Reporting to: Head of Design
Liaising with: Design Team and Delivery Team
Hours of work: 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday
Direct Report: N/A
Department: Design
Location: Hybrid. Location either Balcombe / Cookstown / Ilkeston
Role Purpose:
The Regional Design Manager is responsible for overseeing the design activities for multiple water and wastewater treatment projects across a designated region.
This role includes managing multidisciplinary design teams, ensuring compliance with local regulations, and applying best practices in design performance management, including Earned Value Analysis (EVA).
Additionally, the Regional Design Manager will play a key role in planning future workload to ensure efficient resource allocation and successful project delivery. They will also ensure adherence to Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) while managing the design process from concept to completion.
Role Summary:
Lead and manage the design production and design management teams for multiple water and wastewater treatment projects within the assigned region.
Coordinate multidisciplinary design teams, ensuring effective collaboration between civil, mechanical, electrical, and process engineers.
Implement and monitor design performance management systems to ensure design teams meet key performance indicators (KPIs) and project deadlines.
Utilise Earned Value Analysis (EVA) to track design progress, evaluate project performance, and identify variances in cost and schedule, implementing corrective actions as needed and identifying trends.
Plan and forecast future workloads and project pipelines, ensuring optimal resource allocation and project readiness to meet regional demand.
Ensure designs comply with regional technical, environmental, and regulatory standards, including adherence to CDM regulations for health and safety during design and construction phases.
Manage the design change process, ensuring all design modifications are documented, controlled, and communicated effectively across stakeholders.
Collaborate with regional delivery teams, contractors, and clients to ensure smooth integration between design and construction phases.
Conduct regular design audits, risk assessments, and quality checks to ensure high design standards and identify opportunities for improvement.
Manage design budgets, tracking expenditures, and ensuring projects are delivered within financial constraints and resources are efficiently utilised.
Engage with clients, local regulatory authorities, and other stakeholders to maintain strong relationships and ensure regional project alignment.
Provide leadership, mentoring, and professional development opportunities for design teams across the region, promoting continuous improvement and innovative design practices.
Monitor industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices within the water industry to drive innovation and improve design processes.
Candidate Specification
Personal Attributes:
Strong leadership and management skills with the ability to oversee and motivate large, multidisciplinary teams.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for engaging with clients, stakeholders, and teams across the region.
Proactive and strategic problem-solving abilities, focused on delivering efficient, high-quality design solutions.
Ability to prioritise and manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring all deadlines are met under tight timelines.
Highly organised and detail-oriented, ensuring all design outputs are accurate and meet the required quality standards.
Strong collaborative mindset with the ability to foster teamwork and drive results across various regions and teams.
Technical Specification
Experience Required:
Extensive experience in design management or design production, with at least 5 years in a leadership role within the water or wastewater sector.
Proven track record of managing large, multi-disciplinary design teams and delivering projects across multiple regions.
Experience in planning future workloads and managing project pipelines to ensure smooth project execution and resource efficiency.
Strong knowledge of water and wastewater treatment processes, technologies, and regulatory requirements.
Expertise in design performance management, including the application of Earned Value Analysis (EVA) to assess cost/schedule performance and experience in managing design change.
In-depth understanding of CDM regulations and experience in integrating health and safety into the design process.
Essential Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Design, Architecture, Design Management, Construction Management or a related field.
Chartered Engineer (CEng) status or working towards it.
Strong technical knowledge of water and wastewater treatment design processes and regulatory frameworks.
Proven experience in managing design budgets, schedules, and resources across multiple projects.
Familiarity with CDM regulations and design safety management
Desirable Qualifications:
Master’s degree in Engineering or a related field.
Project management certification (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2).
Experience with BIM (Building Information Modelling) and other digital design tools.
Knowledge of sustainable design practices, energy efficiency, and circular economy principles within water treatment projects.
Experience managing large-scale or international water projects, with an emphasis on regional coordination and pipeline management.