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Design Manager
Tetra Tech
Source: Headcount Labs · original listing ↗
Job data: Headcount Labs, ODbL 1.0. Job descriptions belong to their employers.
Source date: 10/30/2026
About this role
Design Manager Purpose and scope of the role: Join Tetra Tech and help lead the delivery of multidisciplinary water infrastructure design projects that support a more sustainable and resilient water future. As Design Manager, you will coordinate design delivery across major water and wastewater schemes and regulated infrastructure projects, working closely with Project Managers, engineers, clients and external partners to ensure safe, efficient and high-quality outputs. This hands-on role combines technical leadership, design management and project delivery. You will manage scope, programme, cost, risk and resources across a varied portfolio of schemes, from straightforward individual projects to complex treatment-focused programmes. You will also support engineering solutions, promote innovation and drive a right-first-time approach across design teams. Your impact in this position: You will play a key role in delivering significant projects and workstreams by strengthening design coordination, improving governance and assurance, and building trusted relationships with clients and delivery teams. Over time, you will develop your leadership skills, take on increasing responsibility and contribute to more complex projects and programmes. You will also help advance sustainability, digital innovation and engineering capability across the team. Core Capabilities: • Design delivery and management – Manage design workstreams, monitor progress and help ensure outputs meet programme, cost and quality requirements. Provide clear direction to multidisciplinary teams and coordinate engineering functions to resolve issues effectively. • Technical delivery and oversight – Guide design activities, manage technical inputs and outputs, coordinate design packages and assess project complexity. Ensure appropriate engineering resources are deployed to support safe, compliant and effective delivery. • Governance and assurance – Contribute to design assurance, compliance and risk management processes across projects and programmes. • Stakeholder collaboration – Work effectively with clients, operational teams, consultants and external partners. Communicate clearly, balance priorities and maintain strong working relationships. • Team support and development – Mentor less experienced engineers and Design Managers, support performance and development, and help build a collaborative, high-performing team culture. Skills, qualifications and experience: You should be degree qualified, or equivalent, in a relevant engineering discipline and ideally hold Chartered Engineer status. You will have experience delivering water and wastewater projects within multidisciplinary teams. Knowledge and experience of the UK water industry, relevant engineering standards, NEC contracts and CDM Regulations, including the duties of the Principal Designer and Designer, are essential. You should also have significant experience in design governance, technical assurance, stakeholder management and resource coordination. Work patterns and locations: This is a permanent role, ideally based in the North West, North East, Yorkshire or Midlands. We have offices in Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Derby, with a hybrid working policy offering flexibility within a collaborative, forward-thinking team. Water # LI-MM1 Why join Tetra Tech? Tetra Tech is a leading provider of consulting and engineering services working across the full project lifecycle worldwide. We have a wide range of expertise across our teams, providing a global support network with a personalised approach to client relationships to better understand where we can add value. We provide a collaborative environment that supports individual performance, innovation, and creativity. We support public and private sector clients on local, national, and international projects to deliver sustainable and resilient solutions. Our operations in the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands include more than 6,000 employees who are Leading with Science® to solve our clients’ most complex problems. In alignment with the Equality Act 2010, we will make reasonable adjustments to support candidates and employees requiring additional arrangements. This could include adaptations to work schedules, training approaches, or the physical workspace. Please inform us if you need any accommodations during the recruitment process or in your day-to-day role.