Senior Design Manager (Construction)

  • Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited
  • 22/10/2026
Full time Construction Project Manager Management QA-Quality Control Architect and Design Planner

Job Description

We are working with an established regional main contractor delivering new-build, refurbishment, retrofit and cut and carve projects across London and the South East. They are in a strong period of growth with an increasing T/O currently circa £60M. Their projects typically range from £3m to £20m, with a particularly strong track record in education and public-sector schemes, alongside healthcare, community, heritage, residential and commercial projects.
As Senior Design Manager, you will take responsibility for the design process from pre-construction through delivery and completion, ensuring information is coordinated, buildable, compliant and aligned with programme and commercial requirements, working closely with the Precon and Build team. This is a key role with the opportunity to lead and build the Design Team as it grows with the company with their planned expansion.
You will:

  • Manage design across new-build and refurbishment projects, typically £3m-£20m.
  • Coordinate architects, consultants, MEP teams and specialist subcontractor designers.
  • Produce and manage Design Programmes, Information Release Schedules and Design Responsibility Matrices.
  • Support tenders, pre-construction activities and value-engineering exercises.
  • Review designs for buildability, technical compliance, quality and CDM requirements.
  • Work with Project Managers and Planners to align design with the construction programme.
  • Support the Commercial Team with procurement, subcontractor packages and change control.
  • Chair design meetings and technical coordination workshops.
  • Manage RFI's, design changes, approvals and information registers.
  • Identify and manage technical, programme and commercial design risk.
  • Coordinate architectural, structural and MEP interfaces.
  • Support BIM, QA, ITPs and project quality processes.
  • Liaise with clients, consultants, statutory authorities and site delivery teams.

About You

  • Previous Design Manager experience with a main contractor, supporting/managing others.
  • Background delivering £3m-£20m new-build and refurbishment projects.
  • Ideally experienced in education, public-sector or complex refurbishment projects.
  • Strong understanding of design coordination, buildability and construction sequencing.
  • Good knowledge of Building Regulations, CDM, BIM and design management processes.

What you need to do now

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