Principal Engineer / Design Manager

The Principal Engineer / Design Manager is a key member of the senior leadership team on a Major Project, responsible for ensuring the technical integrity, coordination, and successful delivery of complex multidisciplinary design solutions. Reporting to the Project Manager or Project Director, the Design Manager works in close partnership with project leadership to deliver innovative, contract-compliant technical solutions that meet client and project objectives. 

We are seeking candidates with proven experience delivering major multidisciplinary projects, ideally within the transit, aviation, and building sectors, where they have led diverse design teams through all phases of project development and delivery. 

Key activities and responsibilities include:  

• Contributing to the design fee estimate and preliminary design schedule for proposals as required. 

• Responsible for technical coherence, design suitability, and appropriateness of solutions delivered across a multidisciplinary team. 

• Providing the design team with all contract materials, including the design scope and requirements, to deliver the project within budget and schedule. 

• Confirming that the design delivers the project’s aims, objectives and defined benefits. 

• Providing Discipline Leads with an internal interface, coordination matrix and facilitating clear accountability and responsibility for interdisciplinary interfaces. 

• Supporting the Project Manager in developing an effective Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) and Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) to align design delivery with technical assurance and project milestones. 

• Enforcing quality processes and making sure that peer reviews are being carried out within each discipline. 

• Supporting Discipline Leads and Package Managers with resource planning, deployment and contributing to succession planning. 

• Leading multidisciplinary discussions to communicate technical issues, track actions, and drive resolutions that culminate in a coordinated design. 

• Preparing, managing, and distributing design standards and technical requirements. 

• Interfacing with the contractor’s Design Coordinator on technical and process matters and managing constructability input from construction staff and supply chain partners. 

• Interfacing with the Client Owner and Authority’s Having Jurisdiction on technical and design-process matters. 

• Maintaining consistent communication with project stakeholders to meet contractual and technical obligations. 

• Managing design variances from the standards register and securing approvals. 

• Managing the project Technical Requirements register. 

• Coordinating the integration of subconsultant and specialist inputs. 

• Coordinating completion, review, and issue of technical deliverables. 

• Supporting identification of design‑related changes and providing associated cost estimates. 

• Identifying and managing design risks and issues and implementing mitigation plans. 

• Leading Design Review Meetings and Interdisciplinary Design Reviews (IDRs). 

Qualifications include:  
 

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related discipline.  

• Relevant Professional designation or eligibility for registration.  

• 15+ years of experience delivering complex multidisciplinary infrastructure or major projects  

• Proven experience in a Design Manager, Engineering Manager, or Design Lead role.  

• Strong knowledge of design management, technical assurance, quality processes, and risk management.  

• Experience managing design budgets, schedules, resources, and consultant teams.  

• Familiarity with major project delivery models (Design-Build, P3, Alliance, etc.).  

• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and leadership skills.  

• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and coordinate complex technical interfaces.  

• Proficiency with project management, design coordination, and document control systems.