Design Manager - Structures
Posted 13 hours ago by ENGINEERINGUK
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View more categories View less categories Sector Creative and Design Role Manager Contract Type Permanent Hours Full Time
Design Manager
Full-time
Department: Design Management
Project: Science and Research Based Project
Location: London
About the Role
We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Design Manager to join our Design Management team in London. As a senior member of the Design Job Family and Technical Function, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring technical excellence, assurance, and performance across projects - from early engagement and work winning through to delivery and handover.
You will be responsible for ensuring that all design information is reviewed, coordinated, and delivered in line with our design management procedures. This includes managing programme, buildability, safety, maintenance, and technical suitability requirements. The role also involves overseeing the production, control, and distribution of design information across project stages, with regular progress reporting in place.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage design processes from concept through to handover.
- Ensure compliance with contractual obligations, statutory regulations, and technical standards.
- Coordinate and oversee the production, review, and distribution of design information.
- Support the selection and appointment of designers, ensuring scope, requirements, and responsibilities are clearly defined.
- Facilitate collaborative design reviews and manage queries throughout project delivery.
- Monitor and manage design risks, opportunities, and change control.
- Support construction and handover activities, including quality assurance, commissioning, and documentation.
- Drive continuous improvement by embedding lessons learned, feedback, and innovative practices into design processes.
- Degree in an Architectural or Engineering discipline (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, Structural) or equivalent construction-related qualification with design management experience.
- Chartered membership of a relevant professional body.
- 5+ years' experience managing design across multiple procurement routes and sectors.
- Proven track record of managing design from early concept through to handover.
- Strong knowledge of design strategy at enterprise and project level.
- Ability to independently manage design requirements, optimisation, planning, and reporting.
- Skilled in appointing and managing designers, ensuring alignment with governance and compliance frameworks.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to chair multi-stakeholder design reviews.
- Agile thinker with problem-solving capability and adaptability in dynamic project environments.
- Commitment to sustainability, innovation, digital literacy, and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This role requires a proactive leader who can balance technical detail with strategic oversight, while empowering teams and driving continuous improvement. You'll be someone who thrives in complex environments, adapts to change, and maintains a performance focus throughout project lifecycles.
Why Join Us?
- Opportunity to lead design delivery on high-profile projects.
- Work within a collaborative and innovative environment.
- Be part of an organisation committed to technical excellence, sustainability, and inclusion.
- Competitive salary and benefits package
As part of the Disability Confident scheme, we would like to enable access to candidates with long term health conditions and disabilities through the 'Offer an interview scheme'. This supports applicants that meet the essential criteria by offering an interview for the advertised position. Please let us know prior to interview what adjustments are required as well as discussing how we can support you in the workplace.
We want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you need the application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please email
Company
We are an international engineering and construction company delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure and buildings projects for clients in the UK, Middle East and Australia.
Certainty, reliability, quality - this is what our clients want. And at Laing O'Rourke, we have more than 150 years of experience delivering it. Laing O'Rourke's story is one of energy, passion, ambition, people and teamwork. We harness the power of our experience, stretching back over a century and a half to deliver certainty for our clients.
"As an engineering enterprise, Laing O'Rourke is committed to playing a vital role in building a stronger and more sustainable economy that benefits society in general."
- Ray O'Rourke KBE, Chief Executive Officer
Our Origin Story:
Diversity & Inclusion:
Laing O'Rourke is committed to inclusion; an employer that maintains the highest standard of employment practice and one which aims to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse society in which we live and work.
Laing O'Rourkebelieves that when we go to work, we should feel we are going to a place where we are accepted, understood and valued and that we should make others we work with feel this way too.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SUBCOMMITTEES
Laing O'Rourke have ten Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittees. The purpose of the diversity and inclusion sub-committees is to offer a safe and supportive environment to listen and share personal experiences and insights, as well as play a sympathetic role for each other.
The sub-committees help to drive education, events and initiatives across the organisation as well as help colleagues to understand their purpose.
Current subcommitteesinclude Dis-Ability, Carers, Ethnicity, Gender, Families that live abroad,LGBTQ+, Women & Menopause, & Working Families.
Support for Disabled Employees:
- LOR recruitment, HR Teams, Leadership and management have undertakendisability awareness trainingand are eager to provide an inclusive and accessibility experience to job applicants and new colleagues
- LOR Dis-ABILITY Subcommitteeis an Employee Network Group of colleagues passionate about disability inclusion. Its aims are to raise awareness and remove barriers around disability, neurodiversity and long term health conditions to support creating an inclusive and diverse workplace for everyone.
- Disability Confident Leaders- We are using the requirements of the government scheme to create an inclusive environment for disabled job applicants and existing colleagues.
- LOR are members of theBusiness Disability Forum, giving access to a wide range of resources and information. Our line managers have access to their best practice guides and confidential support line.
- LOR are partnering withEven Breakto have access to exemplary advice around disability inclusion.
Sustainability:
In April 2021 Laing O'Rourke announced new global sustainability targets. These include:
- To be a net zero company by 2050
- By 2033 to achieve equal gender balance across currently 5,500 international staff
Rewards andBenefits:
- Private Medical Insurance
- Pension - basic and enhanced schemes
- Health and Wellbeing
- Virtual GP
- Health Assessment (Age 50+)
- Phased return to work (80% of working week for 100% pay)
- Employee Assistance Programme
- 5 days leave extra can be purchased
- Employee Discounts
- Allowances - car or transport allowance, depending on role/grade
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