Lead Design Manager

Turner & Townsend; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 400,000 - 680,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend is seeking a Lead Design Manager in the UAE to lead the design management process for large-scale real estate and hospitality developments. You will coordinate cross-disciplinary teams, oversee design through concept to construction delivery, and interface with clients, consultants, and contractors to ensure quality, budget, and schedule adherence.

The ideal candidate brings 15-20 years in design management, strong leadership, and proficiency with AutoCAD, Revit and BIM tools,

Qualifications

• 15-20 years of progressive experience in Design Management within real estate and hospitality developments.
• Experience delivering large-scale hospitality projects in the UAE/GCC.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency with industry tools like AutoCAD, Revit, BIM platforms, Navisworks and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the design process across all phases (concept to construction).
• Coordinate multidisciplinary design teams (architects, engineers, landscape, interiors).
• Review and guide design deliverables to meet objectives, budgets and regulations.
• Chair design coordination meetings and track actions and decisions.
• Oversee design integration to minimize clashes and risks.
• Manage design approvals with clients, authorities and utilities.
• Ensure timely closure of design review comments and submittals.
• Lead value engineering and sustainability improvements.
• Monitor design changes and their cost/schedule impact.
• Review materials, mock-ups and samples for compliance.
• Support procurement with technical reviews and clarifications.
• Collaborate with project management, construction and commercial teams.
• Ensure adherence to health, safety and sustainability standards.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder mgmt

Design management

Project coordination

Quality assurance

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Construction Management

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

BIM platforms

Navisworks

MS Office

Job description

Job description

Company Description

At Turner & Townsend we’re passionate about making the difference. That means delivering better outcomes for our clients, helping our people to realize their potential, and doing our part to create a prosperous society.

Every day we help our major global clients deliver ambitious and highly technical projects, in over 112 offices worldwide.

Job Description

The Lead Design Manager will lead and oversee the design management process for large-scale real estate and hospitality developments, ensuring that project objectives, quality standards, budgets, and timelines are successfully achieved. The role will act as the key interface between the client, consultants, contractors, and internal stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle, from concept design through construction delivery.

We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated professional with strong leadership, technical expertise, and stakeholder management skills to drive design excellence across complex residential, commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, and master development projects.

• Lead and manage the design process across all project phases, including concept, schematic, detailed design, tender, and construction stages.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary design teams, including architects, engineers, landscape architects, interior designers, and specialist consultants.
• Review, monitor, and provide technical guidance on design deliverables to ensure compliance with project objectives, budgets, regulations, and quality standards.
• Chair and manage design coordination meetings, ensuring timely issuance of minutes, action logs, and follow-up of design-related decisions.
• Oversee design integration and coordination between all disciplines to minimize clashes, design conflicts, and construction risks.
• Manage design approval processes with clients, authorities, utility providers, and regulatory bodies.
• Ensure timely preparation and closure of design review comments, technical queries, and contractor submittals.
• Lead value engineering exercises and identify opportunities for design optimization, cost efficiency, and sustainability improvements.
• Monitor and report on design risks, design changes, and their impact on project cost, schedule, and quality.
• Review material selections, mock-ups, and samples to ensure compliance with project vision and technical requirements.
• Support procurement and tender activities through technical reviews, design clarifications, and consultant management.
• Collaborate closely with project management, construction, and commercial teams to ensure smooth transition from design to execution.
• Ensure adherence to health and safety requirements, sustainability standards, and

Qualifications

• Construction Management, or a related discipline.
• 15-20 years of progressive experience in DesignManagement within real estate and hospitality development, consultancy, or project management environments.
• Proven experience delivering large-scale hospitality projects in the UAE/GCC.
• Strong understanding of design management methodologies, authority approval processes, construction practices, and project delivery frameworks.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary consultants and coordinating complex stakeholder environments.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and leadership skills.
• Proficiency in industry-standard software such as AutoCAD, Revit, BIM platforms, Navisworks, and Microsoft Office Suite.

Additional Information

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance.

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/

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It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time.

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Turner & Townsend and arenot subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review.