Senior Design Manager
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
We are seeking a Senior Design Manager to own and direct the complete design function across the Company's design & build portfolio in Abu Dhabi. You will manage design from concept to turnkey, interface with clients and consultants, and ensure compliance with local codes.
Key Skills for This Role
Responsibilities
- Review and validate the Client's concept design against Employer's Requirements
- Lead tender stage design development, alternative design proposals, and value engineering options
- Select, negotiate, and appoint design consultants and specialist designers
- Drive design development from concept to fully coordinated IFC packages
- Direct external consultants and in house design/BIM teams across all disciplines
- Chair design coordination and clash resolution workshops
- Manage design change control and assess variations
- Oversee shop drawing and material submittal cycle
- Drive Abu Dhabi authority approvals strategy end to end
- Lead, develop, and performance manage Design Managers and the wider design team
- Report design status, risks, approvals progress, and KPIs to Operations Director
- Direct design close out to turnkey standard
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Architecture Engineering (Master's degree advantageous)
- Minimum 20 years' post graduate experience in the construction industry
- At least 10 years in design management leadership roles within a design & build contracting environment
- Proven delivery of large scale D&B projects in Abu Dhabi (commercial, residential, mixed use, industrial, or infrastructure)
- Arabic speaking (due to nature of role)
Full Job Posting
Summary
- The Senior Design Manager owns and directs the complete design function across the Company's design & build portfolio.
- The role owns the interface between the Client, external design consultants, specialist subcontractors, and the Company's construction teams.
Tender & Pre Contract Stage
- Review and validate the Client's concept design against the Employer's Requirements; identify gaps, ambiguities, buildability risks, and code non compliances, and prepare technical qualifications, clarifications, and a clear design responsibility matrix before contract award.
- Lead tender stage design development, alternative design proposals, and value engineering options to strengthen the Company's commercial position.
- Select, negotiate, and appoint design consultants and specialist designers; define scopes, deliverables schedules, and fee structures.
- Support the estimation team with design quantities, specifications, and buildability input.
Design Development & Delivery (Concept to Turnkey)
- Take over the Client's concept design and drive its development through schematic and detailed design to fully coordinated IFC packages.
- Direct external consultants and in house design/BIM teams across all disciplines to deliver coordinated IFC documentation.
- Chair design coordination and clash resolution workshops; enforce BIM execution plans and model coordination protocols.
- Manage design change control: assess variations, design development vs. change, and notify commercial/contracts teams of entitlement and cost/time impacts.
- Oversee the shop drawing and material submittal cycle, specialist/temporary works design interfaces, and construction stage design support.
Authority Approvals & Compliance – Abu Dhabi
- Drive the Abu Dhabi authority approvals strategy end to end and secure building permits and NOCs via DMT (Dari/BinaaAD portals), Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, ADDC, ADSSC, Etisalat/du, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), and the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), as applicable.
- Ensure designs comply with the Abu Dhabi International Building Codes (ADIBC), UAE Fire & Life Safety Code of Practice, Estidama Pearl Rating System requirements, and utility/infrastructure design standards of ADDC and ADSSC.
- Manage design review and NOC cycles with Abu Dhabi master developers and estates.
Leadership & Reporting
- Lead, develop, and performance manage Design Managers and the wider design team; own resource allocation, succession, and capability development across concurrent projects and tenders.
- Report design status, risks, approvals progress, and KPIs to the Operations Director; escalate critical design risks with mitigation plans.
- Direct design close out to turnkey standard: as built drawings, T&C and Civil Defence completion requirements, O&M manuals and handover dossiers, and design support through the defects liability period.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Architecture Engineering (Master's degree advantageous).
- Minimum 20 years' post graduate experience in the construction industry, of which at least 10 years in design management leadership roles within a design & build contracting environment.
- Proven delivery of large scale D&B projects in Abu Dhabi (commercial, residential, mixed use, industrial, or infrastructure); wider UAE/GCC exposure advantageous.
- Due to the nature of this role, we can only consider Arabic speaking applicants.
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