Design Manager

TipTopJob; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working options

Training & development

Career progression

Job summary

Randstad CPE is seeking an experienced Design Manager to join a Tier 1 contractor near Reading. You’ll be involved from tender through to site handover, coordinating with estimating, commercial teams, and client/consultant-subcontractor interfaces.

The role requires strong attention to opportunity identification, detailed input for tenders, and leadership on framework schemes. The position offers hybrid working options, a clear development path, and a competitive salary package aligned with

Qualifications

• Experience as Design Manager within a Tier 1 or large regional contractor.
• Experience on schemes above £10 million and familiarity with D&B projects.
• Involvement in framework negotiations and tender/bid processes.

Responsibilities

• Involved in tender and bid stages, collaborating with estimating and commercial teams to prepare detailed input for tender/bid packages.
• Lead information flow between client, consultants, subcontractors and internal teams; take the lead on framework schemes.
• Oversee design from tender through to site handover; manage RFIs, changes, and CDM regulations on site.
• Support delivery teams during construction phase and ensure timely handover and commissioning.

Skills

Tendering & Bid

Stakeholder management

CDM regulations

Attention to detail

Organisational skills

Job description

We are working with a Tier 1 contractor based near Reading to recruit a Design Manager to join the team.

The company are a national brand with an excellent reputation in their chosen marketplace and have excellent long term relationships with clients, subcontractors and the wider supply chain and have a forward thinking approach to staff engagement and there are opportunities to grow and develop your career with them.

The regional office is based near Reading but the geographical area covers the M4 Corridor Reading and Oxford and they target work in the education, public sector, leisure and commercial marketplaces with a mix of negotiated and framework opportunities. Turnover for 2025 and 2026 has been secured and 2027/28 is almost there so they are now in a position to be highly selective about what type of work they look at.

Current live projects include new build NHS and student schemes in Oxford, SEN schools, Life Sciences schemes, Office and local authority developments ranging from GBP25 to GBP90 million on JCT and NEC forms of contract.

The role of design Manager includes early involvement at tender and bid stage, working with the estimating and commercial teams to carry out a detailed and forensic investigation into the scheme and work on the key packages to explore and identify both opportunities and potential issues with critical pathways, carry out ve exercises where needed and use your skills and expertise to create detailed input for the tender and bid packages. You will be responsible for the information flow between client, consultants, subcontractors and your own internal teams and take the lead on the framework schemes.

You will be responsible for taking the scheme from tender, bid including full detailed 2nd stage works, contract award and finally onto site for the construction phase. You will be responsible for management and implementation of the design on site with the project manager and site delivery teams and subcontractors and take responsibility for managing rfis, change process, cdm regulations etc. through to handover, commissioning.

You will ideally have worked for a tier 1 or larger regional contractor on schemes above GBP10 million and have experience of both D and B projects and framework negotiations, be able to demonstrate excellent work practices, attention to detail, organisational skills as well as the ability to identify opportunities and potential issues.

They are looking for experienced Design Managers as well as senior staff as part of their controlled growth and development and now is a brilliant time to join the business. They offer a competitive salary and package, hybrid working options, full training and bespoke development packages and the opportunities for advancement are unlimited : they regularly recognise, reward and promote the best internal talent.

Randstad CPE values diversity and promotes equality. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010. We encourage and welcome applications from all sections of society and are more than happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and/or additional arrangements as required to support your application.

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

For the purposes of the Conduct Regulations 2003, when advertising permanent vacancies we are acting as an Employment Agency, and when advertising temporary/contract vacancies we are acting as an Employment Business.