Design Manager - B+K Property Services - Derby

About Bowmer + Kirkland Established in 1923, Bowmer + Kirkland has grown to become one of the most successful privately-owned and family-run construction groups in the UK. Our Investors in People accreditation demonstrates our commitment to our staff and we are Partners of the Considerate Constructors Scheme – something which only a select number of high performing contractors achieve.

We are seeking an enthusiastic Design Manager to join our B+K Property Services, based at Robert W Kirkland House, Alfreton Road, DE21 4AG. This is a full-time permanent role.

The role As Design Manager, you will be responsible for managing the design intent through detailed interrogation, coordination, and leadership of the design process across the full project lifecycle. This includes ensuring compliance with the Building Safety Act, CDM Regulations, statutory approvals, and B+K’s internal governance. You will work collaboratively with clients, consultants, specialist subcontractors, and internal teams to ensure design excellence, programme certainty, and buildability—while embedding health and safety and digital innovation throughout. You will play a key part in ensuring information flows smoothly between the B+K, subcontractors, consultants, and the client — contributing to the delivery of high-quality, well-coordinated projects. This is a full-time, permanent role 40 hours over 5 days per week.

Duties of the role The successful candidate will demonstrate exceptional leadership, a robust understanding of delivering in a main contracting environment, and the ability to work collaboratively with key project stakeholders. A relentless focus on safe delivery, programme certainty, stakeholder engagement, and quality assurance are essential.

• Key Responsibilities
• Lead the management of the design process across one or more projects.
• Coordinate the full design team including consultants and design-and-build subcontractors.
• Manage the design programme, RFIs, change control and document control processes.
• Ensure designs are compliant with Building Regulations, planning conditions, CDM, and other statutory requirements.
• Drive Safety in Design (SiD) and embed buildability and health & safety risk mitigation.
• Oversee BIM coordination, clash detection reviews, and digital model audits.
• Support tendering, value engineering and pre-construction activities.
• Maintain a high level of technical and commercial awareness in all design decision-making.
• Engage in client meetings and lead proactive design-based communication.
• Participate in lessons learned and best practice forums to enhance our delivery model.
• Mentor junior design team members and actively support CPD development.

Key Skills + Experience required:

• Proven experience in a design management role, ideally within a main contracting environment.
• Ideally candidates will have large residential/commercial project experience with the direct support from a Senior Design Manager (projects £70m+), or, have independent residential/commercial project experience on schemes ranging from £15m-£70m.
• Strong technical design background with a degree (or equivalent) in a construction-related discipline.
• Solid understanding of current regulations (Building Safety Act, CDM, Building Regs, etc.).
• Experience in coordinating multidisciplinary teams and managing specialist subcontractors.
• Skilled in BIM processes and using platforms such as Viewpoint 4P.
• Proactive, organised, and a confident communicator.
• Capable of managing a range of project types, tight deadlines, and complex design scopes.

In return we offer: 25 days holiday per year, plus 8 bank holidays and Christmas Eve. Entry into the Group Personal Pension Scheme Private Health Insurance (subject to a qualifying period) Eye care voucher scheme.

Bowmer + Kirkland is an equal opportunities employer. NO AGENCIES PLEASE. We are a disability confident employer and actively encourage applicants who are covered under the equality act to apply. Please contact the HR Department on 01773 853131 in advance of an interview to discuss any adjustments that are required in order to support you in the process. We are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and encourage applications from service leavers. We are also signatories of the Care Leaver's Covenant and encourage applications from care leavers.