Design Director

Design Project Director - Major Projects

📍 Cambridgeshire | £120k + Benefits

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Design Project Director to join a leading UK construction and project development business delivering some of the country's most complex and technically challenging projects.

This role will lead the design delivery process on major schemes across sectors including healthcare, defence, commercial, data centres and other highly technical environments.

Working as part of the senior project leadership team, you will oversee multi-disciplinary design teams from bid stage through pre-construction, delivery and handover, ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently, on programme and to the highest quality standards.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the development and implementation of the Design Management Plan and Project Execution Plan
• Managing consultant and stakeholder relationships across the full project lifecycle
• Driving design delivery through tender, PCSA, construction and completion phases
• Overseeing design programme integration with planning and commercial teams
• Ensuring compliance with statutory requirements including Building Regulations, Planning, Building Safety Act and CDM regulations
• Leading governance, reporting and project controls related to design delivery
• Managing information control processes, BIM delivery and ISO19650 compliance
• Supporting procurement and coordination of multi-disciplinary consultant teams
• Acting as a key member of the project leadership team on major projects

Desired Experience:

• Significant experience leading design teams on major projects valued £50m-£200m+
• Strong technical building experience across sectors such as healthcare, defence, commercial or data centres
• Excellent understanding of NEC3/NEC4 contracts
• Experience working in secure or highly regulated environments
• Strong knowledge of BIM, CDE platforms, COBie and digital design coordination tools
• Experience delivering projects aligned to ISO19650 standards
• Detailed understanding of CDM Regulations and Principal Designer duties
• Strong knowledge of the Building Safety Act and associated responsibilities
• Membership of a professional institution such as RIBA, ICE or MCIOB (desirable)

What's in it for you?

• Opportunity to lead flagship, technically complex projects
• Long-term pipeline of major UK developments
• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Collaborative and forward-thinking project environment
• Flexible working opportunities
• Inclusive and people-focused culture

If you are an experienced design leader looking to work on high-profile projects within a progressive and technically driven organisation this role is for you!