Design Manager

Location: Thetford, Norfolk (with occasional travel to other company locations)
Salary: £50,000 - £55,000 (dependant on experience)
Job Type: Permanent, Full-Time
Hybrid Working: Typically 1-2 days per week from home

Would you like to join a rapidly growing design and build specialist contractor delivering technically challenging projects across the UK and internationally?

Trait Recruitment is proud to be recruiting on behalf of a leading specialist in the design, manufacture and construction of cleanroom and controlled environment solutions.

The Role

Working across the life sciences, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors, our client designs, manufactures and constructs innovative, high-specification cleanrooms and controlled environments.

Due to continued growth, they are looking to appoint an experienced Design Manager to lead their modular/portable cleanroom business unit. You will lead a design team comprising of 3 design engineers, while also working alongside 2 fellow design managers and the company-wide design team currently at a headcount of 13 people in total.

Reporting into senior operational leadership, you’ll take ownership of multidisciplinary design delivery from concept through to manufacture, installation and project completion. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced design professional looking to combine technical leadership, people management and continuous improvement within a growing and forward-thinking business.

Candidates from all construction or manufacturing design backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Cleanroom experience is preferred but not essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of multidisciplinary design projects, ensuring designs are technically robust, compliant and delivered on time.
• Manage and develop your business unit's design team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate with project, commercial, manufacturing, procurement and installation teams, proactively managing design risks, technical challenges and programme impacts.
• Provide technical leadership to clients and internal stakeholders, leading design meetings and ensuring projects are fully prepared before delivery begins.
• Drive continuous improvement across design standards, BIM processes, Revit, ACC and digital workflows, promoting consistency and best practice.
• Champion modern methods of construction, including Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), off-site manufacturing and modular construction.
• Collaborate with senior leadership, external consultants and specialist suppliers to support successful project delivery and continuous improvement across the design function.
• Support tender, ITT and pre-construction activities, providing practical, compliant and commercially aware technical solutions.
• Monitor design progress, priorities and project milestones, ensuring effective planning and clear communication throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure all design outputs meet the highest standards of quality, coordination and compliance before issue.

What We’re Looking For

Essential (Must have)

• Around 5-10 years’ design experience within the engineering, construction, manufacturing industries
• Previous experience managing a design team or leading engineering and design processes.
• Strong experience delivering multidisciplinary design projects.
• Excellent Proficiency in Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD and Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC). (REVIT Experience is ESSENTIAL)
• Excellent understanding of BIM, design coordination and digital design workflows.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Good understanding of general construction methods, buildability and CDM principles.
• A proactive approach to leadership, problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Desirable (Not Essential)

• Experience within cleanrooms or controlled environments.
• Experience using SolidWorks.
• Experience in modular construction, off-site manufacturing or Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA).
• Experience within highly regulated sectors such as life sciences, pharmaceutical, healthcare or aerospace.

Why Apply?

• £50,000-£55,000 salary.
• Hybrid working 1-2 days a week with flexibility.
• Opportunity to work on technically challenging projects across the UK and internationally.
• Join a growing specialist engineering contractor with an excellent reputation.
• Lead and develop a talented design team.
• Play a key role in shaping design standards, digital processes and engineering excellence.
• Long-term career progression within an expanding business.
• Exposure to innovative projects across the life sciences, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors.

If you’re an experienced Design Manager, Senior Design Engineer, Lead Design Engineer or Engineering Design Manager looking for your next challenge, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today or contact Trait Recruitment for a confidential discussion.