Design Safety Lead – Principal Designer & CDM in Birmingham

Design Safety Lead – Principal Designer & CDM
 

Location: UK-wide (hybrid); central UK preferred but not essential. National project travel required.
 

Salary: £65,000–£75,000 per annum + car allowance

Lead complex construction projects, develop a specialist design safety team and help shape the future of the client’s Principal Designer and CDM consultancy offering.

General Overview

Our client is seeking a technically accomplished and commercially aware Design Safety Lead to oversee Principal Designer and CDM services across major and complex construction projects. The role combines hands-on technical leadership with team development, client relationship management and growth of the consultancy service. It is hybrid and UK-wide: a central base is preferred, but candidates elsewhere will be considered if willing to travel to projects nationally.

Main Accountabilities.

Lead Principal Designer appointments under CDM 2015, overseeing design risk management and coordination across major projects.

• Provide authoritative advice to clients, designers and contractors on CDM responsibilities, risk reduction and pre-construction arrangements.

• Oversee pre-construction information, design risk registers, health and safety files and technical quality.

• Lead and mentor consultants, standardise technical delivery and support team capability and recruitment.
 

• Work with leadership to develop the Principal Designer service, maintain client relationships and identify new appointments.

• Contribute to proposals, scopes of service, fee discussions and commercially sustainable project delivery.

Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge, Skill and Specific Competencies Required

Experience

Significant experience acting as a Principal Designer / senior CDM consultant across major, technically complex or multidisciplinary construction projects.

• Evidence of managing design risks, coordinating stakeholders and providing credible advice throughout pre-construction.

• Experience supervising or mentoring consultants and managing demanding client relationships.

• Ability to contribute to business development, repeat work and service improvement.

Qualifications:

Relevant construction, architecture, engineering or health and safety qualification, or demonstrably equivalent competence.

• Professional membership (for example APS, IOSH, ICE, CIOB or RIBA) is advantageous.

• Knowledge of Building Regulations Principal Designer duties and the Building Safety Act is desirable.

Skills

Strong working knowledge of CDM 2015 and practical design risk management.

• Technical leadership, coaching and quality assurance.

• Clear communication and confidence challenging senior project stakeholders.

• Commercial judgement, relationship building and proposal support.

• Ability and willingness to travel to projects across the UK.

If this exciting opportunity is of interest and you would like to be part of an organisation committed to delivering change; contact the D7 team.