Senior Design Manager

Sweco; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Pension plan

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

Car allowance

Annual bonus

Cycle to work

Employee assistance

Job summary

Sweco UK is seeking a Senior Design Manager to lead the design management of major data centre projects across Europe. You’ll own complex design coordination across multidisciplinary teams, guide stakeholders, and influence delivery of critical infrastructure for demanding clients.

You’ll drive design strategy, planning and delivery to meet programme, quality and commercial objectives while mentoring junior team members and contributing to bid strategy and business development.

Qualifications

• Strong background in managing complex design processes for mission critical projects.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary design teams and mitigating design risks.
• Excellent client-facing communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead design management across one or more major projects, ensuring coordinated, robust design delivery.
• Oversee multidisciplinary design coordination across project stages and interfaces.
• Act as a main point of contact for clients, consultants, contractors and internal teams.
• Drive design strategy, planning and delivery to meet programme, quality and commercial objectives.
• Lead design reviews, coordination meetings and risk/issue management.

Skills

Design management

Data centre experience

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

Engineering degree

Chartered status

Tools

BIM

Job description

Become part of our society.

Sweco UK is looking for an experienced and driven Senior Design Manager to join our Mission Critical team.

This is a fantastic opportunity to lead the design management of major data centre projects across Europe. You will take ownership of complex design coordination across multidisciplinary teams, provide leadership to project stakeholders and help shape the successful delivery of critical infrastructure for some of the sector’s most demanding clients.

What You’ll Be Doing

As a Senior Design Manager, you will lead design management across one or more major projects, ensuring the design process is coordinated, commercially aware, technically robust and aligned with programme objectives.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

• Leading the design management process on complex, high-value Mission Critical projects
• Overseeing coordination of multidisciplinary design teams across multiple project stages
• Acting as a key point of contact for clients, consultants, contractors and internal stakeholders
• Driving design strategy, planning and delivery to meet programme, quality and commercial objectives
• Leading design reviews, technical coordination meetings and interface management
• Identifying, managing and mitigating design risk, change and dependency issues
• Supporting and mentoring Design Managers and other team members
• Contributing to bid strategy, project planning and business development activities
• Helping develop and improve design management systems, tools and best practice across the team
• Promoting a collaborative, high-performance culture within the Mission Critical business

What We’re Looking For

To succeed in this role, you’ll bring:

• Significant experience in design management, ideally within data centres, mission critical infrastructure or complex technical projects
• A relevant engineering degree and chartered status, or equivalent experience
• Strong leadership experience and the ability to guide multidisciplinary teams
• Excellent client-facing, communication and stakeholder management skills
• A strong understanding of design coordination, risk, programme and project delivery
• Commercial awareness and experience supporting bids, project strategy or delivery planning
• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset with the confidence to make decisions and influence others

Why Sweco?

At Sweco, you’ll work in a collaborative and flexible environment where you can grow your career while helping deliver projects that matter. You’ll join a team committed to technical excellence, innovation and making a positive impact through the design of critical infrastructure.

Employee Benefits

• Flexible and hybrid working (Flexworks Policy)
• Competitive pension contribution
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance
• Company car or car allowance
• Discretionary Annual Bonus Scheme
• Payment of two relevant professional subscriptions
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays and your birthday off (with the option to purchase up to 5 additional days per year)
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme (wellbeing, mental health, financial and work advice)
• Employee discounts via Sweco Benefit Select (Faircare)
• Salary Sacrifice Electric Vehicle Scheme
• We plant a tree for all new starters!

About Us

Transforming society together, we're planning and designing sustainable communities and cities of the future.

Solving the great societal challenges of our time is more relevant, demanding and inspiring than ever before. At Sweco, we bring together experts with different perspectives and skills to develop solutions that address the challenges of urbanisation, harness the positive power of digitalisation and make societies more sustainable.

We offer our clients a combination of global expertise and local presence, adapted to their business and reality. Our ambition is to be our clients’ most relevant partner, working together to help them solve their challenges, today and into the future.

Sweco is committed to enabling all its colleagues to achieve a great balance between work and their other priorities, such as caring responsibilities, leisure activities, further learning or other interests. We offer flexible start and finish times, part time and hybrid working options so that you can flex your hours around your day to day needs.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

It’s important to us that that all our colleagues thrive at work - we strive to have a friendly and inclusive culture which respects the contribution individuals can bring to Sweco. We aim to promote equality, inclusivity and diversity for everyone.

Here at Sweco we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity.

We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.

The Armed Forces Covenant - Our Commitments | Sweco UK.

We are an accredited Real Living Wage Employer which reflects our commitment to fair pay and support for all colleagues.

We are also proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer, and will interview applicants covered by the Equality Act 2010 that opt into the guaranteed interview scheme on the application form and meet the minimum criteria for the role.

If I have a disability, can I get help (e.g. \"reasonable adjustments\") with the application process?

You’re an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, please contact [e-mail] for assistance.

In order to address your request the following information is needed:

• Name
• The best method for contacting you (Phone or email)
• The position title
• Requisition/vacancy number

Upon receipt of this information, we’ll respond to you promptly to obtain more information about your request.

Please note: we reserve the right to close vacancies before the advertised closing date.

Sweco UK&I have an internal resourcing team who are responsible for all recruiting activity. We have a Preferred Supplier List of trusted agencies who we work with on those \"hard to fill\" roles.

We have defined processes for recruitment applications and it is company policy not to accept speculative CVs. Any speculative CVs received into the business (whether to a manager or member of the resourcing team) will become the property of Sweco and the agency will not be eligible for an introductory fee.

Our Preferred Supplier List was reviewed in November 2025 and we are not looking to add any additional agencies. We’ll be reviewing the PSL again at the end of 2026 and non-compliance with the above statements could be detrimental to you having the opportunity to be included.

Our Talent Community for experienced professionals is a great way to keep up to date with our latest news, insights, future vacancies, as well as gaining access to exclusive events hosted by our experts.

To learn more Join Our Talent Community - Sweco United Kingdom