Your new company
My client has a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Senior Design Manager to join a long-term AMP8 water programme, supporting the delivery of a portfolio of clean water and wastewater capital schemes for a major regulated water utility in the South of England (client name kept confidential).You'll be part of a business that puts people at the heart of delivery, with a strong wellbeing focus and a culture built on being collaborative, Trusted and Focused.
Your new role
This is a senior leadership position where you will lead and manage engineering design delivery across assigned projects, acting as the focal point for design-related matters and ensuring seamless collaboration between teams, design consultants, delivery partners and key stakeholders.You will shape the full engineering lifecycle-from project definition and outline design through detailed design, construction, commissioning and handover-driving technical excellence, assurance, innovation and "right-first-time" design quality.
Key responsibilities
Design leadership & assurance
- Lead and manage engineering design delivery for assigned projects.
- Spearhead and optimise engineering assurance for designs prepared by partners (outline design) and delivery partners (tender and construction design).
- Develop and oversee engineering project plans covering scope, schedule, cost, risk and resources.
- Implement design quality procedures to embed a right-first-time approach and robust document control.
- Drive innovation and engineering excellence through partner forums and supply chain engagement.
Pre-construction & stage submissions (framework delivery model)
- Provide strong leadership input through stage 1 (ECI / feasibility / outline design) and into early stage 2 (detailed design / construction), ensuring deliverables are on time and to the right quality.
- Support collaborative development workshops and design sessions, embedding structured pre-construction routines and integrated working across disciplines.
- Contribute to stage 2 submission readiness, including programme, risk allocation and design development required for agreement.
Project delivery & outcomes
- Provide expert engineering support from definition through to construction, commissioning and handover of capital schemes.
- Work collaboratively with project management, construction, commercial and operational teams to deliver outcomes efficiently and to key milestones.
- Identify opportunities for value engineering and improved affordability, while maintaining quality and compliance.
- Promote sustainable design-supporting carbon reduction and natural capital enhancement where applicable.
Health, safety & design risk
- Ensure compliance with CDM Regulations, managing design-related health and safety risks throughout the design process.
What you'll need to succeed
To be considered, you will ideally have:
- Chartered Engineer status (or equivalent) with a degree-level qualification in an engineering discipline.
- Significant, proven engineering design, construction and management experience, ideally within water and wastewater treatment environments.
- A strong track record leading multi-disciplinary technical/engineering teams and driving performance against demanding targets.
- Experience driving innovation and optimisation of plant/process solutions, with strong quality management and document control discipline.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, able to communicate complex technical information clearly to a broad audience.
- Strong understanding of regulated delivery environments and collaborative ways of working across design and delivery interfaces.
What you'll get in return
- The chance to play a key leadership role on a secure, long-term water framework delivering meaningful environmental and resilience outcomes.
- Hybrid working (3 days per week in Brighton).
What you need to do now
If you're an experienced Senior Design Manager looking for a pivotal role on a major AMP8 programme, apply now or contact me for a confidential discussion.
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