Design Manager

HDR; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering and architecture firm is seeking a Design Manager in Greater London to lead and coordinate complex design projects. You will ensure that client requirements are understood and translated into actionable plans. The role requires strong leadership capabilities, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to quality standards. Ideal candidates will have a degree in engineering, architecture, or related discipline, along with demonstrable experience in managing design teams. This position fosters a collaborative culture, focused on innovation and sustainability.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in design delivery on complex projects.
• Understanding of design processes and roles.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001/14001 desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and co-ordinate design delivery across project teams.
• Manage design programme and ensure outputs are delivered on time.
• Facilitate communication with clients and internal teams.
• Review and evaluate quotations to ensure scope alignment.

Skills

Co-ordinating multi-discipline design delivery

Strong communication skills

Leadership capability

Document handling and quality discipline

Education

Degree in engineering, architecture, construction management

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

MS Outlook

MS Project

PowerPoint

Job description

About This Opportunity

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

Watch Our Story: https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story

Each and every role throughout our organisation makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

We believe building engineering is more than systems and structures; it’s about powering progress and enabling innovation. As part of HDR’s Building Engineering Services Group, you’ll help design the critical infrastructure that supports the digital age and shapes the spaces where people work, connect, and thrive. From high‑performance data centres driving the future of AI to dynamic commercial environments, your work will directly support technological advancement, sustainability, and human experience. We bring together mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineering experts to solve complex design challenges with precision, creativity, and collaboration. Whether you’re optimizing energy efficiency, integrating resilient systems, or engineering the backbone of next‑generation facilities, your contributions will help define the future of the built environment. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of excellence.

About the Role

As a Design Manager (Internal title: Project Manager), you will lead and co‑ordinate design delivery across multi‑discipline project teams, ensuring client requirements are clearly understood and translated into a robust design delivery plan. You will manage the design programme, interfaces, information flow and change control, ensuring design outputs are delivered safely, to the required quality, on time and within budget whilst being able to work under pressure, manage a varied workload and meet tight deadlines whilst maintaining technical excellence.

About You

We are seeking a Design Manager who is personable, a self‑starter with a positive, professional ‘can do’ attitude and the ability to maintain strong working relationships, who is able to work collaboratively across disciplines and establish effective rapport with team members, the wider business and clients. Someone with strong leadership capability with ability to motivate, coach and guide diverse teams. You will need excellent facilitation and communication skills (written and verbal), including leading meetings and producing clear minutes/actions. Strong document handling and quality discipline; comfortable managing transmittals, registers and approval workflows.

Responsibilities

• Identify and agree project objectives with the Project Director and develop a strategy for achieving programme, budget and quality targets.
• Assemble and own the design delivery programme and delivery plans, keeping these updated as design develops.
• Facilitate communication, co‑ordination and information flow with the client, internal teams, sub‑consultants and partners.
• Lead Design Team Meetings (DTMs), ensuring clear minutes, decisions and timely completion of actions.
• Implement and continuously improve project management processes (e.g., change control) and co‑coordinate target‑led workshops to resolve critical design issues.
• Manage RFIs, early warnings and general communications to reduce project risk and support successful delivery.
• Analyse, process and respond to design transmittals (drawings, specifications, reports and other project documents).
• Review and evaluate quotations to ensure alignment with scope, budget and client requirements.
• Manage changes and delays, ensuring impacts are assessed and resolved or mitigated appropriately.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of project scope and design responsibility; update design delivery programme, resources and instructions accordingly.
• Itemise scope of services, briefing schedules and documentation requirements; regularly assess against standards to improve deliverables.
• Instigate efficiency, appropriate innovation and buildability across design stages with the wider design team.
• Ensure technical compliance and quality production of all deliverables; record scope changes affecting fee basis and advise the Project Director/KAH.
• Close out the project on completion, ensuring lessons learnt are captured and disseminated and that a client satisfaction process is initiated.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Skills and Requirements

• Degree‑level education (engineering, architecture, construction management or related discipline) or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrable experience co‑ordinating multi‑discipline design delivery on complex projects.
• Understanding of design process, roles and responsibilities; ability to co‑coordinate internal and external disciplines.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001/14001 quality processes and project governance desirable.
• Commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture.
• Competent in MS Word, Excel, Outlook & PowerPoint; MS Project desirable.

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.