Design Manager - Electrical bias - Substations
Power Up the Future of Infrastructure – Join Us as a Senior Electrical Design Manager
Are you a Design Management professional with a passion for leading major infrastructure projects? Are you ready to shape the next generation of power distribution across the UK?
At Laing O'Rourke, we're delivering the National Grid's Great Grid Upgrade Programme, and we're looking for a Senior Design Manager (Electrical bias) to join our Birmingham-based team before moving to the project site in East Anglia. This is your opportunity to play a central role in one of the UK's most critical energy infrastructure initiatives.
💡 Why this role?
As a Senior Design Manager, you'll lead the delivery of efficient, technically assured designs across multiple projects—or one large, complex scheme. You'll take the reins during pre-construction and guide multidisciplinary teams through design interrogation, innovation, and risk reduction, all within a collaborative and forward-thinking environment.
You'll be part of our Design Job Family and Engineering Enterprise—a team dedicated to delivering excellence, certainty, and performance through design. From digital tools to DfMA, we drive change in how modern infrastructure is conceived and built.
🔧 What you'll do:
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Lead and coordinate briefing and design activities during pre-construction
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Oversee the design process through all stages, ensuring buildability, safety, and compliance
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Manage consultants and ensure efficient information and change control
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Promote innovation in design, construction methods, and digital adoption
🎓 What we're looking for:
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A degree in Electrical Engineering (or similar technical background)
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Around 10 years' experience managing design on major infrastructure or building services projects
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Broad sector experience and a collaborative mindset
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International experience and DfMA exposure would be a plus
If your background is different but you bring transferable skills and a passion for learning, we still want to hear from you.
🌍 About Laing O'Rourke:
We are a global engineering and construction leader, shaping iconic projects in the UK, Australia, and the Middle East. With over 150 years of heritage and a bold vision for the future, we combine technical excellence with innovative thinking to deliver certainty for clients.
We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and meet the essential criteria, you'll be offered an interview. Need adjustments? Let us know—we're here to support you at every step.
Ready to lead the charge on the UK's energy transition? Apply now.
🔗 Learn more about the Great Grid Partnership: Laing O'Rourke appointed as construction partner for National Grid
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