Lead Designer

Errigal; Ulster; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Errigal is seeking a Design Lead to drive design activities from tender through project close-out. You will coordinate design, commercial, procurement and operations to deliver projects on time, within budget and to high standards.

This hands-on leadership role demands strong technical knowledge, commercial awareness, and the ability to manage people and processes effectively. A proactive communicator with BIM proficiency will thrive.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Design Lead / Senior Designer within the construction industry.
• Proficiency in BIM software- Revit, Navisworks
• Strong understanding of design management processes, building regulations, and technical standards.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary design teams and coordinating with external consultants.
• Excellent organisational, leadership, and communication skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to support procurement and cost control.
• Proficiency in project management tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design set-up process at the start of each project, including drafting the TIDP and design deliverables.
• Familiarise with project scope, available drawings, design intent, and construction programs.
• Attend pre-construction handover meetings.
• Ensure design deliverables are live, up-to-date, and revised as scope or client requirements change.
• Monitor design progress against program and procurement schedules, highlighting risks or delays.
• Provide solutions to design challenges, compile and respond to RFIs, and maintain compliance with building regulations and industry standards.
• Conduct regular audits of BIM models to ensure accuracy, completeness, and adherence to project standards
• Lead internal design reviews and ensure quality assurance before submission to clients or upload to CDE.
• Liaise regularly with the planning, buying, operations, and commercial teams to ensure alignment on scope, procurement, and budgets.
• Chair internal design team meetings and attend external client design coordination meetings.
• Maintain clear, consistent communication with site teams and provide design support during installation stages.
• Extract procurement dates and package requirements from design programs.
• Work closely with the buying team to ensure material schedules are accurate and user-friendly.
• Maintain commercial awareness of how design packages are being developed in coordination with QS.
• Direct and support the design team and external consultants, setting weekly tasks and targets.
• Peer review junior team members’ work and promote quality excellence across deliverables.
• Organise purposeful site visits for yourself and junior designers to strengthen design-to-site integration.
• Lead by example in professionalism, meeting attendance, and proactive communication.
• Ensure design deliverables, procurement schedules, and variation trackers are updated weekly.
• Maintain regular communication with the commercial team to ensure alignment with budgets.
• Monitor project spend and time allocation.
• Actively manage design changes, ensuring registers and commercial leads are kept updated.
• Drive efficiency in model/drawing outputs to streamline procurement and reduce errors.

Skills

Design Lead

BIM Revit

Design management

Leadership

Communication

Procurement cost control

PM Tools

Tools

Navisworks

Job description

In Errigal we are more than a market leading construction company; with specialist expertise in partition systems, external façade, interior fitout, ceilings and bespoke solutions, we are a team built on relationships, respect, integrity, inclusivity and transparency. We are a Company committed to fostering a workplace that focuses on these values, which we believe have been the platform of our successes to date. We are committed to fostering a workplace that promotes personal development and empowerment of every employee. If you want to work in a company where you feel valued, trusted and inspired then we invite you explore this exciting job opportunity.

Role

This role will be central to the success of our projects, leading design activities from tender submission through to project close-out. The Design Lead will act as the main point of coordination between design, commercial, procurement, and operations teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong technical knowledge, commercial awareness, and the ability to manage both people and processes effectively.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the design set-up process at the start of each project, including drafting the TIDP (Task Information Delivery Plan) and design deliverables.
• Familiarise with project scope, available drawings, design intent, and construction programs.
• Attend pre-construction handover meetings.
• Ensure design deliverables are live, up-to-date, and revised as scope or client requirements change.
• Monitor design progress against program and procurement schedules, highlighting risks or delays.
• Provide solutions to design challenges, compile and respond to RFIs, and maintain compliance with building regulations and industry standards.
• Conduct regular audits of BIM models to ensure accuracy, completeness, and adherence to project standards
• Lead internal design reviews and ensure quality assurance before submission to clients or upload to CDE.
• Liaise regularly with the planning, buying, operations, and commercial teams to ensure alignment on scope, procurement, and budgets.
• Chair internal design team meetings and attend external client design coordination meetings.
• Maintain clear, consistent communication with site teams and provide design support during installation stages.
• Extract procurement dates and package requirements from design programs.
• Work closely with the buying team to ensure material schedules are accurate and user-friendly.
• Maintain commercial awareness of how design packages are being developed in coordination with QS.
• Direct and support the design team and external consultants, setting weekly tasks and targets.
• Peer review junior team members’ work and promote quality excellence across deliverables.
• Organise purposeful site visits for yourself and junior designers to strengthen design-to-site integration.
• Lead by example in professionalism, meeting attendance, and proactive communication.
• Ensure design deliverables, procurement schedules, and variation trackers are updated weekly.
• Maintain regular communication with the commercial team to ensure alignment with budgets.
• Monitor project spend and time allocation.
• Actively manage design changes, ensuring registers and commercial leads are kept updated.
• Drive efficiency in model/drawing outputs to streamline procurement and reduce errors.

Key Skills Qualifications & Experience Requirements

• Proven experience as a Design Lead / Senior Designer within the construction industry.
• Proficiency in BIM software- Revit, Navisworks
• Strong understanding of design management processes, building regulations, and technical standards.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary design teams and coordinating with external consultants.
• Excellent organisational, leadership, and communication skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to support procurement and cost control.
• Proficiency in project management tools.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, welcoming applications from individuals of all backgrounds.