Senior Design Manager

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Design Manager

Company: Mace

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Job Type: Full-time, Regular

Category: Project Management / Design Management

Date Posted: 2026-06-24

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and manage the Lead Design Consultant (LDC) and integrated teams through all design phases, ensuring coordinated, complete, and constructible design outputs that align with overarching project objectives and program timelines.

• Drive design integration across all disciplines to facilitate efficient construction delivery and ensure design outputs are optimized for construction sequencing, logistics, and site constraints.

• Act as the primary design management representative within the Delivery Partner team, operating in a coordination and assurance capacity to support project delivery without absolving the Contractor of their responsibilities.

• Identify and proactively manage design risks, constraints, and coordination issues, ensuring timely resolution and promoting collaborative working relationships for efficient problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within a "Delivery Partner" or Project Management Consultancy (PMC) environment, requiring a focus on oversight, coordination, and assurance rather than direct design execution. The emphasis is on managing external consultants and ensuring alignment with client and construction needs.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead design management representative for the Delivery Partner team, overseeing all design-related activities.

• Manage and direct the Lead Design Consultant (LDC) through schematic, developed, and detailed design stages, ensuring adherence to project scope and quality standards.

• Guarantee the delivery of coordinated, complete, and buildable design solutions that align with project objectives, program requirements, and budget constraints.

• Foster and drive design integration across all engineering and architectural disciplines to support efficient construction sequencing, logistics, and site utilization.

• Ensure design deliverables are fully aligned with construction methodologies, site logistics, and any identified site constraints, facilitating a smooth transition from design to execution.

• Provide support for the transition of design information into the construction phase, ensuring clarity, completeness, and practical buildability of all documentation.

• Proactively identify, assess, and manage design-related risks, constraints, and coordination challenges, implementing timely mitigation strategies.

• Operate in a critical coordination and assurance capacity, supporting project delivery while maintaining the Contractor's accountability for their design obligations.

• Oversee and manage the performance of the Lead Design Consultant (LDC), ensuring they meet contractual obligations and project expectations.

• Establish and maintain clear design deliverables, define responsibilities, and implement robust review processes for all design-related activities.

• Monitor and assure the quality, completeness, and compliance of design outputs across all involved disciplines.

• Lead and facilitate design coordination workshops and technical review sessions to ensure interdisciplinary coherence and issue resolution.

• Promote a culture of collaborative working relationships among all project stakeholders and encourage proactive issue resolution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Degree qualified in Architecture, Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline. Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in design management on large-scale, complex construction projects.

• Demonstrated track record of successfully managing Lead Design Consultants (LDCs) and diverse multidisciplinary design teams.

• Proven experience in delivering commercial, mixed-use developments, and design & build projects from inception through to construction completion.

• Experience within a Delivery Partner or Project Management Consultancy (PMC) environment is highly preferred.

• Experience working on high-value projects/programmes for a Project Management Consultancy business is essential for client and immigration approval in Saudi Arabia. Required Skills:

• Design Management: Expertise in leading and overseeing the entire design process for major projects.

• LDC & Team Management: Proven ability to manage external design consultants and internal multidisciplinary teams effectively.

• Coordination & Integration: Strong skills in driving interdisciplinary coordination and design integration for constructible solutions.

• Construction Sequencing & Buildability: Deep understanding of how design translates to construction realities and site constraints.

• Risk Management: Competency in identifying, assessing, and mitigating design-related risks.

• Technical Review & Assurance: Ability to conduct thorough technical reviews and assure the quality of design outputs.

• Stakeholder Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for engaging with clients, consultants, and contractors.

• Problem-Solving: Proactive and effective approach to resolving design conflicts and coordination issues.

• Commercial Acumen: Understanding of project budgets, timelines, and the impact of design decisions on commercial outcomes.

• Saudi Arabian Project Experience: Familiarity with the regulatory and operational landscape for major projects in Saudi Arabia, including visa requirements.

Preferred Skills:

• BIM Management: Experience with Building Information Modeling (BIM) for design coordination and clash detection.

• Value Engineering: Ability to identify cost-saving opportunities through design optimization.

• Contract Administration: Understanding of design-related clauses within construction contracts.

• MEP Coordination: Specific expertise in coordinating Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "Necessary visa criteria for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and have relevant work experience working on high valued projects/programmes for a project management consultancy business" indicates a strong preference for candidates who can readily meet immigration requirements and have direct experience within the PMC sector, which is crucial for client approval and project integration.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design Management Case Studies: Showcase examples of managing complex design processes for large-scale mixed-use developments, highlighting your role in coordinating multidisciplinary teams and ensuring design delivery.

• LDC/Consultant Management Examples: Present instances where you effectively managed Lead Design Consultants, detailing how you ensured their deliverables met project objectives, quality standards, and timelines.

• Coordination & Integration Documentation: Include evidence of successful design integration across various disciplines (e.g., architectural, structural, MEP), demonstrating how you resolved conflicts and ensured constructibility.

• Risk Mitigation Strategies: Provide examples of design risks you identified and the proactive strategies you implemented to mitigate them, showcasing your foresight and problem-solving capabilities.

• Buildability & Construction Alignment: Illustrate how you ensured design outputs were aligned with construction sequencing, logistics, and site constraints, potentially