Senior Design Manager – MEPH

Overview

In this Senior Design Manager role, you will lead MEPHFC design activities for a high-profile rail joint venture, ensuring interfaces and design integrity through construction. You will act as the primary design contact across partner teams, consultants, and subcontractors, guiding verification, change control, and coordination to support the program. Based in West London, you shape deliverables that align with safety, quality, and schedule goals within a modern transport project. You will drive value engineering and ensure timely, constructible designs that meet project commitments.

Responsibilities

• Review and accept Consultant’s program and cost reporting for MEPHFC
• Resolve interfaces between MEPHFC and other disciplines
• Support design management and delivery
• Raise/respond to GCs, EWs, RFIs, EIs/CEs impacting MEPHFC with supply chain and employer
• Manage change from HS2 and Network Rail rail systems
• Liaise with Designers and Subcontractors on design deliverables
• Review submissions for quality, interfacing, and completeness
• Ensure constructability reviews before design submissions
• Develop Value Engineering opportunities
• Support technical change via approved change control procedures
• Act as lead MEPH design management contact for Subcontractor’s design across departments
• Check compatibility of Subcontractor submissions with permanent works design intent
• Comment on and accept Subcontractor proposals focusing on quality and interfaces
• Coordinate MEPHFC detailed design delivery with Package teams
• Lead coordination of programme interfaces between FRC, structural, architectural and MEPHFC suppliers
• Monitor compliance with design responsibilities through Subcontractor submissions
• Manage Subcontractor design proposals, substitutions, and departures from RIBA 4
• Raise/respond to GCs, EWs, RFIs, TQs, EIs/CEs impacting Subcontractors’ MEPHFC design
• Coordinate detailed design between Consultant, Construction Partner, Subcontractors and suppliers
• Manage changes via Subcontractors’ technical assurance process
• Oversee Consultant’s RIBA 5 Site Support outputs
• Manage changes to Subcontractor scope post-instruction
• Support VE opportunities
• Provide interfacing point for MEPHFC disciplines to wider team
• Manage field change approvals and IFC documentation/3D model updates
• Ensure delivery and approval of design records / as-built information
• Lead delivery of key design dependencies for Verification certification and Activity Readiness Certification

Key requirements

• Degree or higher in a relevant Engineering discipline
• Chartered Engineer or equivalent professional membership
• Rail project experience (London Underground, Network Rail, Crossrail, TFL)
• Strong understanding of MEPFHC systems
• Experience in Construction Implementation
• Experience working with MEPHFC designers, contractors, subcontractors, and clients
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (writing/presentation)
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and manage fluctuating workloads
• Stakeholder engagement and collaboration across diverse teams
• Analytical ability to understand and resolve complex delivery issues
• Flexibility and adaptability to changing project needs

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Stakeholder engagement
• Resilience and adaptability
• Knowledge of MEPFHC systems
• Experience with construction implementation
• 3D modelling / 3D modes

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