Senior Design Manager

Rullion; Chester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Multiple office locations

Job summary

Rullion is seeking a Senior Design Manager to lead multidisciplinary design teams on AMP8 water and wastewater programmes. You will guide optioning through detailed design, manage design risk and interfaces, and work with clients and supply chain partners to deliver buildable, well-governed outcomes.

You will influence projects and teams beyond reporting, with room to impact delivery across major UK water frameworks and broader capability areas.

Qualifications

• Lead multidisciplinary design teams in water, infrastructure, utilities, rail or major capital programmes.
• Understand how to manage interfaces between disciplines, clients, contractors and delivery partners.
• Balance technical quality, commercial awareness, programme pressure and buildability.
• Design governance, risk management, change control, design reviews and assurance.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary design teams on major AMP8 water and wastewater programmes.
• Guide design teams from optioneering and outline design through detailed design and construction support.
• Manage design risk, technical interfaces, assumptions, decisions, reviews and assurance activity.
• Work closely with clients, contractors, framework partners and supply chain specialists.
• Challenge traditional delivery approaches and identify smarter, simpler and more sustainable solutions.
• Support work winning, framework growth, client engagement and early project shaping.
• Mentor Design Managers, coordinators and discipline leads so the team becomes stronger as the work bank grows.
• Design management is treated as a leadership discipline, not an administrative function.
• You will have room to influence projects, teams and clients rather than simply report progress.

Skills

Leadership

Design management

Risk management

Stakeholder communication

Mentor / team development

Job description

Hybrid working (2 days per week from home)

CAN BE BASED FROM ANY OFFICES - MANCHESTER, CHESTER, LEEDS, GUILDFORD, LONDON, NOTTINGHAM, NEWCASTLE

AMP8 is underway, and the UK water sector is entering one of its most important delivery periods in decades. Water companies are investing in resilience, environmental improvement, asset performance, spill reduction and future water security.

My client is looking for a Senior Design Manager who can bring technical teams together, cut through complexity and help turn ambitious programmes into clear, buildable and well governed outcomes.

What you will do

• Lead multidisciplinary design teams on major AMP8 water and wastewater programmes.
• Guide design teams from optioneering and outline design through detailed design and construction support.
• Manage design risk, technical interfaces, assumptions, decisions, reviews and assurance activity.
• Work closely with clients, contractors, framework partners and supply chain specialists.
• Challenge traditional delivery approaches and identify smarter, simpler and more sustainable solutions.
• Support work winning, framework growth, client engagement and early project shaping.
• Mentor Design Managers, coordinators and discipline leads so the team becomes stronger as the work bank grows.
• Design management is treated as a leadership discipline, not an administrative function.
• You will have room to influence projects, teams and clients rather than simply report progress.
• You will work within major UK water frameworks while drawing on wider technical, environmental, digital and delivery capability.

We are looking for people who

• Have led multidisciplinary design teams in water, infrastructure, utilities, rail, construction or major capital programmes.
• Can show judgement, leadership and delivery ownership. You do not need to have followed a traditional consultancy career path to be considered.
• Understand how to manage interfaces between disciplines, clients, contractors and delivery partners.
• Can balance technical quality, commercial awareness, programme pressure and buildability.
• Are confident in design governance, risk management, change control, design reviews and assurance.
• Can communicate clearly with senior clients, technical specialists and project teams.
• Care about developing people and building resilient teams.