Design Manager

Orion is partnered with a national tier 1 contractor seeking a Design Manager who will manage the pre-construction, design process through the co-ordination of internal resources, external consultants and supply chain members.  Ensure implemented designs add value, while reducing costs to maximise the Company’s overall profitability.  Ensure all statutory requirements are met and that designs are compliant with the Contract Requirements.

DUTIES:

• Utilise the various company procedural systems in the manner defined and ensure communication protocols are followed
• Help create and promote an environment of professionalism in relation to construction works
• Employ previous sector experience to the benefit of the business
• Maintain a strong customer focus
• Support the business to secure new work
• Adapt effectively to varying environments, responsibilities, people and culture
• Work with a team and work on more than one project or tender at a time
• Maintain a business perspective that is reflected in all decisions and actions
• Demonstrate a strong commercial awareness identifying opportunities and risks
• Take a strategic view of issues alongside immediate operational requirements
• Analyse relevant information and identify innovative and effective solutions to issues
• Anticipate problems and modify plans accordingly

 
Project Responsibilities:

• Manage the project design development through pre-construction concept and scheme design stages
• Manage delivery of design from both consultant designers and specialist sub-contract designers
• Manage design appraisal and review processes
• Manage the design process through internal and external review and approval gateways and submissions
• Appraise design information and report on level and quality of design information with particular regard to adequacy for pricing and construction
• Identify unusual or abnormal design risks and establish mitigation measures to ensure design can be developed and delivered to the client’s satisfaction with solutions properly priced out
• Manage third party peer review teams (external consultants) undertaking detailed reviews and gap analysis
• Establish strong relationships with specialist supply chain designers to maintain technical knowledge in these areas
• Understand the design requirements for BREEAM and establish risk and opportunities associated with compliance with BREEAM obligations
• Take the lead on authority approvals in line with project requirements
• Lead or participate as required in Value Management and Risk Management exercises
• Understand Forms of Contract and identify key design obligations
• Understand Contractors Design Portions and establish a strategy to manage the supply chain and design team to ensure CDP solutions are achieved
• Review design consultant appointments and identify scope gaps
• Review design team fees and advise on adequacy of fees and residual fees
• Identify specialist design requirements e.g. fire engineering, acoustician, etc. and deal with appointments and fees

Commercial & Tendering:

• Support the bid team to achieve commercially attractive tender solutions
• Identify tender deliverables and ensure design deliverables are understood by the team and cost effective solutions identified
• Oversee and manage the development of tender design solutions
• De-risk design issues to ensure tender offering is competitive
• Review tender returns from supply chain to ensure CDP offerings are robust and compliant or to identify CDP alternatives which may be advantageous
• Manage design solutions to meet client budgets

Programming:

• Develop and maintain (with support of planning function), design programme solutions integrated within the overall design, procure and construction programmes
• Appraise client programme and establish client key dates and obligations to ensure they are carried forward into contractors’ design programmes
• Establish the position with Building Warrant and Planning Conditions and ensure these are factored into contractors’ design programmes
• Establish position with provisional sums and provisional items and ensure these are factored into contractors’ design programmes
• Develop design programmes including CDP elements
• Develop an understanding of design resources required to achieve contractors design programme to allow delivery teams to track and monitor progress

Delivery Stages:

• Support the delivery teams, to ensure pre-construction and tendered design solutions can be and are being implemented
• Support delivery teams with design issues as they arise to ensure the delivery teams are managing the design solutions in line with tender offers
• Ensure design decisions are not taken “in the field” by Contractor or Subcontractors but are considered and approved via a formal process
• Manage the delivery of design and production information as required for specific elements of a project through the delivery stages

QUALIFICATIONS/RELEVANT INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE:

• CSCS card
• Professionally recognised qualifications
• Design management experience with major contractor
• Ability to work on own initiative
• Ability to manage demanding workloads, by prioritising to ensure all deadlines are met
• Ability to identify opportunities and solutions rather than being problem driven
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to provide leadership to drive design process to cost
• Proactive on site presence to lead from the front
• Commercial awareness
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with internal and external contacts
• Computer literate – including BIM 360, Asite and other document control systems
• Proficient in Microsoft packages (word, excel, Teams, power point and outlook)
• Full driving licence

People are our business worldwide
 
Orion Group was founded in 1987 and is now one of the largest, independent, international recruitment companies. We have a network of 200 employees working from 24 offices, delivering a range of services – Talent Acquisition, Recruitment Outsourcing Services, Retained Search, Global Workforce Solutions, Completions & Commissioning and Materials Management – across 68 countries. As a global leader in workforce solutions, we recruit personnel across the Engineering & Technical, Office & Commercial, Scientific and Skilled Trades disciplines, for sectors including Oil & Gas, Life Science, Power & Utilities, Constructions & Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Renewables.