Principal Design Manager

Wates Group; Warrington; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Wates Smartspace is seeking an experienced Principal Design Manager to lead design delivery from Warrington for a diverse portfolio of fit-out and refurbishment projects, with a focus on public-sector and MoJ frameworks. The role combines hands-on design leadership with strategic oversight across multiple schemes.

You will oversee design management, coordinating internal and external designers, ensuring buildability, compliance and value for money while maintaining client brief alignment and

Qualifications

• Senior-level design professional with experience on technically complex projects.
• Strong capability in design coordination, buildability and design risk management.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage external designers.

Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for the design management strategy across projects and programmes.
• Lead design delivery on public-sector and MoJ framework projects.
• Review designs and perform risk/opportunity appraisals to improve buildability and value.
• Develop realistic design programmes aligned with procurement and construction requirements.
• Coordinate internal and external designers to ensure accurate information and client alignment.
• Work with Commercial and Operations to ensure cost-effectiveness and deliverability.
• Lead technical workshops, design reviews and value engineering activities.
• Identify and manage design-related risk across the project lifecycle.
• Support site teams to resolve design queries and maintain design intent.
• Provide leadership and guidance to Design Managers and the wider team.
• Promote consistency and best practice across the Design function and training.

Skills

Senior leadership

Design coordination

Buildability

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Public-sector delivery

MoJ framework experience

Mentoring Design Managers

Job description

Wates Smartspace is looking for an experienced Principal Design Manager to join our North West team, based from our Warrington office.

This is a senior opportunity to take a leading role within our Design function, overseeing the successful design delivery of a diverse portfolio of fit-out, refurbishment and technically complex construction projects, with a particular emphasis on our growing public-sector and Ministry of Justice framework delivery.

Our existing Principal Design Manager remit covers high-profile, technically complex fit-out and refurbishment projects across multiple sectors, with a high value portfolio. For someone who enjoys combining hands-on project involvement with wider design leadership, this is an opportunity to have a real impact on how our projects are designed, coordinated and ultimately delivered.

About Wates Smartspace

Wates Smartspace delivers projects across a broad range of sectors, giving our teams exposure to different clients, project types and technical challenges.

Our Ministry of Justice work includes both new-build fit-out and refurbishment projects, delivered in partnership with the MoJ across the UK.

As Principal Design Manager, you will help ensure that design solutions are buildable, compliant, commercially viable and aligned with the client's brief, working closely with customers, consultants, commercial teams and operational delivery teams.

The Role

You will provide senior design leadership across multiple projects, supporting schemes from pre-construction and tender stages through detailed design, procurement, construction and handover.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Taking overall responsibility for the design management strategy across assigned projects and programmes.
• Leading design delivery on our public-sector and Ministry of Justice framework projects, alongside opportunities across the wider Smartspace portfolio.
• Reviewing project designs and undertaking detailed risk and opportunity appraisals, identifying opportunities to improve buildability, mitigate risk and add value ahead of construction.
• Working collaboratively with Lead Designers, consultant teams and internal project teams to develop realistic design programmes and information-required schedules aligned with procurement and construction requirements.
• Managing the design lifecycle and coordinating internal and external designers to ensure information is accurate, complete and aligned with client requirements.
• Working closely with Commercial and Operations teams to ensure designs are coordinated, buildable, cost-effective and deliverable within agreed budgets.
• Leading and contributing to technical workshops, design reviews and value-management exercises.
• Identifying and managing design-related risk throughout the project lifecycle.
• Challenging design solutions constructively and identifying opportunities for value engineering, standardisation and innovation.
• Working closely with site teams to resolve design queries and ensure construction remains aligned with the agreed design intent.
• Providing leadership, support and technical guidance to Design Managers and other members of the wider project team.
• Helping maintain consistency and best practice across the Design function, supporting training and development and ensuring compliance with Wates Professional Standards.
• Building strong relationships with clients, consultants, supply-chain partners and internal stakeholders.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for an established design professional who can comfortably operate at a senior level across technically challenging projects.

You Will Ideally Bring

• Significant experience within construction design management, ideally operating at Senior Design Manager, Principal Design Manager or equivalent level.
• Strong experience delivering fit-out, refurbishment and/or complex construction projects.
• Experience working across the full project lifecycle, from pre-construction through to delivery and completion.
• A strong understanding of design coordination, buildability, construction methodology and design risk management.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary consultant teams and managing external designers.
• Strong knowledge of the interaction between design, commercial, procurement and operational delivery.
• The confidence to challenge designs and provide practical, commercially considered solutions.
• Excellent stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to build credibility with clients, consultants and project teams.
• Experience within public-sector or framework environments would be particularly beneficial.
• Previous exposure to Ministry of Justice, custodial, secure-estate or similarly regulated environments would be advantageous, although strong candidates from other technically complex construction backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
• The ability to support and develop Design Managers while contributing to the continuing improvement of the wider design function.

Why Join Wates Smartspace?

This role offers considerably more than responsibility for a single project.

You'll have exposure to a varied pipeline of work while playing an important role in our public-sector and MoJ framework delivery. The breadth of the Smartspace portfolio also means the role provides genuine variety across fit-out, refurbishment and technically complex projects.

Sustainability is also increasingly embedded within public-sector project requirements. Current Wates training specifically highlights requirements across justice projects around lower-carbon construction, building energy use and biodiversity net gain.

Our Commitments

Wates is proud to be an employer where anyone can thrive, and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

We don't discriminate based on a criminal record; all applications are reviewed on an individual basis against the requirements of the role. Some roles may require additional checks, due to the nature of the work. As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the role and opt in to the Disability Confident scheme. Reasonable adjustments are available, please contact us at [e-mail]