Design Manager

We have an exciting job opportunity for a Design Manager to join Costain's National Highways M60 Simister Island Scheme.

The role of design manager is fundamental in achieving this and will be required to manage the design on the M60 Simister Island Scheme. The design manager is expected to be a leader in their field or area of expertise and may be required to provide insight and guidance to the wider project team.

The design manager will report directly to the engineering manager as part of a project team.

Design management is the delivery of the right design from our internal or external, supplier and JV partner, designers in a mutually beneficial way to deliver the best solutions for our clients, whilst identifying and mitigating risks.

It is a form of technical project management and the right design is that which is in line with programme and budget, delivers on our Low Carbon objectives and is a key enabler for us to provide technology-led smart infrastructure solutions for our clients.

Costain has been appointed as Delivery Integration Partner by National Highways (NH) for delivery of the £240m improvement of the Simister Island M60/M62/M66 interchange (M60 Junction 18), north of Manchester. As Delivery Integration Partner, Costain will overhaul the busy junction involving complex traffic management to keep tens of thousands of vehicles moving whilst construction takes place.

The works consist of:

• A new free flow ‘northern loop’ link road to take drivers directly from M60 eastbound to M60 southbound without exiting the motorway

• M66 mainline southbound widening and southbound slip road realignment to allow for construction of the northern loop

• A widened connector road from M60 northbound to M60 westbound – replacing the current single lane with two lanes

• Adding an extra lane in each direction on the M60 Junctions 17 to 18 (increasing from 4 to 5 lanes) while retaining the hard shoulders

• Upgrades to drainage, lighting, motorway technology, signage and signalling.

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Key Responsibilities

• Work with the engineering manager and contract leader in selecting the right designers.
• Ensuring the design management governance gates are completed and signed.
• Implement the design strategy for the project.
• Be an advocate of our in-house design capability, working with the team to ensure our capability is understood and strategically enhanced whilst ensuring the best designer for the project is engaged.

Appoint / Set up

• Coordinating the production of schedules for design services (scope, brief, design programme, design deliverables lists, interface matrices, design RACI, fee schedule etc) – for lead designers, other designers and designing subcontractors.
• Assisting the Project QS in agreeing the T&C’s for the designer appointments
• With the project commercial team agree the design fees and the payment models and mechanisms for the design
• Assisting the procurement or commercial team in preparing tender documents for subcontractors with design responsibility
• Ensuring technical reviews of subcontractor / supplier design or technical information as part of a selection process or for acceptance of design / information. This will involve coordinating the reviews by our main designer and being the ultimate arbitrator of suitability or acceptance.
• Maintain control of the Design Management Plan outlining how the design will be managed and delivered on the project.
• Work with the project Digital Delivery Lead to manage and work to the BIM strategy and plan for the project. Ensure the BIM requirements are included in the designers and subcontractors’ appointments.

Manage / Monitoring and controls

• Dealing with contractual correspondence related to designers such as Early Warnings, Compensation Events, Non-Conformances etc. This may be assisting the commercial team or undertaking this on their behalf. The design manager should be conversant with the commercial aspects of the design appointments and subcontracts with significant design portions.
• Reporting to the contract leader as part of the project reporting cycle including earned value in respect to the design delivery
• Measuring design progress against the project programme. Ensure the design programme is updated periodically in line the contract programme updates.
• Ensuring that design change is robustly managed in line with the Project change management procedures
• Ensure any value engineering is processed as per design change procedures. The design manager is expected to actively plan and manage when such initiatives occur to optimise the design, avoiding late or overly disruptive VE.
• Arrange and participate in design reviews with relevant members of the project team ensuring that deliverables are reviewed for constructability, adherence to the projects requirements and are in line with the project’s Carbon Strategy.
• The design manager must provide a status and accept or not accept all design deliverables as appropriate, providing comments / justification as required. The design manager must ensure that all design deliverables are reviewed and checked and use their authority within the project team to ensure that other team members are involved at the right time to influence the most beneficial design outcome.

Risk

• Undertaking risk reviews (technical and SHE/DRA’s) with the team and recording and reporting as necessary.
• Ensure our statuary (and contractual) responsibilities under CDM 2015 are fulfilled as principal designer. Ensure design risks are recorded and shared with delivery teams, forming part of their SSOW

General

• Regularly interrogate design management process and procedures and feedback suggested improvements and changes to the engineering manager and design management leadership team.
• Build networks within project team with the client’s technical, engineering and assurance teams as required. Support junior members of the team in doing this at their level.
• Provide guidance and support to the engineering manager and project team on matters related to the delivery design.
• Hold design coordination and design interface meetings as required. Hold team meeting to ensure a consistent approach to design management on the project.
• Ensure all meetings related to the design during project stage are recorded.
• Maximise opportunities for designing in innovation and technology to the solutions we provide our clients.

Knowledge, Skills, and ExperienceEssential

• Extensive post-graduate design, engineering or management experience in infrastructure or related industry with demonstrable track record of achievement

• Practical approach, logical thought process and a methodical way of working

• A creative and innovative approach to problem-solving.

• Experience of operating within Collaborative Data Environments and design workflows.

• Experience of technical management being able to understand and review design deliverables and able to demonstrate the ability to collate information and prepare reports.

• Ability to understand technical concepts and detail across a range of disciplines

• Negotiating and team-working skills with the ability to motivate teams

• Strong analytical skills

• Confidence and ability to assert influence

Desirable

• Experience working on National Highways Schemes

• Experience of drafting effective contractual correspondence and the facilitation of collaborative solutions

• Demonstrable legal, contractual and detailed construction knowledge

• Experience in implementing and delivering strategic objectives and dealing with change

• Experience of developing & implementing procurement and contract strategies for design

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree / Engineering or management apprenticeship with industry experience

Desirable

• Chartered member of professional institute (MICE/IMechE/MCIOB etc)
• Related Project Managment or Risk Managment training