Design Manager in Bristol

Location: Bristol

Salary: Competitive

Job Type: This is a full time, permanent role 40 hours over 5 days per week. This is a hybrid role, where you will be based out of our Bristol office and work from sites in Somerset and Dorset.

About Bowmer + Kirkland: Since being 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 Scheme Partners of the Considerate Constructors Scheme - something which only a select number of high performing contractors achieve.

We are now looking to strengthen our team with the appointment of Design Managers to lead the coordination and delivery of design in preconstruction and on live sites for Education projects ranging between £15m and £50m. We welcome applicants with a range of experience levels, from Assistant Design Managers through to Senior Design Managers.

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.

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 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 and Christmas Eve, Entry into the Group Personal Pension Scheme, Private Health Insurance (subject to a qualifying period), Eye care voucher scheme, Training & Development Opportunities.

Bowmer + Kirkland are an equal opportunities employer. We are a disability confident employer and actively encourage applicants who are covered under the equality act to apply. Please contact HR at in advance of an interview to discuss any adjustments that are required in order to support you in the process.