Senior Design Manager

Speller Metcalfe is on a mission to build a sustainable company at the forefront of construction, with a people-first approach. As a family business with over 30 years’ experience, our focus is on developing your skills for a long-term career. We pride ourselves on high levels of staff retention, ensuring that you are not just a cog in the machine but someone who can truly impact how we do business.

Established in 1995 by Steve Speller and Andy Metcalfe, we have developed into one of the UK’s leading regional contractors, predominantly working across the Midlands and South West regions. With offices in Malvern and Wolverhampton, we deliver a range of public and private sector projects from £250k up to £30 million across various fields including education, healthcare, residential, and leisure.

The job

How you’ll contribute:

• Manage design across multiple projects from Pre-Construction through to Handover, acting as an escalation point for design queries.
• Support development and implementation of design management processes and oversee design coordinators on live projects.
• Prepare consultant appointments, design responsibility matrices, and scopes of service.
• Chair design coordination meetings and manage communication between clients, consultants, subcontractors, and site teams.
• Manage the Common Data Environment with support from the document controller.
• Produce and monitor Design Release Schedules aligned with programme and procurement requirements.
• Coordinate design teams and specialist subcontract designers, providing technical input and value engineering solutions.
• Ensure compliance with Building Regulations, including SAP/SBEM submissions, and contribute to BREEAM and Passivhaus requirements.
• Manage discharge of planning conditions, building control approvals, section agreements, and other project requirements.
• Obtain utilities connection/disconnection quotes and liaise with specialist consultants (e.g. ecologists, arboriculturists).
• Ensure compliance with CDM regulations and support BIM-enabled project delivery.
• Attend project interviews.
• Oversee and support design coordinators, acting as a mentor and escalation point for less experienced staff.
• Manage team performance, development, training, and regular one-to-ones.
• Promote health & safety, company values, and a collaborative working culture.

Who are we looking for?

To be successful in this role, you will bring proven leadership and commercial awareness, as well as:

• Extensive experience (more than 5 years) in a Design Management Role for a main contractor.

Core behaviours which will help you to be successful in this role include:

• Acts with honesty and integrity;
• Takes responsibility and accountability;
• Is a team player;
• Takes responsibility for safety;
• Has strong morals;
• Builds and manages strong relationships;
• Strong levels of self-awareness;
• Acts with curiosity;
• Listens to understand;
• Interacts with the team and the business;
• Shows high levels of emotional intelligence;
• Is open and embraces change;
• Is proactive;
• Shows an open mind;
• Drives for results.

The successful candidate will be provided with training and mentoring as required. This is a full-time position, with standard working hours of 08:30–17:00, and a hybrid working arrangement.

What’s in it for you?

As well as a competitive salary, increasing holiday benefits, and access to private healthcare, we offer a number of other benefits for our staff. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging, we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. Our mission has always been to encourage, develop, and combine the individual talents of our staff, welcoming and encouraging staff from all backgrounds and abilities. We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process, please get in touch and let us know.