Project Design Lead

Matchtech; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Permanent opportunity

Exposure to joint venture structures

Professional development

Travel to Dublin

Central London base

Job summary

Matchtech is seeking a Project Design Lead to support major water, reservoir and transfer schemes in the UK. Based in central London with travel to regional offices including Dublin, you will lead design coordination across pre-construction and delivery phases, coordinating designers, consultants, contractors and regulators.

You will drive interfaces, challenge designs, manage risks, and ensure timely decisions to prevent delays while maintaining compliance and constructability for on-site

Qualifications

• Significant experience in design management, design coordination or a similar leadership role within the water or wider infrastructure sector.
• Experience across pre-construction and project delivery phases for complex infrastructure programmes.
• Strong understanding of engineering principles, constructability and site delivery relationships.
• Proven ability to coordinate multiple disciplines and lead designers, with limited direct line management authority.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate multidisciplinary design teams and consultants to align with project programmes.
• Review drawings, specifications, calculations and models, ensuring constructability and compliance.
• Manage design activities against construction programmes and mitigate schedule risks.
• Lead design reviews, approvals, assurance activities and document control per standards and client requirements.
• Manage design changes, scope gaps and design risk registers with appropriate mitigations.
• Assess impact of design decisions on costs, programme and whole-life costs; work with commercial teams.

Skills

Design management

Design coordination

Stakeholder management

Construction interface knowledge

Pre-construction & delivery

Communication

Job description

Our client is expanding its UK and Ireland water infrastructure team and is seeking a Project Design Lead to support major strategic water, reservoir and transfer schemes. This permanent role will lead design coordination across pre-construction and delivery phases, working with multiple designers, consultants, contractors, suppliers, regulators and joint venture partners. The position is based in central London, with travel to regional offices, including Dublin.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate multidisciplinary design teams and consultants, ensuring interfaces are identified, clashes are resolved and design deliverables remain aligned with project programmes.
• Review drawings, specifications, calculations and models, providing robust technical challenge and ensuring designs are practical, compliant and suitable for construction.
• Manage design activities against construction programmes, identifying risks that may affect cost, scope or schedule and driving timely decisions to prevent delays.
• Lead design reviews, approvals, assurance activities and document control in accordance with relevant standards, legislation, specifications and client requirements.
• Manage design changes, scope gaps, opportunities and design risk registers, ensuring appropriate mitigation is implemented.
• Assess the impact of design decisions on capital expenditure, construction costs, compensation events, programme and whole-life costs, working closely with commercial and project controls teams.
• Promote constructability by considering temporary works, sequencing, access, logistics, commissioning and safe, efficient delivery on site.
• Lead workshops and meetings, communicate complex technical issues clearly and drive actions to completion across parties with competing priorities.

Job Requirements:

• Significant experience in design management, design coordination or a similar leadership role within the water or wider infrastructure sector.
• Experience across both pre-construction and project delivery phases, ideally on complex, large-scale infrastructure programmes.
• Strong understanding of engineering principles, constructability and the relationship between design development and site delivery.
• Proven ability to coordinate multiple disciplines and lead designers, including where direct line management authority is limited.
• Commercial awareness, with an understanding of how design decisions influence cost, scope, programme and contractual change.
• Experience managing design risks, changes, interfaces, approvals, assurance and quality requirements.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with clients, consultants, contractors, suppliers, regulators and joint venture partners.
• Strong technical writing, workshop facilitation, decision-making and problem-solving abilities, together with a collaborative and proactive approach.

Benefits:

• Permanent opportunity within a rapidly growing UK and Ireland water infrastructure team.
• Involvement in major water, reservoir and transfer projects with significant long-term investment.
• Opportunity to work across pre-construction, procurement and delivery environments.
• Exposure to complex joint venture structures and a wide range of technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Professional development within a supportive and ambitious project environment.

If you are an experienced Project Design Lead with strong technical, commercial, coordination and leadership skills, this is an excellent opportunity to contribute to major water infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland.