Senior Design Manager - D&B

Arcadis; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering consultancy is seeking a Senior Design Manager to lead complex highway infrastructure projects. In this pivotal role, you will manage technical delivery, drive multidisciplinary teams, and ensure client satisfaction. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in infrastructure projects and strong leadership skills. This full-time position is based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in successfully delivering major and complex infrastructure projects.
• Experience in leading multidisciplinary project teams, including remote delivery partners.
• Sound understanding of contracts (NEC/JCT) and financial management.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of project technical delivery from mobilisation to completion.
• Lead multi-disciplines design team for large-scale highway infrastructure projects.
• Drive multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated solutions.

Skills

Client-facing skills

Project governance

Risk management

Multidisciplinary team leadership

Commercial mindset

Education

Relevant degree (e.g., Civil Engineering)

Professional accreditation (e.g., MIHT, ICE)

Job description

Overview

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. We are more than 36,000 people, in over 70 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life.

Role Description

We are seeking a high-calibre Senior Design Manager to join our UK Highways and Transportation business unit, part of a global engineering consultancy renowned for delivering transformative infrastructure projects. This technical leadership role is pivotal in delivering some of the most complex and high-value (£500m+) multi-disciplinary highways projects in the UK and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of project technical delivery – from mobilisation through to successful completion – ensuring technical excellence, commercial performance, and client satisfaction.
• Lead multi disciplines design team to deliver large-scale highway infrastructure projects, often as part of major design & build programmes in collaboration with Tier 1 contractors.
• Build and manage effective working relationships with contractor clients, providing proactive leadership to ensure project expectations are met or exceeded.
• Drive multidisciplinary teams (both UK-based and overseas) to deliver integrated solutions in a collaborative and commercially aware environment.
• Support the Project Manager in all aspects of project governance including scope, cost, schedule, risk, and quality management.
• Support business growth through client development, project opportunities, and mentoring of emerging project managers within the team.

Qualifications And Experience

• Proven track record in successfully delivering major and complex infrastructure or highways projects, ideally in a design & build context.
• Extensive experience in leading multidisciplinary project teams, including remote or offshore delivery partners.
• Strong client-facing skills with a commercial mindset and ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments.
• Sound understanding of project governance, risk, contracts (NEC/JCT), and financial management.
• Relevant degree (e.g., Civil Engineering) and professional accreditation (e.g., MIHT, ICE or similar).
• Experience with international highway/infrastructure projects.
• Familiarity with working in a global consultancy or contractor environment.
• Experience of digital delivery and modern project control tools.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Other
• Industries
• Professional Services