Senior Design Manager

About the role

Kier Construction is seeking a Senior Design Manager to lead design delivery on public sector projects across Yorkshire. The role involves overseeing design from tender through construction, ensuring high‑quality outcomes for sectors such as education, healthcare, heritage and justice.

Key responsibilities

• Manage design teams through tender and pre‑construction stages, delivering information on schedule and to the highest standards.
• Coordinate design consultants, monitor performance and address concerns to maintain quality and compliance.
• Chair design meetings, produce progress reports and present updates to senior leadership.
• Create and manage design programmes, responsibility matrices and documentation to keep projects running smoothly.
• Identify and mitigate design‑related risks while providing strategic expertise on innovative construction solutions.

Required profile

• Relevant qualification in Construction Management, Engineering or Architecture, ideally with chartership or additional accreditation.
• Proven experience managing design on tenders and live projects within a main‑contractor environment, especially on complex, high‑value schemes.
• Strong knowledge of BIM Level 2, current building regulations and key design principles across all disciplines.
• Confidence in producing presentations and leading meetings with internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Understanding of building contracts (NEC, JCT, SBCC) and their influence on design management approaches.
• Transferable skills are welcome; candidates not ticking every box are encouraged to apply.

Required skills

• BIM Level 2
• NEC contracts
• JCT contracts
• SBCC contracts
• Building regulations