Senior Design Manager

Wates; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Wates, a leading construction company, is seeking a Senior Design Manager in Birmingham. This role focuses on transforming innovative design into reality by leading complex projects and ensuring high standards of safety and quality. Join a team that values creative solutions and offers competitive salaries and extensive benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary & profit share scheme

Car Allowance / Company Car

Extensive corporate benefits including Private Medical

Pension 8% employers’ contribution

Health and Wellness programme

26 days holidays + bank holidays

Excellent range of learning and development activities

26 weeks fully paid maternity leave

12 weeks fully paid paternity leave

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Lead the design programme and work with consultants for project delivery.
• Identify design risks and turn them into opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with the Building Safety Act.

Skills

Design Management

Collaboration

Problem Solving

Job description

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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.