Lead Design Manager

Job Purpose To lead and manage the design process across major projects, ensuring coordinated, technically compliant, commercially viable, and high-quality design solutions are delivered in accordance with project objectives, budgets, programmes, and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end design management process from concept and design development through detailed design, construction, and project handover.
• Develop and implement project design strategies, design programmes, deliverable schedules, and management plans.
• Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary design teams including architectural, structural, MEP, landscape, infrastructure, and specialist consultants.
• Manage external design consultants and monitor performance against contractual scope, deliverables, programme, budget, and quality requirements.
• Review design submissions, drawings, specifications, reports, and technical documentation to ensure compliance with project requirements.
• Ensure effective coordination and integration between all design disciplines and identify and resolve design conflicts and interface issues.
• Monitor design progress against approved programmes and ensure key design milestones and deliverables are achieved.
• Lead design review meetings, technical workshops, coordination meetings, and design presentations with consultants and key stakeholders.
• Coordinate closely with Project Management, Technical, Commercial, Procurement, Construction, BIM, and other project functions throughout the design process.
• Ensure design solutions comply with applicable UAE regulations, authority requirements, building codes, technical standards, and project specifications.
• Coordinate with Stakeholder and Authority teams to facilitate design-related approvals, permits, and NOCs.
• Lead value engineering initiatives to optimize design, cost, constructability, operational performance, and lifecycle value without compromising project objectives.
• Manage design changes and assess their potential impact on project scope, programme, cost, quality, and construction.
• Identify design-related risks, constraints, and dependencies and ensure appropriate mitigation measures are implemented.
• Support procurement and tendering activities through preparation and review of design scopes, technical requirements, tender documentation, and technical evaluations.
• Provide design support during construction and facilitate timely resolution of RFIs, design clarifications, technical queries, and site-related design issues.
• Ensure design documentation is appropriately controlled and coordinated through BIM and Common Data Environment processes.
• Support testing, commissioning, handover, and project close-out activities from a design perspective.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and mentoring to Design Managers and other members of the design team.
• Prepare regular design progress reports and provide updates on key risks, decisions, approvals, and outstanding matters to project leadership.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, or a related design discipline.
• Master’s degree or relevant professional accreditation would be an advantage.
• Minimum 12–15 years of relevant design and design management experience, including significant experience leading multidisciplinary design teams on large-scale and complex projects.
• Strong experience within real estate development, construction, infrastructure, or major project environments.
• Proven experience managing design consultants through concept, detailed design, construction, and handover stages.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary design coordination, constructability, value engineering, BIM, and design governance.
• Good knowledge of UAE building regulations, authority requirements, codes, and approval processes.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with consultants, contractors, authorities, and senior project stakeholders.

Key Competencies

Design Management

• Multidisciplinary Design Coordination
• Consultant Management
• Design Leadership
• Technical Review
• Value Engineering
• BIM & Digital Coordination
• Design Risk Management
• Authority Coordination
• Constructability
• Stakeholder Management
• Team Leadership