Design Development Manager (Maternity Cover)

The Gym Limited; London Borough of Wandsworth; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Gym Group is seeking a Design Development Manager on a fixed-term contract to own and evolve the design language for its nationwide gym estate. You will lead development and communication of design principles, and provide hands-on leadership across openings, refits and enhancements, informed by member insight and data to keep the proposition fresh.

You will coordinate internal teams and external consultants, ensuring design quality, governance, and value for money while maintaining a strong

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in interior design, architecture, or spatial design in multi-site environments.
• Proven ability to create and maintain design standards, guides, and specifications for delivery teams.
• Strong CAD capability to develop and amend layouts independently.
• Experience using data, customer insight, or operational performance to inform design decisions.
• Ability to manage external architects, designers, and consultants with strong commercial awareness.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management with the confidence to influence at all levels.
• Proactive, self-sufficient approach to manage multiple priorities in a delivery-focused environment.

Responsibilities

• Own and develop design and format principles with clear standards and specifications.
• Lead design across new openings, refits and enhancements, review layouts and ensure quality.
• Hands-on CAD to test options and keep design development moving quickly.
• Utilise member insight and operational data to improve gym formats and experiences.
• Coordinate internal resources and external architects and designers to deliver value.
• Build relationships across Property and Operations and present design thinking clearly.
• Support trials and pilots, translating concepts into repeatable standards.
• Ensure designs meet health, safety, CDM, and governance requirements.

Skills

Interior design

Architecture

Spatial design

Design standards

Guides & specs

CAD

Data-driven design

Stakeholder management

Communication

Tools

CAD

Job description

Hi, we’re The Gym Group... We’re one of the UK’s leading fitness businesses. With more than one million members, 265+ gyms and ambitious plans to keep growing, we’re the UK’s second-largest gym operator by membership and the fourth largest in Europe. Our mission is simple: to break down barriers to fitness for all. We’re large enough to make a meaningful difference, but agile enough for individuals to influence how we grow. Technology, data and new ideas play a central role - and you’ll have the opportunity to take ownership, challenge how things are done and see the impact of your work. Just as importantly, we’re a people-first business where everyone is encouraged to be themselves. We’ve been named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work and awarded Investors in People Gold, alongside a host of other awards recognising our culture and our people.

About the role

This is a rare opportunity to own the design language of one of the UK's largest gym businesses - shaping how hundreds of thousands of members experience our spaces every day. As Design Development Manager on a fixed-term contract, you will lead the development and communication of our design and format principles, provide hands-on design leadership across new openings, refits, and enhancements, and use real data and member insight to keep our gym proposition evolving.

What you’ll be doing

• Own and develop The Gym Group's design and format principles, creating clear standards, guidance, and specifications that enable consistent delivery across the estate.
• Lead design across new gym openings, refits, and enhancement projects - reviewing layouts, challenging drawings, and ensuring quality and buildability at every stage.
• Get hands-on in CAD when needed, developing and amending early-stage layouts to test options and keep design development moving at pace.
• Use member insight, utilisation data, operational feedback, and commercial performance to continuously improve our gym format and member experience.
• Coordinate internal design resource and manage external architects, designers, and consultants to deliver quality, programme, and value for money.
• Build strong relationships across Property, Operations, and the wider business, presenting design thinking clearly and challenging constructively to protect agreed principles.
• Support trials and pilots, translating successful concepts into repeatable, scalable design standards.
• Ensure all designs meet statutory, Health and Safety, and CDM requirements, maintaining robust governance and approval processes.

About you

• Substantial experience in interior design, architecture, or spatial design within a multi-site, fast-paced environment such as retail fit-out, leisure, hospitality, or food and beverage.
• Proven experience creating and maintaining design standards, guides, specifications, or format documentation used by delivery teams.
• Strong practical CAD capability with the ability to develop and amend layouts independently.
• Experience using data, customer insight, or operational performance to inform design decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage external architects, designers, and consultants with strong commercial awareness.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to challenge and influence at all levels.
• A proactive, self-sufficient approach with the ability to manage multiple priorities and make pragmatic decisions in a delivery-focused environment.

We also want to put it out there that we actively encourage applications from a diverse demographic and we are passionate about your culture and value alignment. We want this to be a match that works for you as much as for us!

Let us just say, we are so pleased that you are checking us out… we know that we are a great place to work but we would love to help you see that. You can really be YOU with us… whatever your career journey – we’re with you We’re #1 in our industry when it comes to our values, our culture and our people – check out Glassdoor if you don’t believe us. We offer a fantastic place to work in a great working culture and were recognised as #25 in the Top 50 places to work in the UK in 2022! We may be one of the leading budget gym chains in the UK but there’s nothing budget about our investment into our people. We have retained GOLD in our investors in people award for the last 6 years and were awarded silver in wellbeing last year. We’re also recognised as a disability confident and inclusive employer which is something we are truly proud of. We have been through some great and positive change recently from our shiny new "super G" logo to our exciting digital projects and our plans are to keep being innovative, creative and agile in all that we do and we want to do that sustainably. We hire people with real passion, positivity and enthusiasm who motivate and inspire those around them. Our vision is to have a diverse, high performing, engaged workforce that love what they do! We have a brilliant team and opportunities for development and growth with support for success. We don't want to stand still, we're growing, innovating and adapting, we're with you to reach you career goals too.