Senior Design Manager - Architect - Life Sciences

🏗️ Shape the Future of Life Sciences Design with Laing O'Rourke

Are you a passionate Design Manager ready for your next big challenge?

Do you have contractor-side, end-to-end design management experience?

Are you energised by complex projects that make a real difference?

If so – we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity

We are recruiting a Senior Design Manager to lead the design function on one of the UK's most significant Life Sciences projects – a £900m programme in the South East. Based from our Dartford Head Office and working closely with London-based design partners, this is a high-profile opportunity to deliver technical excellence on a complex, large-scale scheme.

In this role, you'll drive best-in-class design across pre-construction and live project phases. You'll provide critical leadership and coordination between the client, consultants, commercial, and operations teams. You'll also be part of Laing O'Rourke's Technical Function and Engineering Enterprise, helping to ensure design quality, innovation, and assurance at every stage.

What You'll Do

• Lead the pre-construction design and briefing processes across the project lifecycle

• Manage our end-to-end design management procedures, acting as the link between construction, commercial, and consultancy teams

• Challenge and interrogate the design in a collaborative framework to reduce risk

• Oversee the control, quality, and timely delivery of design information

• Ensure design deliverables are reviewed for buildability, compliance, and maintainability

• Promote innovation in design management, DfMA, and technical excellence

• Champion our values and ensure design activity aligns with our vision

Technical Focus Areas

• Creating and owning the design brief

• Design optimisation and integration

• Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)

• Managing external design consultants

• Information and change control

• Ensuring design compliance across all technical stages

What You'll Bring

• Degree in Architecture or a related construction discipline

• Typically 10+ years of experience in design management of complex buildings or building services projects

• Sector expertise and experience managing multi-disciplinary teams

• International or high-complexity project experience is advantageous

• A collaborative mindset and an eye for innovation

Don't meet every requirement? If you have transferable skills and a passion for learning, we encourage you to apply.

Why Laing O'Rourke?

Laing O'Rourke is a global engineering and construction group with a mission to deliver certainty through excellence in design, engineering, and delivery. We are proud to be delivering world-class infrastructure and buildings for the future – in the UK and beyond.

With over 150 years of innovation and experience, our people are at the heart of everything we do. Join us and be part of a team where ambition, creativity, and technical leadership shape some of the most exciting projects in the UK.

Accessibility & Inclusion

We are a Disability Confident employer and offer an interview to all applicants who meet the essential criteria and have a disability or long-term health condition. Please get in touch with us to discuss any workplace or application adjustments.

If you need the application in an alternative format or have questions about the recruitment process, email: resourcingteam@laingorourke.com

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