Senior Design Manager

Overview

In this Senior Design Manager role you lead multidisciplinary design development for major infrastructure projects from early concept through delivery. You work closely with pre-construction, commercial, engineering and delivery teams to ensure buildable, regulated, and cost-aligned outputs. You balance technical detail with programme and risk, thriving in complex environments. The opportunity offers real influence, a collaborative culture, and clear progression within a contractor renowned for self-delivery and high‑quality execution.

Pay / Benefits

• strong progression opportunities
• collaborative, structured working culture

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage multidisciplinary design teams on major infrastructure programs
• Oversee design development in pre-construction for buildability, sequencing, and logistics
• Drive design assurance, governance, and regulatory compliance
• Manage design interfaces across steel, RC, timber and other material packages
• Collaborate with commercial teams to align design with cost plans and procurement strategy
• Support self-delivery teams with clear design information and timely technical response
• Coordinate temporary works, construction methodology, and engineering inputs
• Maintain structured design reviews, reporting, and documentation
• Engage with clients, stakeholders, and supply chain to ensure alignment
• Identify risks early and implement mitigation to protect programme and cost

Key requirements

• Strong background as Design Manager or Senior Design Manager on complex infrastructure projects
• Experience in pre-construction, design development, buildability reviews, early-stage planning
• Solid commercial understanding including cost drivers, procurement and risk
• Experience with steel, reinforced concrete, timber and other structural materials
• Knowledge of self-delivery environments and construction execution realities
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex design interfaces
• Strong communication, coordination, and reporting capabilities
• Relevant qualification in civil engineering, structural engineering or similar
• Desirable familiarity with digital design tools (Aconex, BIM 360, CDEs) and project controls disciplines

• Strong communication
• Coordination and stakeholder engagement
• Problem-solving under delivery pressure
• Design development and buildability reviews
• Interface management across materials (steel, RC, timber)
• Regulatory compliance and design governance

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