Design Office Manager

Fives; East Hagbourne; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Fives seeks a Design Office Manager to lead the design office for engineering projects, ensuring quality, cost control and on-schedule delivery.

You will provide technical leadership, manage SolidWorks CAD resources, oversee design reviews, and coordinate with project managers, operations and procurement to deliver compliant, innovative designs with a focus on continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Degree / HND in Engineering or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in engineering design and project delivery.
• Strong understanding of engineering design processes.
• 3 years' experience with CAD (preferably SolidWorks).
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and manage the design office team.
• Plan, coordinate, and oversee all design activities to ensure successful project execution.
• Manage mechanical design resources and workload allocation across multiple projects.
• Ensure design outputs meet customer requirements, technical specifications, and regulatory standards.
• Review and approve mechanical designs, drawings and technical documentation.
• Monitor design progress and resolve technical issues that may impact project delivery.
• Work closely with project managers to ensure engineering deliverables are completed on time and within budget.
• Develop and maintain project schedules related to design activities.
• Identify project risks and implement mitigation plans.
• Provide accurate estimates for mechanical design effort, resources, and timelines.
• Support customer meetings, design reviews, and technical presentations as required.
• Ensure compliance with relevant engineering standards, industry regulations, and company quality management systems.
• Maintain design control work flows and document management processes.
• Lead design reviews, audits, and verification activities.
• Drive lessons learned and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure all design records are maintained and controlled appropriately.
• Develop and implement best practices for engineering and design processes.
• Promote the use of modern design tools, digital engineering methods, and automation technologies.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, and productivity within the design office.
• Support the implementation of new engineering systems, software, and procedures.
• Act as the primary interface between engineering, project management, operations, manufacturing and procurement.
• Ensure effective communication of design status and resource requirements.
• Build strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and external engineering partners.
• Support business development activities by providing technical expertise and proposals input.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Communication

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Problem solving

Budget management

Planning

Organisational skills

Team development

Engineering software

MS Office

Education

Engineering degree / HND

Tools

SolidWorks

EPDM

Vault

Job description

Position Summary

Design Office Manager

Reports To

Technical Director

Job Purpose

The Design Office Manager is responsible for leading and managing the design office function, ensuring the efficient delivery of engineering and design projects to agreed quality, cost, and schedule targets. The role provides technical leadership, resource management and continuous improvement across all design activities while ensuring compliance with applicable standards, regulations, and company procedures.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, develop, and manage the design office team.
• Establish clear objectives, priorities, and performance expectations for team members.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, training, and succession planning activities.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and support continuous professional development.

Design & Engineering Management

• Plan, coordinate, and oversee all design activities to ensure successful project execution.
• Manage mechanical design resources and workload allocation across multiple projects.
• Ensure design outputs meet customer requirements, technical specifications, and regulatory standards.
• Review and approve mechanical designs, drawings and technical documentation.
• Monitor design progress and resolve technical issues that may impact project delivery.

Project Delivery

• Work closely with project managers to ensure engineering deliverables are completed on time and within budget.
• Develop and maintain project schedules related to design activities.
• Identify project risks and implement mitigation plans.
• Provide accurate estimates for mechanical design effort, resources, and timelines.
• Support customer meetings, design reviews, and technical presentations as required.

Quality & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with relevant engineering standards, industry regulations, and company quality management systems.
• Maintain design control work flows and document management processes.
• Lead design reviews, audits, and verification activities.
• Drive lessons learned and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure all design records are maintained and controlled appropriately.

Process Improvement & Innovation

• Develop and implement best practices for engineering and design processes.
• Promote the use of modern design tools, digital engineering methods, and automation technologies.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, and productivity within the design office.
• Support the implementation of new engineering systems, software, and procedures.

Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary interface between engineering, project management, operations, manufacturing and procurement.
• Ensure effective communication of design status and resource requirements.
• Build strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and external engineering partners.
• Support business development activities by providing technical expertise and proposals input.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• On-time delivery of engineering and design deliverables.
• Design quality and reduction of engineering errors.
• Resource utilisation and workload management.
• Customer satisfaction.
• Compliance with quality and regulatory requirements.
• Team engagement, development, and retention.
• Continuous improvement implementation and efficiency gains.

Essential

Qualifications & Experience

• Degree / HND in Engineering or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in engineering design and project delivery.
• Strong understanding of engineering design processes.
• 3 years' experience with CAD (preferably SolidWorks).
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.

Desirable

• Experience within process related industries such glass, steel, aluminium etc.
• Experience with document management systems, EPDM or Vault.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving capability.
• Commercial awareness and budget management.
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Ability to motivate and develop high-performing teams.
• Proficiency in engineering software and Microsoft Office applications.

Working Conditions

• Office-based with occasional travel to customer sites, suppliers, and manufacturing facilities.
• May require flexibility to support project deadlines and business priorities.

Typical Profile

An effective Design Office Manager combines strong technical engineering knowledge with leadership capability, ensuring that engineering teams deliver high-quality, compliant, and innovative designs while meeting business objectives for safety, quality, cost, and delivery.