Senior Design Manager - Water Projects in Bournemouth

Your new company has a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Senior Design Manager to join a long-term AMP8 water programme, supporting the delivery of a portfolio of clean water and wastewater capital schemes for a major regulated water utility in the South of England.

You will be part of a business that puts people at the heart of delivery, with a strong wellbeing focus and a culture built on being collaborative, trusted and focused.

Your new role is a senior leadership position where you will lead and manage engineering design delivery across assigned projects, acting as the focal point for design-related matters and ensuring seamless collaboration between teams, design consultants, delivery partners and key stakeholders. You will shape the full engineering lifecycle—from project definition and outline design through detailed design, construction, commissioning and handover—driving technical excellence, assurance, innovation and 'right-first-time' design quality.

• Design leadership & assurance: Lead and manage engineering design delivery for assigned projects. Spearhead and optimise engineering assurance for designs prepared by partners (outline design) and delivery partners (tender and construction design). Develop and oversee engineering project plans covering scope, schedule, cost, risk and resources. Implement design quality procedures to embed a right-first-time approach and robust document control. Drive innovation and engineering excellence through partner forums and supply chain engagement.
• Pre-construction & stage submissions: Provide strong leadership input through stage 1 (ECI / feasibility / outline design) and into early stage 2 (detailed design / construction), ensuring deliverables are on time and to the right quality. Support collaborative development workshops and design sessions, embedding structured pre-construction routines and integrated working across disciplines. Contribute to stage 2 submission readiness, including programme, risk allocation and design development required for agreement.
• Project delivery & outcomes: Provide expert engineering support from definition through to construction, commissioning and handover of capital schemes. Work collaboratively with project management, construction, commercial and operational teams to deliver outcomes efficiently and to key milestones. Identify opportunities for value engineering and improved affordability, while maintaining quality and compliance. Promote sustainable design—supporting carbon reduction and natural capital enhancement where applicable.
• Health, safety & design risk: Ensure compliance with CDM Regulations, managing design-related health and safety risks throughout the design process.

To be considered, you will ideally have:

• Chartered Engineer status (or equivalent) with a degree-level qualification in an engineering discipline.
• Significant, proven engineering design, construction and management experience, ideally within water and wastewater treatment environments.
• A strong track record leading multi-disciplinary technical/engineering teams and driving performance against demanding targets.
• Experience driving innovation and optimisation of plant/process solutions, with strong quality management and document control discipline.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, able to communicate complex technical information clearly to a broad audience.
• Strong understanding of regulated delivery environments and collaborative ways of working across design and delivery interfaces.

The chance to play a key leadership role on a secure, long-term water framework delivering meaningful environmental and resilience outcomes. Hybrid working (3 days per week in Brighton).

If you're an experienced Senior Design Manager looking for a pivotal role on a major AMP8 programme, apply now or contact me for a confidential discussion.