Senior Design Manager

Wates Group; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Wates Group is seeking a Senior Design Manager in Birmingham to lead high-profile construction projects. The role involves managing design processes, ensuring compliance, and fostering collaboration among teams. Ideal candidates will have proven experience in complex design management and a passion for innovative solutions.

Benefits

Competitive salary & profit share scheme

Car Allowance / Company Car

Private Medical

Pension 8% employers’ contribution

Health and Wellness programme

26 days holidays + bank holidays

Excellent learning and development opportunities

Industry leading family leave benefits

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing complex design processes on major construction projects.
• A collaborative mindset and a sharp eye for detail, quality, and innovation.
• The confidence to challenge and the skills to turn ideas into impact.

Responsibilities

• Own the design programme, working with consultants and teams to deliver outcomes.
• Identify design risks and turn them into opportunities.
• Align stakeholders and drive workshops from concept to completion.

Skills

Leadership

Collaboration

Creativity

Attention to Detail

Job description

This is a Full Time/Flexible Working , Permanent vacancy that will close in 20 days at 23:59 BST .

The Vacancy

At Wates, we don’t just construct buildings—we craft places with meaning, impact, and innovation at their core. Now, we're looking for a Senior Design Manager to join our team in Birmingham and help shape some of the most high-profile, technically ambitious projects in the city.

If you're the kind of person who sees possibility where others see limitations—who thrives in complexity, and leads with creativity and clarity—then this is your moment.

Why This Role?

As a Senior Design Manager, you're a strategic force, turning vision into reality, balancing creativity with constructability, and driving design excellence at every turn.
You’ll be the glue between imagination and execution—where the boldest ideas meet the practical brilliance of delivery.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Rethink the ordinary. Challenge the status quo of design and construction.
• Lead from the front. Own the design programme, working with consultants, commercial and ops teams to deliver beautiful, buildable, and budget-conscious outcomes.
• Spot the hidden potential. Identify design risks and turn them into opportunities that unlock value and elevate outcomes.
• Create cohesion. Align stakeholders, drive workshops, and champion coordination from concept to completion.
• Be the spark. Bring fresh thinking, elevate others, and leave a lasting mark on every project you touch.
• Ensure compliance. Act as a competent professional under the Building Safety Act, signing off project components with full accountability for safety and regulatory alignment.

What You’ll Bring

• A passion for design that goes beyond aesthetics—you see how it lives, breathes, and functions in the real world
• Proven experience managing complex design processes on major construction projects
• A collaborative mindset and a sharp eye for detail, quality, and innovation
• The confidence to challenge, the curiosity to ask “what if?”, and the skills to turn ideas into impact

What We Offer

• Competitive salary & profit share scheme
• Car Allowance / Company Car (subject to Role/Grade)
• Travel covered to any of our sites (subject to HMRC advisory rates)
• Extensive corporate benefits including, Private Medical, Pension 8% employers’ contribution, Health and Wellness programme, 26 days holidays + bank holidays and much more…
• Excellent range of learning and development activity to support your career progression.
• Industry leading family leave benefits to included 26 weeks fully paid maternity, 12 weeks fully paid paternity.

We are always looking for a variety of new talent to join our teams, to help us grow and innovate as a business. Although you may not have all of the skills listed, many of them may be transferable to other roles within the WATES Group.

If you would like clarity on any of our vacancies, discuss career opportunities in strict confidence or need anything to make our recruitment process easier, please contact our In-House Recruitment Team directly or via [e-mail] and one of us will get in touch as soon as possible.

As a responsible and inclusive employer, we are committed to equality and are proud to have been recognised for this through a range of accolades including gold accreditation with Investors in People, we are also a Disability Confident employer. Being a family owned, business means we understand and value long term relationships.

Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo an Enhanced and Barred Lists Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant's criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks.

Wates is one of the UK’s leading family-owned development, building and property maintenance companies. Founded over 125 years ago, we have a proud legacy in the built environment.

We are driven by our purpose, ‘reimagining places for people to thrive’ and our three promises:

Thriving places – working with customers, partners and communities to create places that are more sustainable, inclusive, and full of opportunity.
Thriving planet – protecting nature and taking action on climate change by collaborating and innovating with our partners.
Thriving people – creating opportunities and relationships so that everyone who works for and with us feels included, invested in, and treated with care.

We are proud to be recognised as Gold Investors in People and as a Disability Confident employer. We also ensure that our recruitment processes do not treat anyone less favourably due to an offending background.

Awards

BEST PROJECT

BEST PROJECT

Inside Housing Development Awards

WINNER

WINNER

2022 Construction News Awards Winner

GOLD AWARD

GOLD AWARD

Investors in People 2022

GOLD AWARD

GOLD AWARD

Considerate Constructors Schemes (CCS) National Site Awards

TOP 50 EMPLOYERS

TOP 50 EMPLOYERS

2022 Top 50 Employers for Women

WINNER