Senior Design Manager

Anderselite; Salford; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm is seeking a Senior Design Manager for a major station redevelopment project in the UK. The successful candidate will manage engineering assurance and lead multi-disciplinary design teams while ensuring compliance with rail standards. This role offers a salary of £75,000 - £90,000, hybrid working flexibility, and clear career progression opportunities.

Benefits

Car/allowance

Benefits package

Flexible working hours

Clear progression opportunities

Qualifications

• Strong experience leading engineering/design delivery on complex multi-disciplinary rail projects.
• Demonstrable experience acting as CEM or leading engineering assurance on major rail schemes.

Responsibilities

• Lead design management activities across tender, ECI and delivery stages.
• Manage design teams, consultants and specialist suppliers.
• Oversee the production of drawings, specifications, reports and other deliverables.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Stakeholder coordination

Rail standards knowledge

Communication skills

Education

Degree in Civil Engineering or related discipline

Job description

Senior Design Manager – Rail (Major Station Project)

North West / Nationwide (Hybrid with site & office travel)

£75,000 - £90,000 + Car/Allowance + Package

About the Role

I'm recruiting a Senior Design Manager to take a lead role within a specialist rail delivery team, managing engineering assurance across both design and construction phases. You'll initially support an £80m station redevelopment at Manchester Airport, providing technical leadership, coordinating multi‑disciplinary design inputs and ensuring seamless integration between design and site delivery. This is a key role with high visibility across engineering, construction and client teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead design management activities across tender, ECI and delivery stages.
• Provide technical oversight and assurance for permanent works design, temporary works and the interface between disciplines.
• Manage design teams, consultants and specialist suppliers to ensure compliant, buildable and efficient solutions.
• Drive optioneering and design development, ensuring buildability is considered from concept through delivery.
• Oversee the production of drawings, specifications, reports and other deliverables in line with programme.
• Engage with site teams to embed design requirements, support QA processes and resolve technical queries.
• Ensure compliance with relevant rail standards, CDM regulations and internal governance procedures.
• Act as a key point of contact for clients, designers and construction teams throughout project lifecycle.

About You

• Degree in Civil Engineering or a related discipline.
• Chartered or working toward professional status.
• Strong experience leading engineering/design delivery on complex multi‑disciplinary rail projects.
• Demonstrable experience acting as CEM or leading engineering assurance on major rail schemes.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of rail standards, design governance and buildability principles.
• Confident, decisive and capable of leading design strategy on major infrastructure projects.

What's on Offer

• £75,000 - £90,000 DOE + car/allowance + benefits package.
• High‑profile major station redevelopment project.
• Hybrid working with flexibility around hours.
• Clear progression into Head of Design / Technical Leadership roles.
• Supportive Tier 1 environment with major national rail frameworks.

Interested? Let’s Talk

If you’re a senior design leader with rail experience looking for your next big challenge, I’d love to speak in confidence.

Sam Wakley
Recruitment Consultant – Rail & Infrastructure
Anderselite | Connecting People with Purpose