Design Manager

Are you an experienced Design Manager looking for your next challenge with a Tier 1 contractor? Willmott Dixon is seeking a motivated and technically strong Design Manager to join our Construction South division.

We have entered an exciting new phase, and a surge in project wins mean we're ready to grow. We're building a team of experienced individuals who want to be part of a company that's ambitious, supportive, and full of opportunity.

Our project portfolio & pipeline includes a diverse mix of projects such as Department for Education schemes offices leisure, blue-light facilities, Defence and Science/Tech. With an excellent reputation as one of the UK's leading contractors, this is a fantastic opportunity to join a business that was recently ranked in the top five of the Financial Times' "Europe's 1,000 Best Workplaces" list for 2025.

NB. This is initially a 12-month fixed term maternity cover opportunity, with a strong possibility of converting into a full-time permanent role for the right candidate!

Key Responsibilities / Deliverables

• Lead the design process on allocated projects, ensuring compliance with Willmott Dixon procedures and delivering high-quality outputs.
• Manage and coordinate design programmes, maintaining control of deadlines and information flow.
• Chair and contribute to design team meetings, ensuring collaboration across consultants, supply chain partners, and internal teams.
• Review and challenge technical details to maintain buildability, value engineering, and quality.
• Work closely with Pre-construction Managers, Principal Design Managers, and Operations Managers to ensure design aligns with programme, cost, and customer requirements.

Essential Skills

• Proven experience as a Design Manager with a Tier 1/Tier 2 head contractor environment, or from an architectural/design consultancy with proven project exposure.
• Strong track record of leading and coordinating multi-disciplinary design teams.
• Technical confidence in reviewing design details, drawings, and specifications.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, able to influence both internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite and drawing mark-up tools.

Desirable Skills

• Experience across multiple sectors such as Education, Health, Defence, Residential, Leisure, or public sector projects.
• Familiarity with preconstruction models and processes within a main contractor environment.
• Professional qualifications (e.g. CIOB, RIBA) or evidence of continued professional development.

Additional Information

At Willmott Dixon, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive workplace where people can thrive, develop, and build long-lasting careers. For this role, the career pathway includes progression to Senior or Principal Design Manager, supported by structured development and active knowledge-sharing forums.

About Us

With over 170 years of rich history, Willmott Dixon's purpose is beyond profit; delivering brilliant buildings, transforming lives, strengthening communities and enhancing the environment so our world is fit for future generations. Ensuring that we add lasting value to the neighbourhoods we work in; our values, people, innovation, partnerships and focus on sustainability has allowed us to build a successful and solid privately owned business where our people can thrive.

Willmott Dixon was recognised by The Sunday Times as one of the Top 10 "Big" Companies to Work For in 2025, named among the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality in 2024, and ranked in the Top Five of Europe's 1,000 best workplaces by the Financial Times in 2025.

Willmott Dixon is also the first major contractor and developer to win a King's Award for Enterprise in the category of sustainable development.