Sphere Solutions
Senior Design Manager

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Design Manager – Major Construction Project | Gloucestershire | £40m Project
Please double check you have the right level of experience and qualifications by reading the full overview of this opportunity below.
Design Manager – Main Contractor
Location: Near Gloucester, Gloucestershire
Salary: Competitive + Car Allowance + Bonus + Excellent Benefits
Job Type: Permanent, Full Time
Design Manager Opportunity
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Design Manager to join a leading UK construction contractor and take the lead on the design delivery of a £40 million construction project near Gloucester.
This is a key leadership role where you will act as the Design Lead for the project, managing the design process from pre-construction through to project completion. Working closely with the Project Director, commercial and delivery teams, you will ensure that design information is coordinated, compliant, buildable, and delivered on programme.
This role would suit a Design Manager with experience delivering complex construction projects for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 main contractor, ideally within the commercial, education, healthcare, defence, industrial, or public sector.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the design process throughout the project lifecycle.
- Act as the Design Lead on a £40m construction scheme.
- Coordinate consultant teams, architects, engineers, and specialist subcontractors.
- Chair design team meetings and drive design progress against programme milestones.
- Review design information for quality, compliance, buildability, and value engineering opportunities.
- Manage the flow of design information to the site team, ensuring timely issue of coordinated drawings.
- Work collaboratively with the commercial and construction teams to resolve technical challenges.
- Ensure statutory approvals, planning conditions, and Building Regulations requirements are achieved.
- Identify and manage design risks and opportunities.
- Maintain excellent communication with the client and all project stakeholders.
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About You
To be considered, you will ideally have:
- Proven experience as a Design Manager working for a UK main contractor.
- A strong track record delivering medium to large-scale construction projects.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary design teams.
- Excellent knowledge of construction methodologies and buildability.
- Strong understanding of design coordination, programme management, and project delivery.
- Experience using common document management systems such as Viewpoint, Asite, Aconex or similar.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- A construction-related qualification (HNC, HND, Degree or equivalent) in Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering or a related discipline.


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What's on Offer
- Competitive salary.
- Car allowance.
- Annual bonus.
- Private healthcare.
- Pension scheme.
- Generous annual leave entitlement.
- Ongoing professional development and career progression.
- Opportunity to lead the design on a landmark £40m project from start to finish.
Why Apply?
This is an outstanding opportunity to join one of the UK's most respected construction businesses and play a pivotal role in the successful delivery of a major project near Gloucester. You'll have genuine ownership of the design function, working alongside an experienced project team on a high-profile scheme with excellent long-term career prospects.
Apply Now
If you are an experienced Design Manager, Senior Design Manager, Design Lead, or Construction Design Manager looking for your next challenge in Gloucestershire, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today with your CV for a confidential discussion
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