Design Manager

Overview

As Design Manager, you will lead a multi-disciplinary team to deliver innovative water design solutions within Anglian Water’s one Alliance. You’ll guide design quality, programme, and value across a varied potable water portfolio, including treatment upgrades and water assets. You’ll shape strategy, drive sustainability, and support a large capital programme during AMP8. The role offers hybrid working and a strong focus on people development and digital innovation.

Pay / Benefits

• Smart working with up to 40% remote
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• family-friendly policies including parental leave
• pension
• share incentive plan
• volunteering leave

Responsibilities

• Lead a multi-disciplinary engineering team to foster a high-performing culture
• Oversee design solutions across diverse water projects and ensure right-first-time quality
• Develop and manage Engineering Project Plans (scope, programme, risk, cost, resourcing)
• Collaborate with Senior Discipline Engineers on treatment and process solutions
• Manage supplier and subcontractor design activities for successful delivery
• Collaborate with delivery, commercial, and operations teams to achieve great outcomes
• Drive value, affordability, and efficiency in the design process
• Support project programmes to meet milestones and objectives
• Deliver designs aligned with sustainability ambitions and environmental performance
• Undertake delegated Principal Designer duties under CDM regulations and manage design risk assessments
• Embed health and safety throughout the design process and develop CDM competence within the team
• Lead, coach, and develop the team, supporting career growth and performance management
• Support recruitment and talent development to build future capability
• Drive engineering excellence through innovation and continuous improvement
• Champion digital engineering tools and modern ways of working
• Support engineering transformation under AMP8 and promote sustainable design practices

Key requirements

• Degree in engineering and Chartered Engineer status, or working towards Chartered status
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams with complex design delivery
• Knowledge of the UK water sector, especially potable water treatment and non-infrastructure projects
• Strong leadership and people management with ability to motivate teams
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-disciplinary collaboration
• Solid understanding of quality assurance, risk management, and delivering projects safely right first time
• Experience managing design programmes, resources, and priorities
• Passion for innovation, continuous improvement, and new technologies
• Commitment to sustainable engineering benefiting customers, communities, and environment

• leadership
• communication
• stakeholder management
• digital engineering tools
• design programme management
• sustainability-focused design

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