Head of Design

🌟 Head of Design🌟

📍 Location: National
📁 Business Unit: WPS

✨ About the Role

We're looking for a highly experienced and inspiring Head of Design to lead and elevate the Design Management function across our WPS business. This pivotal role carries full accountability for ensuring all design activity — including Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), retrofit, and planned maintenance programmes — meets the highest levels of technical excellence, safety, and regulatory compliance.

You'll drive continuous improvement, champion innovation, and strengthen business resilience while leading a talented team of Design Managers and Temporary Works specialists.

If you thrive in a fast-paced technical environment and enjoy shaping best practice across a region-wide portfolio, we want to hear from you! 🚀

What You'll Do 🚀

• Lead, motivate, and develop a team of Design Managers, ensuring clear standards, robust processes, and ongoing professional development.
• Oversee business-wide design governance, including compliance with the Building Safety Act, CDM 2015 and Golden Thread requirements.
• Approve key design deliverables, providing technical assurance, design risk management and buildability checks.
• Support project delivery teams through gateway reviews, resolving technical issues, and ensuring successful tender-to-handover outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement, digital design practices, competency frameworks, and in-house technical training.
• Act as the senior escalation point for all design-related matters, working collaboratively with clients, consultants and supply chain partners.

What You'll Bring 💡

• Chartered Civil/Structural Engineer (15+ years' Tier 1 contractor experience).
• Strong track record delivering HRBs, remediation, retrofit, and planned maintenance projects.
• Deep knowledge of building safety regulations, design risk management, and digital design tools.
• A collaborative, influential leadership style with the ability to drive standards and performance.

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 

📢 Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of Design Management across a major region within WPS. You'll lead high-impact programmes, work with exceptional people, and play a critical role in ensuring safe, compliant, and innovative delivery across our built environment.

How to Apply 📨

If you're ready to take the next step and play a key role in shaping design leadership across the WPS business, apply now by submitting your CV and a brief summary of your experience.