Project Design Manager - Water

Position: Project Design Manager - Water (Permanent)
Associate Project Design Lead – Water Infrastructure

London | Leeds

This role suits an experienced Design Manager comfortable leading complex programmes and providing clarity in demanding delivery environments.

An opportunity to take a leading position on technically demanding, high-value water infrastructure programmes - projects that carry regional and national significance and where design leadership genuinely shapes outcomes.

If you are motivated by responsibility, influence and the satisfaction of delivering work that endures, this role deserves your attention.

The opportunity

You will assume full design management accountability across complex water infrastructure projects, operating at the intersection of engineering, programme and stakeholder leadership.

Working alongside Project Directors and Project Managers, you will provide strategic oversight of the design process - setting direction, resolving critical issues and ensuring delivery is robust, compliant, and commercially sound.

This role offers exposure to major clients, multidisciplinary teams and challenging programmes where clarity of thought and strength of judgement are essential.

Responsibilities:

* Lead design management on complex, multi-discipline water infrastructure projects

* Direct resources, programme, and budgets with precision and authority

* Set and uphold exacting standards for health, safety, quality, and environmental compliance

* Drive Safety by Design and ensure full compliance with UK CDM Regulations

* Chair and lead design team forums, enabling decisive progress and accountability

* Manage change, risk, RFIs, and early warnings with confidence and control

* Coordinate multiple design packages, ensuring technical coherence and buildability

* Oversee design deliverables, transmittals, and technical documentation

* Embed continuous improvement, efficiency, and innovation across design delivery

About you:

* Water experience is a MUST

* Degree-qualified in Engineering, Environmental, or a related technical discipline

* Chartered professional or progressing toward chartership

* Demonstrable experience delivering complex infrastructure programmes

* Strong background in design management, project delivery, and contract administration

* Deep understanding of UK health, safety, and regulatory frameworks

* Comfortable operating with senior stakeholders, clients, and delivery partners

Why this role stands apart

* Responsibility for projects of genuine scale and consequence

* A position of influence within major infrastructure programmes

* Exposure to complex delivery environments that accelerate professional growth

* Clear investment in technical excellence and leadership development

* The opportunity to leave a lasting professional legacy through your work

If you are seeking a role that values authority, rewards expertise and places you at the centre of consequential decisions, this is a rare opportunity.

All enquiries and applications will be handled in strict confidence