Senior Design Manager (Senior Project Engineer)

United Utilities; England; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading water and utility company in the UK is looking for a Senior Design Manager to oversee complex capital projects and deliver innovative design solutions. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in project management, strong leadership skills, and a proven ability to engage with various stakeholders. Responsibilities include managing multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring compliance with safety and operational standards, and driving improvements in project delivery. This position offers a competitive salary and excellent benefits.

Benefits

26-30 days annual leave

14% employer pension contribution

20% performance-related bonus

£5,000 car allowance

Comprehensive healthcare plan

Flexible and hybrid working

Qualifications

• Significant post graduate experience in project management.
• Proven experience leading complex projects across technical areas.
• Ability to manage risk and budget effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead design development for high-value capital projects.
• Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure designs align with regulatory and operational goals.

Skills

Leadership of complex projects

Communication skills

Schedule management

Risk management

Budget management

Innovative thinking

Education

Professionally Qualified (or equivalent)

Job description

Senior Design Manager (Senior Project Engineer)

Job number UU03432 Country United Kingdom Region Cheshire West and Chester Location name Lingley Mere (UU), Lingley Green Avenue, Great Sankey, Warrington, WA5 3LP Posting End Date 22/01/2026 Band 3 Role Type Permanent Work hours 37 Hours per Week Salary Competitive Salary

The role:

As a Senior Design Manager, you’ll be responsible for leading the design development of multiple high-value, complex capital projects within United Utilities Enterprise Programme. You’ll provide technical and strategic leadership to ensure designs are safe, efficient, innovative, and fully aligned with regulatory, operational, and sustainability goals. You’ll also be a key advisor to senior stakeholders and play a crucial role in shaping our approach to design governance and delivery during AMP8 and beyond.

What you’ll do:

• People management in a project environment, where formal line management does not exist.
• Being the champion for the project within the business and from time to time representing the business externally
• Positively support the transition of new ways of working across the community
• Building and maintaining relationships with key internal and external stakeholders
• As required, to deputise for Regional Delivery Manager (RDM)
• Develop and maintaining proactive empathetic enduring relationships and creating a healthy, inclusive and diverse environment for their team to flourish.
• Responsible for delivering the project or portfolio through the asset lifecycle in accordance with approved processes and systems.
• Responsible for writing technical reports and acting as the single point of contact for technical assurance throughout the lifecycle
• Managing multi-disciplinary teams across the matrix organisation to Delivery to time, cost, carbon and quality drivers.
• Carry out project reviews, recommend / take action as appropriate and report on a monthly basis
• Responsible for writing project documentation and technical reports. Acting as the single point of contact for technical assurance throughout the lifecycle
• Risk management to drive the delivery of opportunities or threat reduction, including adequate escalation of issues outside of your control
• Embed standardisation into all aspects of the AMP8 project delivery.

What we’re looking for:

• Significant post graduate experience and Professionally Qualified (or equivalent professional experience)
• Proven experience of leadership of complex projects in a project management role, including the ability to integrate input from different technical areas and other departments
• Proven communication skills with an ability to engage with stakeholders and colleagues to develop solutions to complex problems
• Proven experience of schedule management
• Proven experience of risk management
• Proven ability to manage budget and direct project controls
• Proven demonstration of adopting innovation, particularly with emerging technologies and/or environmental solutions
• Proven experience of health, safety and well-being requirements relating to delivery of projects (e.g. CDM Principal Designer or Client roles)
• Ability to think more strategically about how problems are solved, working collaboratively across different directorates at UU

What we offer:

• A generous annual leave package of 26 days, which increases to 30 days after four years of service, in addition to 8 bank holidays
• A competitive pension scheme with up to 14% employer contribution, 21% combined, and life cover
• A 20% performance-related bonus scheme, as well as recognition awards for outstanding achievements
• A £5,000 car allowance to support your travel needs
• A comprehensive healthcare plan through our company-funded scheme
• Flexible and hybrid working

About United Utilities:

United Utilities’ (UU) mission is to deliver high-quality water for a stronger, greener and healthier North West of England. We are committed to providing our services in a way that respects the environment, supports the economy, and benefits society. We are proud to be ranked #11 in The Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List. We value diversity, inclusion and innovation in our workplace, and we foster a culture where our people can grow, excel, and be themselves.

We uphold our ethics, values and business model to fulfil our mission and, by setting clear goals and objectives, we create sustainable long-term value for our colleagues, customers and communities. Whether you work with a team that shares your vision or join a network of peers with similar interests, you will find a welcoming and supportive organisation to be part of.