Design Manager (PMC) - Waterfront Development & Heritage

Parsons; Dubai; On-site; AED 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons in Dubai is seeking a highly experienced Design Manager to lead the design and delivery of a major waterfront development and heritage project. You will oversee the design process from concept through detailed design, ensuring strong integration between heritage assets, waterfront environments, architecture, landscape, infrastructure, public realm, and modern development requirements.

You will manage multidisciplinary design consultants and coordinate design reviews, value engineering,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in architecture/engineering/urban design or design management; master’s preferred.
• 15–20 years in design management and delivery of major capital projects.
• Proven waterfront/heritage or destination development experience.
• Strong heritage conservation and adaptive reuse experience.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating consultants.

Responsibilities

• Lead design management and coordination from concept through detailed design.
• Manage multidisciplinary design consultants across disciplines.
• Oversee design deliverables, approvals, and code/compliance checks.
• Ensure integration of heritage assets with waterfront and public realm.
• Lead design reviews, value engineering, and constructability assessments.
• Interface with client, developers, authorities, and stakeholders.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Presentation skills

Design coordination

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Architecture

Master's Degree preferred

Professional qualification

Tools

BIM

Digital engineering

Multidisciplinary design platforms

Job description

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next! At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what's possible.

Job Description

Parsons is seeking a highly experienced Design Manager to lead the design and delivery of a major waterfront development and heritage project . In this role, you will oversee the design process from concept through detailed design, ensuring strong integration between heritage assets, waterfront environments, architecture, landscape, infrastructure, public realm, and modern development requirements.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead the overall design management and coordination of a waterfront and heritage-led development from concept design through detailed design.
• Manage multidisciplinary design consultants, including architects, urban designers, landscape architects, heritage and conservation specialists, structural and civil engineers, marine specialists, and building services consultants.
• Oversee the planning, review, coordination, and approval of design deliverables, ensuring compliance with the project vision, design guidelines, heritage requirements, applicable codes, and authority requirements.
• Ensure effective integration of heritage buildings and assets, adaptive reuse, waterfront interfaces, public realm, landscape, pedestrian environments, infrastructure, utilities, and mixed‑use development components.
• Monitor design solutions that preserve and enhance the historic character, cultural significance, architectural identity, and authenticity of heritage assets while supporting contemporary uses and visitor experiences.
• Act as the primary design interface between the Client, developers, operators, consultants, contractors, heritage specialists, local authorities, and other key stakeholders.
• Establish and manage design schedules, design management plans, design review processes, technical workshops, interface registers, and deliverable tracking systems.
• Lead design reviews, value engineering, constructability reviews, design optimization, risk mitigation, and sustainability initiatives throughout the design lifecycle.
• Monitor design progress, identify design and interface risks, and proactively resolve technical challenges while maintaining the project's quality, heritage, program, cost, and placemaking objectives.
• Ensure effective coordination between design and procurement.
• Establish and maintain robust design quality assurance, technical governance, design reporting, and change-control processes.

What Required Skills You'll Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Urban Design, Design Management, or related discipline. Master's Degree or relevant professional qualification preferred.
• Minimum 15-20 years of experience in design management, design coordination, and delivery of major capital development projects.
• Demonstrated experience delivering large-scale waterfront, heritage, cultural, mixed‑use, urban regeneration, or destination development projects.
• Strong experience working with heritage conservation, restoration, refurbishment, or adaptive reuse of historic buildings and culturally significant assets.
• Extensive experience managing multidisciplinary design teams, consultants, specialist designers, and technical stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of waterfront master planning, urban design, architecture, landscape design, public realm, infrastructure, and marine or waterfront interfaces.
• Proven experience managing design development through concept, schematic, detailed design, tender documentation, construction, and handover stages.
• Strong knowledge of relevant building regulations, heritage and conservation requirements, authority approval processes, accessibility requirements, and international design standards.
• Experience working within a PMC, multidisciplinary consultancy, developer, or client-side environment on major development programs.
• Strong understanding of BIM, digital engineering, multidisciplinary design coordination platforms, clash/interface management, and integrated project delivery methodologies.

What Desired Skills You'll Bring

• Exceptional leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and presentation skills.
• Proven ability to lead complex design programs integrating new development with heritage structures, cultural assets, waterfront environments, and high-quality public realm.
• Strong understanding of heritage‑led regeneration, adaptive reuse, placemaking, destination development, and conservation‑sensitive design.
• Strong problem‑solving, technical review, and design decision‑making capabilities.
• Ability to lead design workshops, heritage reviews, stakeholder engagement sessions, value engineering workshops, constructability reviews