Design Manager Transportation

Mott MacDonald; Norwood (MA); Hybrid; USD 149,000 - 182,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Mott MacDonald in Boston is seeking a Senior Design Manager to lead multidisciplinary design teams on complex projects across the Northeast. You will partner with project managers to ensure technical integrity, coordination, and on-time delivery.

The role requires a Bachelor's in Engineering, 10+ years of experience, and a Massachusetts PE license or comity. The team operates with a hybrid work model and a strong focus on collaboration, innovation, and quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
• Massachusetts PE licensure required or ability to obtain licensure via comity.
• 10+ years leading multidisciplinary design teams on infrastructure, transportation, or other complex projects.
• Experience managing design scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, and coordination.
• Strong understanding of project delivery processes, contractual requirements, stakeholder management, and multidisciplinary design coordination.
• Experience mentoring and developing more junior staff and contributing to a collaborative project team environment.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills with the ability to influence project outcomes, resolve complex issues, and drive technical excellence.

Responsibilities

• Prepares the design fee estimate and preliminary design schedule during the proposal phase.
• Acts as the single accountable design authority, ensuring multidisciplinary solutions are technically coherent, suitable, contract-compliant, aligned with project objectives, and supported by required design certifications.
• Provides the design team with all contract materials, including scope, requirements and technical obligations necessary to deliver the project within budget and schedule.
• Establishes and manages interdisciplinary interfaces and coordination matrices, defining clear accountability for design interfaces across disciplines, subconsultants and specialist contributors.
• Supports the Project Manager in developing effective Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), Cost Breakdown Structures (CBS) and Organizational Breakdown Structures (OBS) aligned with project delivery requirements and technical assurance activities.
• Monitors the design budget and identifies emerging variances and corrective actions.
• Enforces quality assurance processes, including discipline peer reviews, design checks, approvals and maintenance of associated records.
• Supports Discipline Leads and Package Managers with resource planning, deployment and succession planning activities.
• Leads multidisciplinary coordination meetings, Design Review Meetings and Interdisciplinary Design Reviews (IDRs), driving resolution of technical issues and coordination actions.
• Manages design standards, technical requirements and approved variances, ensuring requirements are communicated, maintained and properly authorized.
• Maintains effective communication with project stakeholders to meet contractual, technical and delivery obligations.
• Coordinates the completion, review and issue of technical deliverables across all disciplines.
• Supports the identification and management of design-related changes, including preparation of associated cost and schedule impacts.
• Identifies, assesses and manages design risks and issues, implementing mitigation and resolution plans as required.

Skills

Leadership

Project coordination

Communication

Strategic planning

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Massachusetts PE licensure (or comity)

Job description

At Mott MacDonald, we are driven by purpose and powered by brilliant people. As a trusted engineering, management, and development consultancy, we work with clients to solve complex challenges and deliver sustainable outcomes that make a meaningful difference for the communities we serve.

When you join us as an experienced professional, you will bring your expertise to work that matters while continuing to grow your career. You will collaborate with talented colleagues across disciplines and geographies, contribute your perspective, and help shape better outcomes through technical excellence, innovation, and integrity.

Build on your experience while helping shape what comes next. At Mott MacDonald, you'll work alongside talented people on complex and rewarding projects that make a real difference. We value fresh perspectives, encourage collaboration, and provide opportunities to expand your skills, take on new challenges, and grow your career. Whether you're deepening your technical expertise, broadening your leadership experience, or exploring new opportunities across our business, you'll be supported by a team that is committed to helping you succeed.

Design Manager

Our Boston Office is seeking a Senior Design Manager to join our growing and dynamic team. In this position, you will be a key leader and member of project delivery teams working in partnership with project managers to deliver designs of both large, complex and small projects and/or programs located throughout the Northeast. You will be responsible for the technical integrity, coordination and delivery of multidisciplinary design solutions.

Key activities and responsibilities:

• Prepares the design fee estimate and preliminary design schedule during the proposal phase.
• Acts as the single accountable design authority, ensuring multidisciplinary solutions are technically coherent, suitable, contract-compliant, aligned with project objectives, and supported by required design certifications.
• Provides the design team with all contract materials, including scope, requirements and technical obligations necessary to deliver the project within budget and schedule.
• Establishes and manages interdisciplinary interfaces and coordination matrices, defining clear accountability for design interfaces across disciplines, subconsultants and specialist contributors.
• Supports the Project Manager in developing effective Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), Cost Breakdown Structures (CBS) and Organizational Breakdown Structures (OBS) aligned with project delivery requirements and technical assurance activities.
• Monitors the design budget and identifies emerging variances and corrective actions.
• Enforces quality assurance processes, including discipline peer reviews, design checks, approvals and maintenance of associated records.
• Supports Discipline Leads and Package Managers with resource planning, deployment and succession planning activities.
• Leads multidisciplinary coordination meetings, Design Review Meetings and Interdisciplinary Design Reviews (IDRs), driving resolution of technical issues and coordination actions.
• Manages design standards, technical requirements and approved variances, ensuring requirements are communicated, maintained and properly authorized.
• Maintains effective communication with project stakeholders to meet contractual, technical and delivery obligations.
• Coordinates the completion, review and issue of technical deliverables across all disciplines.
• Supports the identification and management of design-related changes, including preparation of associated cost and schedule impacts.
• Identifies, assesses and manages design risks and issues, implementing mitigation and resolution plans as required.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
• Massachusetts Professional Engineer licensure (PE) required or ability to obtain licensure through comity.
• 10+ years of relevant experience, including experience leading or coordinating multidisciplinary design teams on infrastructure, transportation, or other complex projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing design scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, technical coordination and design assurance activities.
• Strong understanding of project delivery processes, contractual requirements, stakeholder management, and multidisciplinary design coordination.
• Experience mentoring and developing more junior staff and contributing to a collaborative project team environment.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills with the ability to influence project outcomes, resolve complex issues, and drive technical excellence.

Bring your expertise, curiosity, and drive to make a difference. If you are ready to join a collaborative consultancy where your perspective is valued, your growth is supported, and you are empowered to lead with integrity, we would love to hear from you.

Benefits & Rewards

The expected salary for this position is $149k - $182k.

Individual pay is determined based on several factors such as work location, education, experience, and unique skills.

In addition to base salary, Mott MacDonald offers performance-based bonuses and a comprehensive benefits package, giving employees a direct connection to our success.

Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support the health, wellbeing, financial security, and professional growth of our employees. Eligible employees have access to medical, dental, and vision coverage, FSA and HSA accounts, company-paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, and a competitive 401(k) plan with company matching. We also provide paid time off, paid holidays, caregiver leave, employee referral bonuses, professional registration and membership reimbursements, and tuition assistance to support continued learning and career development.

Collaboration at Our Core

At Mott MacDonald, we believe great ideas happen when we're together. Our hybrid approach centers on an in-office culture, with most of your time spent collaborating face-to-face and a minimum of three days per week in the office. We balance flexibility with connection, so you and your manager can choose how to meet clients, team, and personal commitments.

Equal opportunity is the law.

We seek to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status or disability status.