Technical Manager

Ignite Talent Group Ltd; Leeds; On-site; GBP 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Bonus scheme

Pension

Private healthcare

Job summary

Ignite Construction is seeking a Technical Manager to lead pre-development and engineering for residential schemes in Yorkshire. The role focuses on feasibility, infrastructure design and technical approvals, not just on-site queries.

You will coordinate civil engineering design packages, manage external consultants, and ensure buildable, commercially viable solutions while aligning with planning conditions and development programmes.

Qualifications

• Experience in residential pre-development and infrastructure design.
• Ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary design teams and external consultants.
• Strong understanding of planning conditions and technical approvals.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical and engineering matters during pre-development and feasibility.
• Coordinate civil design packages (highways, drainage, earthworks).
• Manage external consultants and design teams to deliver robust information on programme.
• Review proposals for practicality, buildability and cost-effectiveness.
• Provide technical input into planning applications and infrastructure strategies.
• Oversee technical approvals with authorities and utility providers.
• Identify technical risks early and drive solutions to resolve them.

Skills

Residential infra

Civil engineering

Pre-development

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Degree in Civil Engineering

Job description

Technical Manager - Pre-Development & Engineering

Residential Housebuilding | Yorkshire | Up to £75,000 + Package

Ignite Construction is working in partnership with a residential housebuilder to recruit a Technical Manager to play a key role in the early stages of residential development.

This is a technically focused position with a strong engineering bias, centred on pre-development, site feasibility, infrastructure design and technical approvals. The successful candidate will take ownership of engineering and technical matters from the early stages of development, helping identify site constraints, coordinate design solutions and ensure developments are technically viable, commercially sound and ready to progress towards construction.

This is not a traditional Technical Manager position focused solely on working drawings and live-site technical queries. The emphasis is on pre-development and engineering, making it particularly suited to someone with a strong understanding of residential infrastructure, civil engineering and the technical requirements involved in bringing new housing sites forward.

Working closely with land, planning, commercial and construction teams, alongside external consultants and statutory authorities, you will help shape the technical direction of developments and resolve potential issues before they affect programme, cost or deliverability.

The Role

• Lead technical and engineering matters during pre-development, assessing site constraints, engineering feasibility and infrastructure requirements to establish the technical viability of residential schemes.
• Work closely with land and planning teams to identify potential technical challenges and inform development strategies from an early stage.
• Coordinate civil engineering design packages covering highways, drainage, roads, sewers, utilities, earthworks and associated infrastructure.
• Manage external consultants and multidisciplinary design teams, ensuring design information is coordinated, technically robust and delivered to programme.
• Review engineering proposals and design solutions to ensure they are practical, buildable and commercially viable.
• Identify potential ground conditions, drainage, access, utility and infrastructure constraints that could affect development costs, planning or delivery programmes.
• Coordinate technical investigations and specialist consultant input to resolve site-specific engineering challenges.
• Provide technical and engineering input into planning applications, technical reports, infrastructure strategies and design submissions.
• Manage technical approvals with local authorities, highway authorities, water authorities, utility providers and other statutory bodies.
• Oversee highways, drainage and sewer agreements, including Section 38, Section 278 and Section 104 approvals where applicable.
• Identify planning conditions and technical requirements early, ensuring they are progressed in line with development programmes.
• Work collaboratively with commercial and construction teams to ensure engineering proposals reflect cost, programme and buildability considerations.
• Identify opportunities to improve engineering efficiency, optimise developable land and reduce unnecessary development costs.
• Monitor consultant performance, design programmes, technical risks and outstanding approvals, ensuring developments are appropriately prepared for subsequent stages.
• Provide clear technical recommendations to internal stakeholders to inform decisions on site viability, engineering strategy and development delivery.

The Ideal Candidate

Residential housebuilding experience is essential. We are looking for someone who understands the technical demands of residential development and brings a strong engineering bias to their work. Candidates whose experience is limited to architectural design coordination or traditional live-site technical management, without relevant engineering and pre-development exposure, are unlikely to be the right fit.

• Experience as a Technical Manager, Senior Technical Manager, Development Engineer, Engineering Manager or similar within the residential housebuilding sector.
• Strong understanding of civil engineering and residential infrastructure, particularly highways, drainage, roads, sewers, utilities and earthworks.
• Experience coordinating technical and engineering packages during site feasibility, pre-planning, planning and pre-construction.
• Sound understanding of the technical challenges involved in bringing new residential developments forward, including residential planning requirements, planning conditions and technical approval processes.
• Experience managing external consultants, multidisciplinary design teams and statutory stakeholders.
• Understanding of how engineering decisions influence site viability, development costs, construction programmes and overall deliverability.
• Ability to identify technical risks early, challenge design proposals where necessary and develop practical, cost-effective solutions.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to balance technical requirements with development objectives.
• Excellent communication, coordination and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple schemes and competing priorities.
• A proactive approach, with the confidence to take ownership of technical matters and drive them through to resolution.

Relevant qualifications in civil engineering, construction, architectural technology or a related built-environment discipline would be advantageous.

The Package

• Salary of up to £75,000, depending on experience, plus a car allowance.
• Bonus scheme, pension, private healthcare and additional company benefits and perks.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to take on a key technical position within residential development, influencing housing schemes before they reach the construction stage.

The role offers the opportunity to move beyond the day-to-day management of traditional technical packages and play a more active part in site feasibility, engineering strategy, infrastructure coordination and the progression of new developments.

For an experienced housebuilding professional with an engineering-led background, this is an opportunity to use their technical expertise to influence development viability, improve buildability and help bring new residential schemes forward.