Design Project Manager

Role Overview

Design Management

• Manage design stages from concept and schematic design through tender, construction, and handover.
• Translate project objectives into design requirements, deliverables, programmes, responsibility matrices, and submission schedules.
• Review architectural, structural, MEP, landscape, interior, and specialist submissions and ensure multidisciplinary coordination.
• Identify design gaps, conflicts, constructability concerns, technical risks, and change impacts, and ensure timely resolution.

Consultants and Stakeholders

• Coordinate architects, engineers, interior and landscape designers, operators, and specialist advisers.
• Establish consultant scopes, milestones, deliverables, performance expectations, meeting actions, and deadlines.
• Coordinate with development, commercial, procurement, construction, sales, marketing, finance, legal, and facilities teams.
• Present design progress, decisions, risks, and recommendations to senior management.

Cost and Approvals

• Work with commercial and cost-management teams to keep design within the approved budget.
• Support value engineering and assess cost, programme, operational, quality, and design-intent implications of changes.
• Coordinate authority and utility submissions, approvals, permits, no-objection certificates, comments, and revisions.
• Ensure compliance with building codes, planning, fire and life safety, accessibility, sustainability, and statutory requirements.

Construction Support

• Review technical queries, requests for information, shop drawings, material submissions, samples, and mock-ups during tender and construction.
• Conduct site visits, inspections, testing, commissioning, snagging, and handover activities.
• Resolve discrepancies between approved designs and site execution and review as-built and final project documentation.

Project Controls and Reporting

• Prepare reports covering design progress, decisions, approvals, risks, changes, cost implications, and programme status.
• Maintain risk registers, decision logs, change registers, document-control records, action trackers, and design approvals.
• Monitor milestones, identify delays, recommend mitigation and recovery measures, and document lessons learned.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 8–10 years of relevant design-management or project-management experience.
• Experience with large-scale residential, hospitality, mixed-use, commercial, or luxury real estate developments.
• Strong knowledge of UAE design processes, construction practices, authority requirements, and applicable codes.
• Proven experience managing multidisciplinary consultants from concept through construction and handover.
• A master’s degree, PMP or similar qualification, and professional membership are advantageous or preferred.

Technical Competencies

• Design and project management, multidisciplinary coordination, design-programme management, drawing review, and authority approvals.
• Cost control, value engineering, construction methodology, constructability review, contract administration, consultant management, and document control.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, BIM platforms, Microsoft Project, Primavera P6, and Microsoft Office.
• Strong understanding of sustainability, fire and life safety, accessibility, and building-code requirements.

Work Context

• The role supports real estate developments through design, construction, site visits, inspections, commissioning, snagging, and handover.
• The stated employment type is full-time.