Project Design Manager

Sweco; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible and hybrid working

Competitive pension contribution

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

Discretionary Annual Bonus Scheme

Professional subscriptions

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Cycle2Work Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Salary Sacrifice Electric Vehicle

Tree planting for new starters

Job summary

Sweco is seeking a Project Design Manager to shape design directions for water and water recycling projects in the East of England. You will lead a multidisciplinary team, deliver right‑first‑time engineering outputs, and champion low‑carbon, digital solutions while ensuring safety and value for end users.

You’ll work with project managers, environmental and planning experts, and suppliers to deliver innovative, affordable assets and ensure successful project delivery in a collaborative alliance.

Qualifications

• Proven design management experience on water/environment projects.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement.
• Knowledge of CDM health & safety requirements.
• Experience with design and build or collaborative delivery.
• Passion for low-carbon, digital design and innovation.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and technical delivery of clean water and water recycling projects across infrastructure and non-infrastructure schemes.
• Develop Engineering Project Plans covering design scope, programme, cost, risk and resources.
• Collaborate with discipline leads to set design standards and ensure integration across civil, mechanical, electrical and process.
• Drive innovation and digital design, moving towards 3D and BIM-enabled models.
• Champion sustainable design with low-carbon thinking and whole-life value.
• Engage with suppliers, partners and stakeholders to review inputs.
• Ensure all design work meets CDM and safety requirements and delivers end-user needs.
• Provide leadership to the design team, mentoring and developing talent.
• Work with project managers and procurement teams to deliver projects efficiently and affordably.

Skills

Design management

Stakeholder management

Technical design understanding

Strong communication

Digital design & BIM

Education

Engineering degree (BEng/MEng) or equivalent

Job description

Job Description

We are gearing up for our most exciting and challenging Asset Management Period yet, known as AMP8, this will see us deliver a programme of work larger than we’ve ever delivered before. We’ll be embarking on a new kind of project delivery focusing on nature-based solutions like wetlands and urban drainage schemes.

We are driving change, empowering us to set global benchmarks and build a better environment, with the opportunity to offer enhanced growth and development to our workforce. We’re looking to build on our existing teams with an environment built for career progression.

With such an exciting portfolio of projects planned for AMP8 to keep the water flowing across the region, our ability to manage our work and outperform against our customer’s expectations will come under greater scrutiny.

We need aspiring driven talent to help us achieve our ambitious targets, are you ready to join us as we prepare to deliver the most creative and innovative AMP we have ever seen?

About Sweco

Transforming society together, we're planning and designing sustainable communities and cities of the future.

Solving the great societal challenges of our time is more relevant, demanding and inspiring than ever before. At Sweco, we bring together experts with different perspectives and skills to develop solutions that address the challenges of urbanisation, harness the positive power of digitalisation and make societies more sustainable.

We offer our clients a combination of global expertise and local presence, adapted to their business and reality. Our ambition is to be our clients’ most relevant partner, working together to help them solve their challenges, today and into the future.

To ensure we support our objectives of collaboration across the business whilst providing our workforce with the agility to achieve a healthy work/ life balance, we are asking our employees to have office or site presence on an average of three days a week.

Project Design Manager

As a Project Design Manager, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the design and technical direction of projects that deliver sustainable, resilient water and water recycling solutions. Leading a multidisciplinary design team, you’ll develop innovative, value-driven designs that protect and enhance our environment while ensuring safe, affordable, and future‑ready infrastructure for the East of England.

