Senior Design Manager

At Wates Residential, we're looking for a Senior Design Manager to take ownership of design management across major projects, acting as a key leader within our project teams and driving excellence throughout the development lifecycle. Based within our Residential business, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering sustainable, customer-focused homes while influencing project outcomes, programme performance and design quality.

The Role

As Senior Design Manager, you will lead the design management function on major residential developments, ensuring projects are coordinated effectively from pre-construction through to handover. You'll work closely with internal teams, consultants, subcontractors and clients to ensure design solutions are practical, commercially sound and delivered to programme.

You'll be responsible for:

• Steer and coordinate all design activities across one or multiple projects.
• Managing design programmes and information release schedules.
• Identifying and mitigating design, technical and compliance risks.
• Driving collaboration between design, commercial and delivery teams.
• Managing consultant appointments, design fees and project budgets.
• Supporting bid submissions and tender activities with technical expertise.
• Guide design reviews and ensuring the timely resolution of technical issues.
• Overseeing BIM integration and digital design delivery.
• Ensuring statutory approvals, design compliance and quality standards are achieved.
• Acting as the key point of contact for all design-related matters throughout the project lifecycle.

What We're Looking For

We're seeking someone who combines strong technical expertise with outstanding stakeholder management skills and a passion for delivering exceptional projects.

You'll ideally have:

• Significant experience in design management within construction or residential development.
• Strong knowledge of construction methods, design processes and project delivery.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary consultant teams and complex stakeholder relationships.
• Sound understanding of CDM regulations, health and safety and compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of BIM processes and digital delivery frameworks.
• Excellent commercial awareness and experience managing consultant fee budgets.
• The ability to identify risks early and develop practical solutions.

Our commitments:  

Wates is proud to be an employer where anyone can thrive, and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.  We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement, as we value transferable skills and assess all applications fairly.

We don't discriminate based on a criminal record; all applications are reviewed on an individual basis against the requirements of the role. Some roles may require additional checks, due to the nature of the work.  As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the role and opt in to the Disability Confident scheme.  Reasonable adjustments are available, please contact us at recruitment@wates.co.uk