Design Manager

Job Summary

Direct Client Design liaison for all new projects; Acting as the primary Client interface for all design, fit out and implementation matters and for taking approvals for projects, budgets and reporting of progress. Responsible for leading and managing the design engineering aspects of various projects, with a strong focus on expertise related to the design stage process. This role entails overseeing the planning, development, and execution of design solutions, collaborating with project teams, vendors, and stakeholders, and upholding the highest standards of quality, creativity, and innovation in design.

Key Responsibilities

• The Design Manager will manage the Clients requested projects in their entirety, ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget and in line with the Client objectives.
• Prepare project proposals and scope of works, time and costs studies for requests for proposal in order to ensure that it is clear which Consultants and Contractors has responsibility for which process.
• Responsible for engaging appropriately qualified, skilled and competent consultants and contractors to execute the works.
• Advise the ZD Management team and client representatives with regard to any construction and project management related issues in order to ensure full approval and minimal disruption to the Client.
• Serve as point contact with external consultants and vendors related with projects
• Managing processes, reviewing and advising on designs, and design process ensuring everything meets regulatory and legislative requirements whilst are also delivered to schedule and quality.
• Ensure designs are feasible and maintained thorough documentation of the design process.
• Manage the budget of the project and ensure it is strictly adhered to, highlighting any issues that you may foresee to the appropriate personnel.
• Manage the project stakeholders; develop a project specific risk plan in coordination with the Client requirements.
• Coordinate via regular Client meeting with Client representative in order to minimize the impact of the projects on Client operations.
• Schedule and attend all projects meetings, chairing the meetings during the design phase and acting as liaison during construction. Record the minutes of these meetings and document action items.
• Document all phases of Project including scope, progress and handover.
• Support the Quantity Surveyor to manage the project financially and contractually.
• Manage the designers and the Client to minimize changes to the designs (once locked) thus minimizing extra cost for changes requested by the Client.
• In co-ordination with the Construction Managers, schedule and control site works, and assess the performance of external resources as feedback to the Procurement team for future assignment.
• Provide Value Engineering solutions to the Client in order to get approvals that will produce saving on cost or time.
• Managing, training, coaching and mentoring of design team
• Support team in all aspects of the day to day work, provide solutions where they face issues
• Ensure all work areas meet quality, safety and compliance standards.
• Establish creative strategy, budgets and schedules for key design projects.
• Monitor operational manning requirements by ensuring that your annual manpower plan is budgeted and approved.
• Responsible for the recruitment of design team employees, ensuring that your team is fully staffed at all times in line with your manpower plan.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the direct manager.
  
  

• Bachelors or Master’s degree in Architecture or Civil Engineering or related field.
• Ability to obtain a UAE Driver’s License
  
  

• Minimum 8 years of experience on Design Management, supervising and managing designers and scoping works for design and providing development level programmes, including taking all statutory design approvals necessary.
• Demonstrable experience of working directly as VVIP Client interface on several projects over a period of not less than 36 months.
• Demonstrable experience of managing multiple (min 4) projects simultaneously.
• Prior experience as a consultant.
  
  

• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of architectural design, drafting, building materials, building codes, construction techniques and costs.
• General architecture practice including programming, site planning, civil structural, mechanical and electrical engineering.
• Project Management, (budget and schedule control).
• Proficiency level on AutoCAD, Revit, MS Project and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Experience with InDesign, UI Design, Rhino and other design software
  
  

• Manage designated Client without official complaint on an annual basis.
• Complete projects within the agreed timeframes, subject to client changes.
• Propose and align department strategy to meet the Company and Client objectives.
• Optimise the department achievements by boosting design team motivation.
• Complete projects within the agreed project quality aspiration, subject to client requested value engineering exercises.
• Ensure progress dashboards and risk register are created, maintained and managed on each project up to handover to PM.
• Manage the design phase of the project from the scoping of the design work through appointment and the design stage to ensure that the design is delivered on time and on budget.
• To manage various design streams along with the statutory approvals to ensure the design is complete in a timely manner to allow the project to complete on time and budget.
• Able to cope with multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to manage the Client and/or the Client’s PA to ensure approvals are requested, given and locked in a timely manner to allow the projects to complete.
• Ability to manage large volumes of information and tasks, to prioritize the tasks and to disseminate the information and ensure tasks are dealt with, approvals are requested in a timely manner and risks are shared with the team to ensure the project is delivered.
• Ability to manage change and to adapt plans, programmes and strategies to ensure the delivery strategy remains tailored to the project requirements at hand.
• To be able to work with all project stakeholders professionally from Clients, internal staff, external consultants, contractors, suppliers to workers on site.