Water Design Manager

Trant Engineering Ltd; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Company Pension Scheme

Professional membership support

Onsite parking

Job summary

Trant Engineering Ltd. is seeking a Project Design Manager to support multidiscipline design delivery within the IDS Department in Southampton. You will coordinate design teams, work with commercial, planning and delivery functions, and help ensure engineering solutions meet project requirements.

The role is based at our Head Office in Southampton with hybrid working and occasional site visits. You’ll collaborate with specialists across civil, mechanical, electrical, process, instrumentation and

Qualifications

• Engineering background in water sector or related disciplines.
• Experience coordinating multi-discipline design teams.
• Strong communication and design delivery process knowledge.
• Awareness of tendering and project design governance.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate design resources to deliver design deliverables on time and within budget.
• Ensure design safety reviews align with project requirements and standards.
• Maintain relationships with client project teams and third-party designers.
• Manage design interfaces with subcontractors and suppliers.
• Review design delivery strategies with discipline leads and address design changes.
• Promote HSE throughout design and delivery phases.
• Support continuous improvement of design processes and quality management.

Skills

Multi-discipline coordination

Project prioritisation

Presenting & communication

Commercial awareness

BIM/Digital delivery

MS Office proficiency

Education

Accredited MEng/BEng

Chartered membership

Tools

BIM

AutoCAD

Microsoft Office

Job description

Department

Project Delivery

Location

Southampton

Description

Join Trant Engineering and help shape the delivery of complex, high-impact projects. Trant Engineering is a leading EPC contractor with a strong reputation for delivering innovative engineering solutions across the UK and internationally. With over 1,000 employees and a £150m turnover, we’re growing—and now looking for a Project Design Manager to play a key role in our project delivery.

The Role

The role sits within the IDS Department of Trant Engineering Ltd. IDS deliver multidiscipline design solutions and technical support to the wider business and clients. We primarily work in the water sector, undertaking projects in water and wastewater treatment, water storage and distribution and flood defence, as well as some works within the energy sector. Projects typically range in value from £1M to £10M.

The Project Design Manager role will be based at our Head Office in Southampton and reports directly to the Associate Director of Engineering. You will be responsible for supporting the design teams with the technical delivery of projects, acting as a focal point across all stages of the design development process.

In this role, whilst you will be working closely with your IDS colleagues, you will frequently be collaborating with our commercial, planning and delivery teams, to ensure well developed engineering solutions are designed in accordance with project requirements. With Trant Engineering Ltd. being a Tier 1 EPC Contractor, the work is fast paced and collaboration and communication across all teams and stakeholders is the key to our success.

What You’ll Be Doing

Key Skills, Knowledge & Behaviour

This role is suited to technically strong candidates with an engineering background in the water industry. Ideally you would be able to demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and behaviours:

• Experienced at coordinating the efforts of a multi-disciplined teams of engineers and CAD technicians on small-medium sized projects.
• Capable of managing and prioritising multiple projects in a dynamic environment.
• Be confident in presenting and explaining ideas and solutions, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Maintain a thorough awareness of the commercial factors applicable to tendering and the design delivery process.
• Have a keen eye for detail with the ability to identify technical issues in the early stages of the project lifecycle.
• Have a good working knowledge of BIM/Digital Delivery processes.
• Be a competent user of the Microsoft Office suite of products.

Responsibilities & Duties

The Project Design Manager role typically encompasses the following activities:

• Taking responsibility for co-ordinating design resources to ensure the efficient and intelligent production of design deliverables against design fee estimates and design programmes.
• Ensuring formal design/safety reviews are undertaken at appropriate stages during the project cycle, ensuring proposals are compliant with health, safety and environmental best practices, as well as Client and industry specifications.
• Establishing and maintaining relationships and communications with our Client’s Project Teams.
• Managing design interfaces with third party designers, subcontractors and suppliers.
• Regularly reviewing design delivery strategies, in collaboration with our Discipline Leads.
• Identifying and escalating instances of design change in accordance with Trants Procedures.
• Proactively driving a H&S focus throughout the design process and subsequent delivery phase, instigating development of design risk assessments to address risks identified during review activities.
• Identifying opportunities for the continuous improvement of the design delivery process and associated quality management systems.
• Upholding and promoting the Company’s Core Values – Care, Trust, Respect and Sustainability.
• You may be required to undertake additional duties, consistent with the responsibilities and level of this role, beyond those specified above.

Core Values

Upholds and promotes the Company’s Core Values – Care, Trust, Respect and Sustainability.

What We’re Looking For

Essential requirements of the role

While the role is hybrid/office based, occasional site visits to remote sites will be required so it is essential that you have the ability to travel to site as and when required.

Desirable requirements

• Recognised Engineering Institution Accredited MEng/BEng.
• Chartered membership of a relevant professional institution.

Why Join Trant

At Trant Engineering, we deliver complex, high-value engineering and construction projects across the UK. We play a key role in delivering and protecting critical national infrastructure – shaping the systems that communities and industries rely on every day.

Our teams design and deliver full EPC solutions, combining technical excellence with practical, hands‑on delivery. We offer end-to-end capabilities – from concept and design through to manufacturing, construction and commissioning utilising a continually evolving in‑house expertise. This means you’ll work on projects that are varied, challenging and genuinely impactful.

Our multi-disciplinary teams bring together specialists in civil, mechanical, electrical, process, instrumentation, and control & automation engineering, alongside our in‑house manufacturing of control panels, MCCs, PLCs and SCADA systems. With over 1,000 people and a strong, growing pipeline of work, it’s an exciting time to join Trant. We are committed to helping our people succeed through our Career Development Association, providing structured support, mentoring and clear pathways to help you reach your full potential.

Whether you’re starting out or looking to take your next career step, Trant offers the chance to develop, progress and make a real difference.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Company car or car allowance (some levels).
• Mentored support within our ‘Career Development Association’, to work towards chartership.
• 24 days holiday (increasing with service) + 8 bank holidays.
• Options to buy additional holiday via salary sacrifice.
• Company Pension Scheme.
• Flexible working based on a ‘core hours’ system.
• 1 x Professional Membership paid annually.
• Hybrid working.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Free onsite parking.
• Bike to Work Scheme.
• Discretionary annual bonus.