Regional Design Manager

At Bridges we are more than Engineers.

We are listed on the Sunday Times Top 100 Places to Work 2024.

As a team we shape and support engineering and construction for our clients who in turn touch the daily lives of millions of people across the UK. We have a large diverse team of talented Safe & Happy People, combining their strengths and ambition to bring innovation and evolution which ensures Sustainability for all stakeholders.

Across our key sectors – Water, Power, Energy and Aggregates, and supported through our regional office network supported by our manufacturing hub located in the heart of Somerset which forms part of our 60,000ft head office complex – we deliver diverse and interesting projects and programmes throughout UK infrastructure.

Our projects range in value from £5k to £15m, taking the role of Principal Contractor and Principal Designer on various schemes, and supporting our valued Tier 1 contractor clients in a subcontractor and off-site manufacturing capacity.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Regional Design Manager to take ownership of design leadership and delivery across a programme water and wastewater projects within the Wales Region. This role is critical in ensuring high-quality, compliant, and timely electrical design solutions for regionally aligned clients and other agreed frameworks.

Contracted to 40hrs a week Monday – Friday.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the engineering design function for allocated projects and frameworks, ensuring technically robust, commercially effective, and programme-compliant design solutions are delivered to agreed quality, budget, and schedule requirements.
• Provide technical leadership across Civil and Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control and Automation design activities, ensuring compliance with engineering standards, client specifications, regulatory requirements, and company governance processes.
• Coordinate an integrated approach between the design teams and other business critical functions, including the project development team (PDT), commercial, delivery, procurement, project controls, PMO, etc, to ensure we offer seamless project delivery.
• Manage engineering budgets, forecasts, and design costs, ensuring design delivery remains commercially viable and aligned with project and business objectives. Support commercial and project teams in managing change, opportunities, and technical risks to optimise project performance.
• Ensure compliance with engineering procedures, design management plans, design assurance processes, and project governance requirements.
• Promote and champion the principles of CDM and Safety in Design, ensuring risks are identified, challenged, and reduced throughout the project lifecycle.
• Manage technical and design risks, ensuring they are identified, communicated, and mitigated effectively.
• Drive innovation, standardisation, digital engineering, and continuous improvement initiatives that improve project outcomes and delivery efficiency.
• Collaborate with operational, construction and commissioning teams to ensure engineering solutions are safe, practical, buildable, maintainable, and operable throughout the asset lifecycle.
• To arrange and/or support site investigations, surveys, and data acquisition relating to the above, ensuring we obtain suitable information to allow designs to be completed effectively, to accurate information, in a timely manner.
• Forecast resource requirements and manage internal and external engineering resources to meet delivery commitments whilst maintaining utilisation, quality, and commercial performance targets. Help maintain engineering resource forecasts and delivery plans to ensure the effective deployment of people and resources across projects, frameworks, and business priorities.
• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing engineering team through effective recruitment, coaching, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning, ensuring appropriate technical competencies are maintained across the department.
• Act as the senior engineering representative for clients, framework partners and key stakeholders, building trusted relationships and promoting the company's technical capabilities.
• Ensuring the smooth running of the team to ensure people, policies and procedures are aligned to support the cultural and operational needs of the business. Safe People, Happy People, Sustainable Business.

Requirements

Essential

• Strong experience delivering Civil and MEICA projects within water and wastewater, or similar, regulated infrastructure environments.
• Proven leadership experience managing multidisciplinary design teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong understanding of design assurance, risk management, and change control processes.
• Proactive, collaborative, and solutions-focused approach.

Desirable

• Experience designing using industry applicable software, such as Autodesk Inventor, Revit, AutoCAD, etc
• Experience using Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, or other equivalent planning tool.
• Chartered or working towards chartership in a relevant engineering discipline.

Benefits

BENEFITS OF WORKING FOR BRIDGES

RoSPA Gold Medal winner, Bridges - is an excellent company to work for and a great place to develop your career. Our goal is to exceed the very highest standards and ensure our people work in a culture of health, safety and well-being.

We are currently holders of the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award, which reinforces our commitment to supporting the armed forces community.

We are a family-run business with a friendly and welcoming culture, and we are dedicated to helping our employees learn, develop, and achieve success - along with us and throughout their careers.

Bridges also offers an excellent benefits package:

• Company car/car allowance
• Health cash plan with Healthshield
• Standard Life Pension Scheme - 5% company contribution
• Life Assurance Scheme
• Employee Discount Scheme
• Bike 2 Work scheme
• Training and development opportunities
• Employee referral scheme - £1,000 if you successfully introduce someone
• Employee recognition schemes
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay

When you join us, you’ll be part of our exciting journey.

Wherever your journey begins with us, through mutual engagement, we’ll make sure you are supported and invested in. We believe in ‘team bridges’ and leadership at all levels with our guiding principles: Safe People, Happy People, Sustainable Business.

Bridges is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to ensuring equality and diversity within the workplace