Principal Design Manager

Abatec Recruitment; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A recruitment firm is seeking a Principal Design Manager in Cardiff to lead design teams for wastewater projects under the Welsh Water Framework. This role involves ensuring compliance with regulations, managing communications with stakeholders, and driving design reviews to meet project targets.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years' experience in a similar role.
• Experience with CDM regulations and environmental standards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate design for multiple water projects.
• Manage design teams for timely delivery of outputs.
• Act as technical interface with stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with all specifications and regulations.
• Drive design assurance and value engineering.
• Support tendering processes as required.

Skills

Leadership

Project Management

Design Coordination

Technical Communication

Education

Degree / HND / HNC in Civil Engineering or similar

Job description

Abatec is recruiting a Principal Design Manager to join a trusted delivery partner on the Welsh Water Framework, supporting a growing portfolio of upcoming capital projects across South Wales.

In this key leadership role, you’ll manage and coordinate internal and external design teams, driving the delivery of wastewater and wider infrastructure schemes from concept through to completion. Acting as the central point of communication, you’ll ensure all design outputs meet client expectations, regulatory standards, programme targets, and commercial requirements.

As a Principal Design Manager, you will :

• Lead and coordinate all aspects of design for multiple waste / dirty water projects across the Welsh Water Framework.
• Manage design teams to ensure timely and budget-conscious delivery of design outputs.
• Act as the technical interface between Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, and key stakeholders.
• Ensure designs comply with CDM regulations, Welsh Water specifications, environmental standards, and buildability best practices.
• Drive design assurance processes including reviews, approvals, and value engineering initiatives.
• Support tendering and early contractor involvement (ECI) phases where applicable.

Our client requires a Principal Design Manager with :

• Degree / HND / HNC in Civil Engineering or a similar discipline.
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in a similar role.
• Expe...