native or fluent Vietnamese is required, for the management of the local team.

·        French is a strong asset and is reflected in the salary package. It is not a condition of application, and candidates who do not speak French are welcome to apply.

Soft skills

·        Autonomous and proactive: able to take a design intent and carry it forward without waiting for detailed instructions.

·        Clear communicator, comfortable explaining and defending technical choices to engineers and project managers.

·        Leadership and a genuine interest in developing junior team members.

·        Rigorous and detail-oriented, with a strong focus on the quality of what leaves the office.