Design Engineering Manager
At a glance
Manager-level Engineering Leadership role at Universal Business Team. Wetherby · full-time · £55,000–£65,000 base.
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Lead the in-house design team, setting expectations for quality, performance and timely delivery
- Build consistent design procedures and governance, then check designs against regulations, standards and best practice
- Plan team capacity, workloads and information releases across a busy portfolio of projects
- Use quality checks and performance measures to improve outputs, while managing design changes to limit cost and schedule effects
- Advise clients on complex projects and coordinate with project managers so designs move smoothly into delivery
What you bring
- You have led a design team in construction, fit-out or a specialist setting
- You can assess and coordinate work created in AutoCAD, Revit and BIM environments
- You bring commercial judgment and can influence choices affecting scope, cost and programme
- You can organise and oversee fifty to seventy live projects at once
Who this fits
This role suits an experienced design manager who can pair technical assurance with people leadership in a fast-moving, multi-project setting. You’ll be based in the Wetherby office and spend one to two days each week at sites nationwide.
From the employer
Salary: £55,000 – £65,000 per annum (negotiable DOE) + car or car allowance + Bonus
Hours: 40 hours per week | Monday to Friday (flexible start/finish times)
Location: Wetherby (office‑based), with 1–2 days per week on site nationwide
Holidays: 25 days + 8 bank holidays + birthday off
Benefits:
- Car or car allowance
- Bonus opportunity
- Free on‑site parking
- Auto‑enrolment pension
- Flexible working hours
- Informal rewards (team lunches and recognition for project wins)
The Opportunity
We are recruiting on behalf of a growing, highly respected specialist design‑and‑delivery business operating within complex care, healthcare and specialist environments. Following significant project growth and the expansion of an in‑house BIM/CAD function, the business is now seeking an experienced Design Engineering Manager to take ownership of design governance, team leadership and process maturity - ensuring high‑quality, coordinated design outputs across a high‑volume, multi‑project environment.
This is a pivotal role, reporting into the Operations Director, with real influence over quality, systems, people and future innovation.
The Role
As Design Manager, you will lead and coordinate all design activity across a diverse portfolio of projects ranging in value from £5k to £1m, focused on specialist equipment, hoisting systems, hydrotherapy and integrated environments.
You will provide structure, accountability and technical assurance to an in‑house team of designers, while acting as a key interface between sales, project delivery and clients.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading and managing the in‑house design team, setting clear expectations for quality, performance and delivery
- Establishing and embedding robust design management procedures, standards and governance
- Ensuring design compliance with statutory regulations, industry standards and best practice
- Overseeing design resource planning, workloads, deliverables and information release schedules
- Implementing quality checks, KPIs and performance metrics to drive continuous improvement
- Supporting commercial decision‑making, value engineering and cost control through the design process
- Managing design change control to minimise cost and programme impact
- Acting as a client‑facing technical authority on complex and flagship projects
- Working closely with Project Managers to ensure seamless transition from design to delivery
- Exploring opportunities for AI, automation and potential offshoring within the design function
About You
This role will suit a Design Manager who combines technical credibility with strong people leadership and thrives in a fast‑moving environment where multiple projects run simultaneously.
You will ideally bring:
- Proven experience managing and leading a design team within construction, fit‑out or specialist environments
- Strong understanding of design governance, coordination and assurance
- Confidence reviewing, challenging and coordinating work produced in AutoCAD, Revit and BIM environments
- Commercial awareness with the ability to influence scope, cost and programme decisions
- Excellent communication skills and confidence working directly with clients and senior stakeholders
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage 50–70 live projects concurrently
- A proactive, improvement‑focused mindset with strong attention to detail
- Experience with COBie, BIM, specialist equipment integration or healthcare environments is beneficial but not essential.
- Chartered or professionally accredited candidates (or those working toward accreditation) are welcomed, as are those with architectural, engineering or technical backgrounds.
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