You’ll take ownership of the design journey – from concept through delivery – guiding your team to produce right‑first‑time engineering outputs that champion low carbon, digital innovation, and environmental stewardship.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead the design and technical delivery of clean water and water recycling projects, across both infrastructure (pipelines, pumping stations) and non‑infrastructure (treatment and storage) schemes.
• Develop Engineering Project Plans encompassing design scope, programme, cost, risk, and resource planning.
• Collaborate with engineering discipline leads to define design approaches, set technical standards, and ensure design integration across civil, mechanical, electrical, and process disciplines.
• Drive innovation and digital design, supporting the move towards fully attributed 3D and BIM‑enabled models.
• Champion sustainable design by embedding low‑carbon thinking, nature‑based solutions, and whole‑life value considerations.
• Engage with suppliers, partners, and stakeholders to review and integrate third‑party design inputs effectively.
• Ensure all design work meets CDM and health & safety requirements, producing high‑quality outputs that meet end‑user and operational needs.
• Provide clear leadership to your project design team – mentoring, developing, and inspiring individuals to achieve their potential.
• Work collaboratively with project managers, environmental and planning specialists, procurement, and construction teams to deliver projects efficiently and affordably.

You will ideally have:

• A degree in engineering or equivalent qualification, preferably chartered or working towards chartered status.
• Strong design management experience, ideally within the water or environmental infrastructure sectors.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver high‑quality, sustainable design outcomes.
• Technical understanding of clean water or water recycling systems, pipelines, or treatment processes.
• Experience of working within a design and build or collaborative project delivery environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, able to translate complex technical information clearly.
• A commitment to safety, sustainability, and continuous improvement, with a passion for digital design and innovation.

Depending on your skills, experience, and interests, you could be aligned to one of our four business units:

Water

The Water Business Unit provides strategic design and technical support across the clean water network – from infrastructure planning to treatment resilience – ensuring secure and efficient water supplies for future generations.

• Water Infrastructure Portfolio - PDM to lead potable water pipeline projects driven by regional growth or mains renewal.
  
• National Infrastructure Portfolio - PDM to work alongside some of the major infrastructure projects (rail / highways / energy) in the region focusing on protecting and diverting all the affected Anglian Water assets (potable and wastewater).
  
• Water Non‑Infrastructure Portfolio - PDM to lead multi‑disciplinary engineering teams to deliver clean water non‑infrastructure design (treatment works; pumping stations; ground water abstraction). Significant programmes of work include nitrate removal; PFAS removal and upgrades to potable water treatment works.
  

Water Recycling (East and West)

Our Water Recycling teams are responsible for the design and optimisation of waste water projects and treatment solutions (both infra and non infra). We drive innovation to enhance environmental outcomes and improve the sustainability of our network.

Why Join Us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to work with one of the UK’s most progressive design and delivery alliances. You’ll play a key role in designing the next generation of water and water recycling assets that respond to the region’s most pressing environmental challenges.

We offer a culture that values creativity, technical excellence, and professional growth, with continuous learning and opportunities to shape the way we design and deliver sustainable infrastructure.

We reward our people fairly and transparently, with a strong emphasis on inclusion, wellbeing, and long‑term career development.

Employee Benefits

• Flexible and hybrid working (Flexworks Policy)
• Competitive pension contribution
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance
• Discretionary Annual Bonus Scheme
• Payment of two relevant professional subscriptions
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (with the option to purchase up to 5 additional days per year)
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme (wellbeing, mental health, financial and work advice)
• Employee discounts via Sweco Benefit Select (Faircare)
• Salary Sacrifice Electric Vehicle Scheme
• We plant a tree for all new starters!

A collaborative alliance, driving change. Empowering us to set global benchmarks and building a better environment for our customers. We strive to:

Empower our people; Delight our Customers; Embrace digital transformation; Deliver brilliance.

To bring environmental and social prosperity to the region we serve through our commitment to Love Every Drop we:

Build trust; Do the right thing; Are always exploring

Let’s transform society together at Sweco.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

It’s important to us that that all our colleagues thrive at work - we strive to have a friendly and inclusive culture which respects the contribution individuals can bring to Sweco. We aim to promote equality, inclusivity and diversity for everyone.

Here at Sweco we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity.

We are an accredited Real Living Wage Employer which reflects our commitment to fair pay and support for all colleagues.

We are also proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer, and will interview applicants covered by the Equality Act 2010 that opt into the guaranteed interview scheme on the application form and meet the minimum criteria for the role.

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Please note: we reserve the right to close vacancies before the advertised closing date.

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