Principal Design Manager in City of Westminster

Overview

The Principal Design Manager will provide strategic leadership across the full lifecycle of healthcare construction projects — from bidding and work-winning through to technical delivery and handover. This is a pivotal position that combines technical authority, design leadership, and commercial awareness. You will lead the preparation of design strategies and technical submissions during the bid stage, ensuring our proposals are compliant, buildable, and competitive. Once projects are awarded, you will oversee their design delivery, with individual Design Leads on each scheme reporting directly to you. Working in close partnership with the Operations Director, you will monitor design progress, manage technical risk across the healthcare portfolio, and escalate any matters that may affect programme, cost, or quality. The role demands proven experience in healthcare design and delivery — including comprehensive knowledge of HTM and HBN standards, infection prevention principles, and clinical adjacencies — as well as the ability to guide multidisciplinary teams in achieving coordinated, compliant, and operationally functional design outcomes.

At John Sisk & Son, we’re more than a construction company, we’re a family-owned business with a global reach, committed to building excellence in every project. We deliver trust, certainty and value to our clients while embracing innovation and shaping the future of construction.

Responsibilities

• Bidding & Work Winning: Lead the design and technical input to healthcare bids, ensuring that proposals are compliant with HTM/HBN standards and client requirements. Develop design management plans, technical narratives, and interface strategies that enhance competitiveness and deliverability. Work collaboratively with estimators, planners, and project directors to align design assumptions with cost and programme strategies. Represent the business in client interviews and technical presentations, articulating the rationale behind proposed solutions. Build and maintain relationships with key design consultants and supply chain partners to strengthen technical capability and knowledge transfer.
• Leadership & Portfolio Oversight: Provide strategic oversight of design delivery across multiple healthcare projects, ensuring design quality, compliance, and coordination. Line-manage project Design Leads, maintaining visibility of progress, risks, and deliverables across the portfolio. Act as the primary technical liaison between project teams, clients, consultants, and clinical stakeholders. Report regularly to the Operations Director on project design performance, risk, and key matters requiring escalation. Drive consistency in design management procedures, ensuring clear roles, deliverables, and approval gateways across all projects.
• Pre-Construction & Design Development: Lead the review and validation of concept, scheme, and detailed designs, ensuring compliance with NHS standards, Building Regulations, and fire strategy requirements. Manage design risk registers, oversee value engineering, and ensure buildability is considered throughout the design process. Support the development of contractor’s proposals, technical submissions, and planning documentation. Coordinate design assurance activities at key project gateways and ensure alignment with procurement and delivery strategy.
• Construction & Delivery Support: Maintain high-level technical oversight during construction to ensure continued design compliance and coordination. Support resolution of design-related queries, construction challenges, and technical interface issues across architectural, MEP, and structural systems. Ensure that all works uphold NHS technical standards, infection control requirements, and statutory approvals. Oversee design change control, ensuring variations are assessed, recorded, and agreed in line with programme and commercial requirements. Drive timely closeout of design deliverables to support testing, commissioning, and handover.
• Client & Stakeholder Engagement: Engage confidently with client technical advisors, user groups, and trust representatives to interpret briefs and manage expectations. Facilitate user group workshops, technical demonstrations, and design mock-ups to ensure solutions are operationally viable. Maintain proactive relationships with design consultants, statutory authorities, and NHS technical bodies to promote best practice and compliance.

Experience

• Experience leading or supporting bids for complex healthcare or life-sciences projects under national NHS or private-sector frameworks.
• Proven experience delivering healthcare construction projects in acute, clinical, or live hospital environments.
• Deep working knowledge of HTM/HBN standards, infection prevention design principles, and clinical workflow requirements.
• Significant experience leading multidisciplinary design teams through RIBA Stages 2–5, ideally within a Tier 1 contractor or healthcare design management role.
• Strong understanding of design interfaces across architecture, structure, and MEP systems in complex, service-intensive environments.
• Familiarity with Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022 requirements and Gateway 2 design accountability processes.
• Previous involvement in commissioning and clinical handover phases, demonstrating appreciation of operational readiness and user acceptance processes.
• Excellent working knowledge of Building Regulations, fire safety compliance, and digital design tools (BIM Level 2+).
• Degree-qualified in Architecture, Building Services, Civil/Structural Engineering, or Construction Management.
• Chartered or working towards professional membership (MCIOB, RIBA, CIBSE, or equivalent).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with confidence in client-facing roles and technical presentations.

Qualifications

The Principal Design Manager will combine technical mastery, strategic oversight, and leadership. They will be trusted to interpret complex healthcare requirements, guide project teams, and ensure every design decision supports compliance, functionality, and constructability. Leadership will be fundamental, the individual will lead the design and technical function across bids and live projects, supporting Design Leads while maintaining a portfolio-level view of performance and risk. They will create alignment between design intent and delivery reality — ensuring that technical challenges are anticipated, not discovered. Technically, they will demonstrate command of NHS design standards and regulations, interpreting HTMs and HBNs with confidence. They will know how to translate clinical briefs into practical solutions, balancing operational efficiency with regulatory precision. They will be commercially aware, understanding how design affects cost, programme, and risk. They will manage dependencies between design progress, procurement strategy, and buildability to maintain delivery certainty. Analytical thinking and calm problem-solving will define their approach. They will interrogate information methodically, diagnose coordination gaps, and facilitate clear, evidence-based resolutions. Collaboration will be at the heart of their working style. The Principal Design Manager will bridge the gap between clients, designers, and site teams, translating complex technical information into clear direction. They will foster a cooperative environment that encourages accountability, innovation, and openness. Adaptability will ensure success. Whether supporting the pursuit of a new acute facility, overseeing a ward refurbishment in a live hospital, or managing multiple projects concurrently, they will apply consistent design discipline while adjusting to each project’s context and constraints.

Performance Indicators

• Bid submissions that meet technical, compliance, and competitive quality benchmarks.
• Design deliverables aligned with agreed programme and cost milestones.
• Compliance with HTM/HBN standards, Building Regulations, and statutory approvals.
• Effective escalation and resolution of portfolio-level design risks.
• Positive feedback from NHS clients and design partners.
• Development and performance of Design Leads and supporting technical staff.

Additional Information

This role is suited to a senior design professional with strong technical credentials and proven healthcare experience. The Principal Design Manager will shape bids, win projects, and oversee their delivery — ensuring that each design is compliant, coordinated, and buildable. As the senior point of accountability for design across the healthcare portfolio, they will act as the link between project Design Leads and the Operations Director, providing assurance, foresight, and leadership. This is a role for someone who thrives at both strategic and detailed levels — balancing the art of winning work with the discipline of delivering technically excellent, patient-centred facilities.

Competitive salary, 26 days annual leave plus additional company days, Pension and benefits, Unlimited learning and development opportunities, Much more.

We are an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or any other protected characteristic. Reasonable adjustments are available during the recruitment process. All recruitment materials comply with legal and regulatory requirements including the EU Pay Transparency Directive and the Equality Acts UK and Ireland.