WPS
Head of Design
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Head of Design
🌟 Head of Design 🌟
📍 Location: National 📁 Business Unit: WPS
✨ About the Role
We’re looking for a highly experienced and inspiring Head of Design to lead and elevate the Design Management function across our WPS business. This pivotal role carries full accountability for ensuring all design activity—including Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), retrofit, and planned maintenance programmes—meets the highest levels of technical excellence, safety, and regulatory compliance.
You’ll drive continuous improvement, champion innovation, and strengthen business resilience, while leading a talented team of Design Managers and Temporary Works specialists.
If you thrive in a fast-paced technical environment and enjoy shaping best practice across a region-wide portfolio, we want to hear from you! 🚀
🚀 What You’ll Do
- Lead, motivate, and develop a team of Design Managers, ensuring:
- Clear standards, robust processes
- Ongoing professional development
- Oversee business-wide design governance, including compliance with:
- The Building Safety Act
- CDM 2015 requirements
- Golden Thread mandates
- Approve key design deliverables, providing:
- Technical assurance
- Design risk management
- Buildability checks
- Support project delivery teams through:
- Gateway reviews
- Resolving technical issues
- Ensuring successful tender-to-handover outcomes
- Drive continuous improvement, including:
- Digital design practices
- Competency frameworks
- In-house technical training
- Act as the senior escalation point for all design matters, collaborating with:
- Clients
- Consultants
- Supply chain partners
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💡 What You’ll Bring
- A Chartered Civil/Structural Engineer with 15+ years’ Tier 1 contractor experience
- A strong track record delivering:
- Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs)
- Remediation projects
- Retrofit programmes
- Planned maintenance
- Deep knowledge of:
- Building safety regulations
- Design risk management
- Digital design tools (e.g., BIM, AuthorBIM)
- A collaborative, influential leadership style, capable of driving:
- Standards
- High performance
- Innovation
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Important note: Due to the nature of this position, you will need to undergo a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at the offer stage. Applicants with criminal convictions will be assessed individually, and we assure you that we do not discriminate based on criminal record specifics. Additional pre-employment checks may apply to certain roles.
📢 Why Join Us?
This is a unique opportunity to:
- Shape the future of Design Management across a major WPS region
- Lead high-impact programmes
- Work with exceptional teams
You will play a critical role in ensuring safe, compliant, and innovative delivery across our built environment.
📨 How to Apply
If you’re ready to take the next step and shape design leadership across the WPS business, apply now by submitting your CV and a brief summary of your experience.
Curious about our commitment to diversity? Explore our Diversity & Inclusion Policy for more information. We are open to early conversations with women and underrepresented minorities in this field.
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