Design
Help us to shape a better future by influencing, guiding, and managing the design process from start to finish. As part of our Design team, we’ll make sure your career thrives.
Help us to shape a better future by influencing, guiding, and managing the design process from start to finish. As part of our Design team, we’ll make sure your career thrives.

People thrive at Wates
You could have design experience, be looking for a career change, or be returning to work after a break. Above all, you need the right attributes to succeed in our Design team.
We’re looking for inquisitive people, who are great problem solvers, and able to think laterally. Someone who is good at interacting with and managing people, both internally and externally. Perhaps the key thing to remember is that we don’t author design, we shape it. That means our ability to influence what someone else does with a pen is vital.
In terms of transferrable skills, the most important are to be analytical and creative. If you have a creative background, you’ll fit in very well.

No better place to develop your career
We’re innovative, agile, and entrepreneurial. We also know what we’re good at. As part of our Design team, you’ll play a key role in helping to create the thriving places of tomorrow. You’ll get to work on a huge range of projects too, in terms of building typology, complexity, geography, and scale. The variety we can offer you is unrivalled.
There are a range of roles in terms of a career path and a job family within Design. If you come in as a trainee, or assistant, you’ll join a team contributing and learning with others on a smaller project. As you progress, the opportunities and challenges increase. You’ll be expected to focus more on leadership strategy and contribute to the direction of the business you work in too.
At Wates, you’ll get every opportunity to develop your career in a timely fashion. We like to make the most of our in-house talent and promote from within. If we believe that someone is 80% ready for the next step, we’ll progress them.
Project Manager
Location: Daventry
Job Type: Operational
Application Deadline: 08-12-2025
Are you an experienced Project Manager with a background in Decent Homes and Planned Works? We’re looking for a confident leader to oversee a major social housing programme, ensuring quality delivery and team performance across multiple sites.🏗️ Key Responsibilities: Oversee the delivery of planned works within social housing stock Lead and manage a team of 6–7 direct employees, ensuring high performance and accountability Manage a £6 million per annum account, ensuring budget control and value for money Liaise with clients, residents, and internal teams to ensure smooth project execution Monitor progress, quality, and compliance with Decent Homes standards Report on KPIs, risks, and milestones to senior stakeholders✅ Requirements: Proven experience in managing social housing projects, ideally within Decent Homes frameworks Strong leadership and team management skills Financial acumen with experience managing multi-million-pound budgets Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities Local knowledge of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, or Milton Keynes is highly desirableGiven the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant's criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks. To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting
Senior Design Manager
Location: Manchester
Job Type: Design
Application Deadline: 19-12-2025
WPS are looking for a highly skilled Senior Design Manager to lead the delivery of planned maintenance and refurbishment programmes within high-rise buildings, as well as retrofit projects across the North West. This role is ideal for someone with a strong technical background and leadership experience in managing complex design challenges in occupied homes, including higher-risk buildings.Key Responsibilities Lead design teams through all RIBA stages, ensuring compliance with Building Safety Act and Building Safety Regulator Gateway process. Manage design risk and assurance processes, particularly for Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs). Oversee BIM Level 2 and digital design coordination. Deliver retrofit schemes that meet energy efficiency and sustainability goals. Maintain the golden thread of information throughout the project lifecycle. Collaborate with stakeholders on occupied building works and planned maintenance schemes.Qualifications Degree in Architecture, Engineering, or Construction Management. Strong understanding of HRB design compliance, fire safety, and structural integrity. Proficient in BIM Level 2 and digital design tools.Skills Proven leadership in managing design risk for HRBs. Expertise in RIBA stage management and regulatory compliance. Familiarity with retrofit design principles, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Excellent problem-solving, coordination, and communication skills.Experience Leading design teams on complex refurbishment and retrofit projects. Experience in planned maintenance schemes and occupied building works. Managing design assurance and maintaining the golden thread of project information. Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant's criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks. To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting
Temporary Works Site Advisor
Location: London
Job Type: Operational
Application Deadline: 19-12-2025
