Design Manager

Our clients are �Electricity distribution Network Operators and own and�operate the network that distributes electricity to homes and businesses across the Northeast, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire spanning 9,650 square miles.

They carry out a range of services for Distribution Network Operators, the Independent Connections market, the Multi Utility housing sector, Renewable Energy, Water Industry, Health authorities, Government institutions, as well as Education establishments, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Manufacturing and Construction industries.

A turnkey contractor with the capability to survey and design all aspects of substation and feeder route activity, to deliver an optimum solution. They have a documented design management process across all our business sectors including Multi Utility, Independent Connections, Primary Major Project Substations and general High Voltage Contracting activities.

The Role

The purpose of the role is to manage a small but growing multi skilled team of engineers to deliver the detailed designs for all workstream areas within the business. You will manage the team through development, mentoring and providing day to day support, as and when needed. As Design Manager, you will lead the provision of an enhanced level of support to the Operations team, to ensure all relevant contractual obligations are met. This role is based in either Stockton or Wakefield, with some travel between sites, as required (agile working with 3 days in the office, 2 days at home).

The role you will play

• Enhance current design procedures and associated processes to reduce company risk and liability via formal design validation, verification and approval prior to and during construction.


• Control and mitigate design liabilities by implementing robust approval procedures to ensure all designs meet performance parameters and client expectations.


• Build an operations-based design team to strengthen design capability with regards to resource, training, competence and experience.


• Develop competencies to allow the client to be appointed as a Principal Designer under CDM regulations.


• Develop and maintain a suite of company design procedures, standards, specifications, and guidance documents.


• Management and development of a design framework, for external parties, such as Design Houses.


• Roadmap design and development, through to implementation of design strategy.


• Maintain continuity and consistency of design work for all relevant workstreams ensuring that delivery timescales and targets are not affected.


• Design engineers and technicians are progressively upskilled to meet current and future work programme demands.


• Evidence that the team are achieving optimised utilisation and are meeting and exceeding customer charter targets.


• Create a robust quality assurance process for all relevant project, contract or framework designs.


• Talent profile of all resources maintained, with high growth potential assessed and actively managed.

�What you will bring

• Minimum of HNC in Electrical Engineering or equivalent.


• Ideally Chartered Engineer or working towards Chartered status.


• Good working design and construction knowledge of 11kV through to 132kV (E)HV networks and substations including switchgear, transformers, underground circuits, earthing and protection.


• Experienced with electrical engineering design and practices and have a working knowledge of the electricity distribution business and how this interacts with Private networks.


• Good team working and communication skills and able to manage a range of internal staff, partners, consultants and contractors.