Project Design Manager

Project Design Manager
Location: Hybrid - Peterborough (travel depending on home location)

Help shape a more sustainable future through innovative infrastructure design.

Join the Alliance, a collaboration of eight industry-leading companies (Anglian Water, Balfour Beatty, Barhale, Binnies, MMB, MWH Treatment, Skanska and SWECO) delivering over half of Anglian Water’s capital investment programme. With AMP8 ahead, we’re gearing up for our biggest challenge yetand we’re looking for innovative, talented a Project Design Manager to join our Placed Based Thinking (large projects) team.

What you’ll be doing

As a Project Design Manager, you’ll take technical ownership of major infrastructure projects from initial feasibility through to detailed design and handover. You’ll coordinate design delivery across multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring designs are practical, sustainable, and aligned with cost, time, and quality expectations.

You’ll act as a key point of contact across the project lifecycle, working closely with project leaders, engineers, construction teams, and external stakeholders to ensure seamless delivery. It’s a hands-on, highly collaborative role that puts you at the centre of some of the most important infrastructure work happening in the region.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the design process on major capital projects, from early concept through to detailed technical development and design assurance.
• Ensuring design outputs are fully integrated, meeting the operational, commercial, and environmental objectives of the wider project.
• Acting as Principal Designer under CDM regulations, managing design risk and ensuring that safety is considered at every stage.
• Driving digital design excellence, supporting the use of BIM and 3D modelling to improve coordination, data integration, and project outcomes.
• Challenging and improving technical standards, encouraging innovation and the use of repeatable, low-carbon, and cost-effective solutions.
• Liaising with project leaders and delivery teams to plan and allocate design resources effectively, ensuring all technical aspects remain on track.
• Building strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that designs reflect the needs of operators, contractors, regulators, and the community.
• Championing best practice across quality, health and safety, and performance - both within your own team and the wider Alliance.
• Mentoring junior engineers and designers, creating a positive learning culture and helping others grow their skills and confidence.
• Driving collaboration across disciplines, promoting a one-team mindset and helping to unlock value at every stage of the design process.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for a confident and technically capable design leader, someone who understands the bigger picture but isn’t afraid to get stuck into the detail when needed. You’ll be calm under pressure, clear in your thinking, and passionate about delivering sustainable infrastructure that makes a genuine difference.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• A degree, HNC or HND in civil engineering or a related discipline.
• Proven experience in a design or engineering leadership role within complex infrastructure or water-related projects.
• A working knowledge of CDM 2015 regulations, with prior experience acting as Principal Designer or managing design risk.
• A strong understanding of project delivery in a multi-disciplinary environment, ideally within an alliance or joint venture.
• Experience with digital design tools, BIM workflows, and integrated design processes.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills - able to influence, lead, and work collaboratively at all levels.
• A proactive, solution-focused mindset with a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.

Why join us?

Support and wellbeing: Enjoy competitive benefits, including pension, holiday leave, flexible working hours, wellbeing initiatives, and access to Employee Resource Groups like our Young Professionals Community, xxx, xxx and xxx.

Be part of something bigger: Work on projects that shape the future of water infrastructure and benefit local communities.

Career growth and development: Personalised career development plans, mentoring, and opportunities to progress in a high-performance team.

Collaboration at its best: Work with specialists across multiple disciplines in a truly integrated team.

Innovate and make an impact: Help us push boundaries, improve efficiency, and drive real change in the water industry.

Join a team where your work matters, your ideas count, and your future is bright Apply today!