Design Manager – Western

We are now looking to strengthen our team with the appointment of an experienced Design Manager to lead the coordination and delivery of design across pre-construction and live project phases. 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 B+K, subcontractors, consultants, and the client — contributing to the delivery of high-quality, well-coordinated projects. Based at our Bristol office, 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.
• 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.
• Department for Education framework experience essential.

In return we offer:

• 25 days holiday per year, plus 8 bank holidays & Christmas Eve.
• Entry into the Group Personal Pension Scheme.
• Private Health Insurance (subject to a qualifying period).
• Enhanced family friendly policies (subject to qualifying period).
• Eye care voucher scheme.
• Training & Development Opportunities.

Bowmer + Kirkland is an equal opportunities employer. We value and appreciate every single one of our people.

Market-leading business, family-owned company with family values, membership of the Bowmer + Kirkland Group Personal Pension and Life Assurance Plan, continual professional development, sponsored training and professional membership, membership of the Bowmer + Kirkland Academy – for those undergoing vocational or academic courses, 25 days annual leave – one extra day after every three years’ service (up to a maximum of five extra days), recognition of long-service with stunning awards, competitive salary, Paycare medical cash benefit scheme, medical insurance after qualifying period, company car (where applicable), cashplan after qualifying period covering optical, dental and other medical cash back, access to a benefits website which offers discounts on many things from travel to lifestyle. N.B. All benefits are subject to continuing review and possible change.