Senior Design Manager (Building Services)

Job Description

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs?

At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

To find out more about our Property and Buildings business click on the following link and discover what awaits you at WSP: Property and Buildings | WSP

A Little More About Your Role…

You will be central to the highly collaborative Services South team; based across the Heathrow office primarily.

Your role will be at the heart of our high performing team, using your skills and expertise to help us continue driving forward in terms of both technical quality and service efficiency; whilst leading the teams senior engineers in their day to day project management activities.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leadership: Leading and mentoring design team members, ensuring effective communication and coordination across multidisciplinary design teams. Driving collaboration between MEP, structural and architectural disciplines to deliver coordinated, compliant and technically robust design solutions aligned with programme, budget and quality expectations.
• Design Management: Developing and managing design delivery plans, including design programmes, deliverables, and review stages. Leading the setup and coordination of design scopes, managing design inputs within Task 99 structures, and ensuring appropriate allocation of time and resources across design activities and deliverables.
• Technical & Design Performance: Supporting the monitoring of design effort against programme and budget, working closely with project and commercial teams to track design progress, resource utilisation, and alignment with cost constraints. Contributing to monthly project reviews with a focus on design performance and risks.
• Business Development: Supporting tender bids from a technical and design management perspective, including development of design methodologies, programmes, and resourcing strategies. Collaborating with wider WSP teams to bring in specialist capability and support integrated design solutions across opportunities.
• Client Relations: Building and maintaining relationships with client technical teams, contractors, and stakeholders. Communicating design intent clearly, responding to technical queries, and aligning design outputs with client requirements to support effective and coordinated delivery.
• Compliance & Assurance: Supporting design governance processes, including design reviews, coordination checks, and stage gate requirements. Contributing to compliance with relevant standards, Heathrow requirements, and internal quality processes, while maintaining clear documentation of design decisions and changes.

Your Team

• Our team is comprised of approximately 60 engineers working across the Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health specialisms
• Our team is split across our Brighton, Southampton, Heathrow, Basingstoke and Guildford offices giving the flexibility or work in either location on any given day. Many of our team choose to alternate the office they work in to suit personal and client needs.
• As part of our team, you would be working on some of our major projects predominantly at Heathrow Airport. This will be as part of a multi-disciplinary offering and so experience in building services, structural and civil engineering disciplines will be an advantage.
• You will be reporting to our Director that manages the various Frameworks at London Heathrow.
• You will be able to utilise graduate, assistant, senior and principal engineers in supporting roles around you, as well as dedicated BIM and Sustainability specialists to contribute to the successful delivery of your projects.

What We Will Be Looking For You To Demonstrate…

• Extensive experience in design management within the Building Services sector, within aviation or similarly complex, regulated environments.
• Experience in leading and coordinating multidisciplinary design teams, including management of design programmes, deliverables, and interfaces across MEP, structural, and architectural disciplines.
• Demonstrable capability in managing design processes, tools, and systems (including BIM, digital design platforms, and coordination tools), ensuring alignment with project and programme requirements.
• Understanding of design risk, technical assurance, and compliance, including the ability to manage design reviews, approvals, and governance processes in line with client and regulatory standards.
• Proven ability to lead design teams both independently and collaboratively, providing clear direction while fostering a coordinated, high-performing environment.
• Experience in managing technically complex Building Services designs within property and buildings, ensuring integration with wider project constraints such as operational environments and phased delivery.
• Able to represent WSP in technical discussions with clients, contractors, and stakeholders, while translating client requirements into practical, coordinated engineering design solutions.
• Recent, demonstrable experience in delivering coordinated Building Services design across multiple stages of project delivery, including managing change, resolving technical challenges, and supporting successful project outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, management, and coordination of Building Services design with other disciplines, across all project stages within Heathrow programmes
• Ensure that design deliverables are technically sound, fully coordinated, and aligned with project requirements and constraints
• Act as the central point of integration between MEP disciplines, architectural, structural, and specialist systems
• Drive a “right-first-time” approach, reducing rework and improving overall design efficiency

Design Programme & Deliverables

• Develop and manage detailed design programmes aligned with overall project milestones and delivery strategy
• Ensure design outputs are delivered in a timely manner, supporting procurement, construction, and commissioning activities
• Monitor progress against design deliverables and take early action where slippage or risk is identified
• Maintain clarity on design scope and deliverables, particularly where changes or additional requirements emerge

Technical Assurance & Compliance

• Lead design reviews and assurance processes, ensuring alignment with Heathrow standards, regulatory requirements, and industry best practice
• Provide oversight of technical compliance, including safety, performance, and sustainability requirements
• Ensure that design decisions are justified, recorded, and traceable through appropriate documentation
• Support the resolution of technical challenges through structured problem-solving and expert input

Stakeholder Engagement

• Interface with client technical authorities, contractors, and supply chain partners to communicate design intent and resolve issues
• Lead technical workshops and coordination meetings, ensuring productive outcomes and clear actions
• Translate complex technical information into clear, concise updates for non-technical stakeholders where required

Change & Risk Management

• Manage design change processes, ensuring impacts on cost, programme, and risk are understood and communicated
• Identify design-related risks early and coordinate mitigation strategies across disciplines
• Maintain visibility of key technical risks and ensure alignment with project risk management processes

Team Leadership & Capability

• Provide leadership and mentoring to design engineers and coordinators
• Promote collaboration across disciplines, encouraging integrated design solutions
• Support development of technical capability and knowledge sharing within the team

Work on landmark projects around the world and embrace opportunities to make an even bigger impact in the communities you care about. What if you could do the best work of your life and create a legacy for yourself?

About Us

We are one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms. Our passionate people are united by the common purpose of creating positive, long-lasting impacts on the communities we serve through a culture of innovation, integrity, and inclusion. With over 11,000 professionals across the UK and Ireland, we are dedicated to our local communities and propelled by international brainpower.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

Work-life balance

At WSP, we understand that work is just one aspect of your life. It’s important to make time for you, your family, friends, interests and your community.

Our hybrid working policy offers the flexibility to work from home two days a week, while also providing opportunities to collaborate in our modern offices across the UK.

Inclusivity & Belonging

We welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and experiences. We enable rewarding careers by encouraging people to bring their whole and authentic selves to work so that our work represents the fullest spectrum of society. We celebrate integrity and treat people with respect, supporting each other and embracing a culture of inclusion and belonging at WSP. We have our employee resource groups bring together employees and allies with different backgrounds to promote a culture of inclusivity.

Health & Wellbeing

We are committed to supporting our people, giving you the tools to make improvements to your health and wellbeing through our Thrive programme.

Our Virtual GP service gives you access to an NHS or Irish Medical Council GP at a time and place that suits you – giving you peace of mind and quick access to medical advice when you need it most. We also provide reasonable workplace adjustments for those in need. Additionally, you can benefit from the Gymflex scheme, which offers up to 40% off annual gym memberships through our WSP flexible benefits program, as well as a comprehensive menopause support package.

Flex your time

To enhance work-life balance, WSP offers the “WSP My Hour,” allowing you to take one hour each day for personal activities, with the flexibility to make up the time earlier or later that day.

We also provide part-time and flexible working arrangements, the option to purchase additional leave, and the ability to use your bank holiday entitlement to suit you.

Your development

We understand the importance of development and training to you. That’s why we foster a supportive environment that invests in your growth, whether through training, mentoring, or Chartership.

Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. As a Disability Confident leader, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria, please let us know if you require any workplace adjustments in support of your application.

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