Pre-Construction Design Manager

Criterion Capital is a multi-billion-pound, family-owned, entrepreneurial private property company. Due to expansion, the Architectural Department is seeking to recruit an Pre-Construction Design Manager who will be a key part of the broader Architectural and Development team, supporting the design and planning processes across various projects.

Job Purpose

To manage and lead the design team's activities from asset acquisition, concept development, and planning approval through to statutory compliance, ensuring programme and budget adherence with minimal supervision.

Role and Responsibilities

• Deliver design and statutory compliance approvals as per project-specific requirements.
• Program and organise design activities to meet project timelines.
• Arrange consultants' tender bids and manage their appointments within budget, monitoring performance and controlling fee expenditure against deliverables.
• Organise Land/Planning handover meetings and validate the delivery phase brief, performing gap analyses to complete Employer Requirements (ER) and Brand Standards documents.
• Lead and chair design team meetings, managing the design process through to planning approval.
• Collaborate with hotel operations, construction teams, and consultants to develop and improve Criterion Capital's Employer Requirements and Brand Standards.
• Monitor compliance with statutory and environmental obligations (Planning, S106, S278, Building Regulations, Insurance, CDM, BREEAM, Sustainability targets).
• Ensure the design team produces a comprehensive ER (RIBA Stage 3 Report) in coordination with Client design and operations departments for construction phase handover.
• Identify and manage design risks to ensure timely mitigation.
• Perform value engineering and optimisation to enhance project value.
• Ensure the design output addresses all project-specific challenges.
• Support commercial and construction teams in achieving project goals.
• Coordinate inputs from various departments to ensure efficient and coordinated design progression.
• Conduct design validation, rationalisation, and package review meetings to assess alternative design proposals.
• Manage the employer representative, change control, and sample approval processes.
• Handle RFIs, NCRs, and technical submittals efficiently.
• Adhere to the company’s Health & Safety, Quality, and Environmental policies and procedures.
• Perform other duties as required by the line manager, in line with the role's level and scope.

Skills and Qualifications

• Proven experience in managing design and providing technical guidance for hospitality, residential, and commercial developments.
• Degree in Architecture, Engineering, or Construction Management.
• Strong knowledge of construction systems, RIBA plan of work, and statutory compliance requirements.
• Expertise in planning processes, design sequences, and construction stages.
• Good people management, negotiation, communication, and presentation skills.
• Proactive, problem-solving, with a "thinking outside the box" mindset.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Commercially aware and experienced in managing consultant appointments.
• Familiarity with key design principles (M&E design, disability, fire, and acoustic requirements).
• Understanding of contract management, contract law, and procurement types.
• Proficient in IT tools: MS Office, AutoCAD, Revit, Asta, Procore.