Are you passionate about making construction safer, smarter and more compliant? We’re on the lookout for a proactive and knowledgeable Temporary Works Advisor to join our team and support sites across the Southern region.This is a brilliant opportunity to play a key role in ensuring our temporary works processes are not only followed, but continuously improved. You’ll be the go-to person for site teams, helping them navigate procedures, audits, and best practice with confidence.ABOUT THE ROLEOur Temporary Works Advisors are a vital part of our delivery teams. You’ll bring foresight and best practice to every site you support, helping teams navigate complex procedures while maintaining high standards of safety and buildability. Alongside this, you’ll play a key role in developing and mentoring others, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaborative working across our projects.As our Temporary Works Advisor you will be: Carrying out weekly site inspections and compliance audits, using our standardised reporting templates. Supporting preconstruction planning by ensuring TW toolkits and registers are in place and appointments made before work begins. Providing on-site guidance and training to PCTWCs and TWSs to help them meet compliance standards. Championing health & safety and collaborating with our SHE team to share knowledge and drive improvements. Helping us digitally integrate our TW procedures into new systems for smarter working. Feeding back insights and lessons learned to improve our TW processes across the board.WHAT WE OFFER Competitive salary & profit share scheme Flexible working Car Allowance / Company Car (subject to Role/Grade) Travel covered to any of our sites (subject to HMRC advisory rates) Extensive corporate benefits including, Private Medical, Pension 8% employers’ contribution, Health and Wellness programme, 26 days holidays + bank holidays and much more… Excellent range of learning and development activity to support your career progression. Industry leading family leave benefits to included 26 weeks fully paid maternity, 12 weeks fully paid paternity.To find out more about LIFE AT WATES please click on the following link https://www.wates.co.uk/careers/ We are always looking for a variety of new talent to join our teams, to help us grow and innovate as a business. Although you may not have all of the skills listed, many of them may be transferable to other roles within the WATES Group. If you would like clarity on any of our vacancies, discuss career opportunities in strict confidence or need anything to make our recruitment process easier, please contact our In-House Recruitment Team directly or via recruitment@wates.co.uk and one of us will get in touch as soon as possible. As a responsible and inclusive employer, we are committed to equality and are proud to have been recognised for this through a range of accolades including gold accreditation with Investors in People, we are also a Disability Confident employer. Being a family owned, business means we understand and value long term relationships. Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant's criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks. To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting
Communications and Marketing Business Partner
Location: Market Harborough
Job Type: Marketing & Communications
Application Deadline: 18-12-2025
Are you a communications and marketing specialist who loves turning complex projects into compelling stories?Can you showcase how construction delivers real social impact and innovation? If so, we want to hear from you!Our Construction business is looking for a Marketing and Communications Business Partner to lead communications for our Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Alliance Programmes – some of the most technically complex and socially significant projects in the UK.What you’ll be doingAs our Marketing and Communications Business Partner, you’ll: Drive brand visibility and stakeholder engagement for the MoJ Alliance Programmes (A4NP, AHDP, SSHP). Create standout campaigns and powerful content that showcase our impact – from prisoner rehabilitation initiatives to sustainability innovations. Manage PR, media relations, and crisis communications, working closely with Wates Group colleagues and government stakeholders. Deliver engaging internal communications to keep project teams informed and inspired. Support live projects with storytelling, events and award submissions that highlight key milestones and achievements. Leverage digital platforms (including Ceros) to create interactive content and optimise SEO for maximum reach.What we’re looking for A marketing and communications specialist who thrives in a fast-paced, high-profile environment. Excellent stakeholder management skills with a collaborative mindset – able to build strong relationships across government, partners and internal teams. A creative thinker who can turn technical detail into compelling narratives. Someone who’s as confident planning a multi-channel campaign as they are organising a high-profile project site visit. Experience in construction, infrastructure or an adjacent industry is a plus.What We Offer· Competitive salary & profit share scheme· Flexible working· Car Allowance / Company Car (subject to Role/Grade)· Travel covered to any of our sites (subject to HMRC advisory rates)· Extensive corporate benefits including, Private Medical, Pension 8% employers’ contribution, Health and Wellness programme, 26 days holidays + bank holidays and much more…· Excellent range of learning and development activity to support your career progression.· Industry leading family leave benefits to included 26 weeks fully paid maternity, 12 weeks fully paid paternity. To find out more about LIFE AT WATES please click on the following link https://www.wates.co.uk/careers/We are always looking for a variety of new talent to join our teams, to help us grow and innovate as a business. Although you may not have all of the skills listed, many of them may be transferable to other roles within the WATES Group.If you would like clarity on any of our vacancies, discuss career opportunities in strict confidence or need anything to make our recruitment process easier, please contact our In-House Recruitment Team directly or via recruitment@wates.co.uk and one of us will get in touch as soon as possible.As a responsible and inclusive employer, we are committed to equality and are proud to have been recognised for this through a range of accolades including gold accreditation with Investors in People, we are also a Disability Confident employer. Being a family owned, business means we understand and value long term relationships.Given the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) at offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on an applicant's criminal record or the details of any disclosed offenses. Additionally, certain roles may be subject to additional pre-employment checks. To learn more about the checks included in this process, please click on the following link: National Security Vetting