Senior Design Manager

Wates Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Wates Group, through its Wates Residential division, is seeking a Senior Design Manager to lead design management across major residential developments from concept to handover.

You will coordinate design activities with internal teams, consultants, subcontractors and clients to deliver practical, compliant designs on time and within budget, while driving BIM-enabled delivery and ensuring high design quality throughout the project lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in design management within construction or residential development.
• Strong knowledge of construction methods, design processes and project delivery.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary consultant teams and complex stakeholder relationships.
• Sound understanding of CDM regulations, health and safety and compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of BIM processes and digital delivery frameworks.
• Excellent commercial awareness and experience managing consultant fee budgets.
• Ability to identify risks early and develop practical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design management function on major residential developments from pre-construction to handover.
• Coordinate design activities and manage programmes and information release.
• Identify and mitigate design, technical and compliance risks.
• Oversee BIM integration and digital design delivery.
• Ensure design solutions are practical, commercially sound and delivered to programme.
• Act as the key point of contact for all design-related matters.

Skills

Design management

Stakeholder management

BIM

CDM regulations

Health and safety

Commercial awareness

Multidisciplinary coordination

Job description

Are you an experienced Design Manager who enjoys connecting design, technical delivery and stakeholder requirements to bring high-quality residential developments to life from concept through to completion?

At Wates Residential, we're looking for a Senior Design Manager to take ownership of design management across major projects, acting as a key leader within our project teams and driving excellence throughout the development lifecycle. Based within our Residential business, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering sustainable, customer-focused homes while influencing project outcomes, programme performance and design quality.

The Role

As Senior Design Manager, you will lead the design management function on major residential developments, ensuring projects are coordinated effectively from pre-construction through to handover. You'll work closely with internal teams, consultants, subcontractors and clients to ensure design solutions are practical, commercially sound and delivered to programme.

You’ll Be Responsible For

• Steer and coordinate all design activities across one or multiple projects.
• Managing design programmes and information release schedules.
• Identifying and mitigating design, technical and compliance risks.
• Driving collaboration between design, commercial and delivery teams.
• Managing consultant appointments, design fees and project budgets.
• Supporting bid submissions and tender activities with technical expertise.
• Guide design reviews and ensuring the timely resolution of technical issues.
• Overseeing BIM integration and digital design delivery.
• Ensuring statutory approvals, design compliance and quality standards are achieved.
• Acting as the key point of contact for all design-related matters throughout the project lifecycle.

What We’re Looking For

We're seeking someone who combines strong technical expertise with outstanding stakeholder management skills and a passion for delivering exceptional projects.

You’ll Ideally Have

• Significant experience in design management within construction or residential development.
• Strong knowledge of construction methods, design processes and project delivery.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary consultant teams and complex stakeholder relationships.
• Sound understanding of CDM regulations, health and safety and compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of BIM processes and digital delivery frameworks.
• Excellent commercial awareness and experience managing consultant fee budgets.
• The ability to identify risks early and develop practical solutions.

Our Commitments

Wates is proud to be an employer where anyone can thrive, and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

We don't discriminate based on a criminal record; all applications are reviewed on an individual basis against the requirements of the role. Some roles may require additional checks, due to the nature of the work. As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the role and opt in to the Disability Confident scheme. Reasonable adjustments are available, please contact us at [e-mail]