Senior Design Manager

Atkins Search are proud to be working with a well-established, privately owned main contractor with a strong presence across the UK, known for delivering high-quality, design-led construction projects across the commercial, residential, education, MOD, healthcare and mixed-use sectors.

Due to continued growth in the North West, the business is looking to appoint an experienced Senior Design Manager to join their team, based from their Manchester office.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a contractor with a strong reputation for technical delivery, innovation and a collaborative working culture.

• Privately owned, financially stable main contractor with national reach
• A diverse project portfolio across multiple sectors
• Commitment to sustainability, digital innovation and design excellence
• Strong pipeline of secured work across the North West
• Excellent staff retention and structured professional development

As Senior Design Manager, you will lead the coordination and delivery of design activities across both pre-construction and live project phases. You will play a central role in managing design intent, ensuring buildability, compliance and quality from concept through to completion.

You will be the key link between the client, consultants, internal teams and specialist subcontractors -driving collaboration, programme certainty and the integration of innovative and sustainable design solutions.

• Lead the design process across one or more live or pre-construction projects
• Coordinate design consultants and specialist subcontractors to ensure timely, high-quality output
• Manage the design programme, RFI processes, document control and change management
• Ensure compliance with Building Regulations, CDM, the Building Safety Act and planning conditions
• Promote and embed Safety in Design (SiD) principles and risk mitigation strategies
• Oversee BIM coordination, clash detection and design audits
• Support tender submissions, value engineering exercises and buildability reviews
• Represent the business in client and design team meetings, ensuring strong communication and issue resolution
• Contribute to internal design reviews, lessons learned and continuous improvement initiatives
• Mentor and support junior members of the design and technical team

• The successful candidate will ideally demonstrate the following:
• Proven experience as a Design Manager or Senior Design Manager in a main contracting environment
• Strong knowledge of construction methodologies, building regulations and statutory approvals
• Experience working on design and build projects across sectors such as residential, education, commercial, MOJ/MOD or healthcare
• Ability to lead multi-disciplinary design teams and coordinate specialist subcontractors
• Familiarity with BIM workflows and digital design management tools
• Excellent communication, organisational and stakeholder management skills
• Relevant construction-related qualifications (degree/HNC or equivalent)

• A comprehensive and competitive package is on offer, which includes:
• Car allowance or company vehicle
• Private healthcare
• Enhanced pension contributions
• Bonus scheme
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Ongoing professional training and development
• Laptop, phone and other relevant tools
• Supportive and collaborative working environment

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