Senior Design Manager

Employment Type
Full Time

Project Location
Ohio, United States

Role Description:

We are looking for a Senior Design Manager to join GagaMuller. You will collaborate with experienced, diverse, and passionate teams, fostering a strong social dynamic and collective sense of achievement. This role offers you extensive industry exposure, helping you broaden your skills, open doors to new opportunities, and expand your perspective. We are committed to empowering you, providing real responsibility, and supporting your career growth through mentorship from industry leaders and the tools you need to succeed. You will also contribute to shaping our business strategy as we continue to grow. At GagaMuller, building lasting, trusted relationships with our teams and clients is at the core of what we do.

With a market-leading client base and the opportunity to take the lead on strategic commissions and high-profile projects, this is an exciting time to join the business unit and grow a career with GagaMuller.

The Opportunity 

GagaMuller is supporting the delivery of major mission-critical and data centre developments in Ohio, United States. The Senior Design Manager will provide strategic leadership and oversight of multidisciplinary design activities on behalf of the Client across all stages of project delivery.

Working closely with consultants, contractors, Project Managers, BIM teams, commercial teams, scheduling teams, commissioning teams, and client stakeholders, you will be responsible for ensuring all design activities are coordinated, buildable, compliant, and aligned with project objectives, programme requirements, operational performance criteria, and long-term business goals.

This role will act as the senior client-side design authority, driving design governance, technical excellence, and design integration across the project lifecycle while supporting successful project delivery within a fast-paced mission-critical environment.

Responsibilities:

1. Scope & Delivery Management 

• Lead and oversee multidisciplinary design activities from concept design through construction, commissioning, and handover.
• Establish design management strategies, governance frameworks, and delivery procedures across the project.
• Review and validate consultant design deliverables to ensure compliance with client standards, statutory requirements, and project objectives.
• Monitor design progress against programme milestones and drive resolution of design-related risks and constraints.
• Ensure design documentation supports procurement, construction sequencing, commissioning, operational readiness, and handover requirements.

2. Stakeholder Coordination

• Act as the senior client-side interface for design consultants, specialist designers, contractors, vendors, and project stakeholders.
• Lead design workshops, technical reviews, and coordination meetings to resolve complex design and interface challenges.
• Coordinate closely with Project Management, Commercial, BIM, Construction, Scheduling, and Commissioning teams to ensure alignment between design, programme, and cost objectives.
• Support project leadership teams with technical decision-making and design governance activities.
• Provide structured updates and recommendations to senior client stakeholders and project leadership teams.

3. Risk & Compliance Management

• Identify and manage technical, design, and interface risks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure compliance with local statutory regulations, international standards, and client-specific technical requirements.
• Review technical submittals, RFIs, design changes, and value engineering proposals to ensure project integrity is maintained.
• Lead design change control processes and assess impacts on programme, cost, quality, and operational performance.
• Support project risk workshops with a focus on reliability, resilience, maintainability, and operational readiness.

4. Reporting & Documentation

• Provide executive-level reporting on design progress, technical risks, and design readiness.
• Review and approve key technical documentation in accordance with project governance procedures.
• Ensure technical decisions, design changes, and project approvals are accurately documented and traceable.
• Support preparation of project board updates, executive reports, and client presentations.
• Maintain oversight of design coordination records, technical submissions, and project documentation.

5. Collaboration & Integration

• Ensure seamless integration between architectural, structural, CSA, MEP, ICT, operational technology, and construction delivery teams.
• Support commissioning and operational readiness planning by ensuring systems are designed for testing, validation, and long-term operation.
• Collaborate with Commercial and Procurement teams to ensure technical specifications align with project delivery objectives.
• Promote continuous improvement initiatives relating to design management, technical governance, and project delivery processes.
• Mentor and support Design Managers, BIM teams, and multidisciplinary project teams to achieve consistent delivery standards.

Qualifications:

• Degree in Engineering, Building Services Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or related discipline.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary design management and mission-critical project delivery.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong knowledge of BIM workflows, digital coordination processes, and information management procedures.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary consultant and design teams on complex construction projects.

What Experience We Are Looking For

• 10+ years of experience managing design activities on large-scale construction or infrastructure projects.
• Significant experience working on Data Centre, Industrial, Infrastructure, Pharma, or Mission Critical developments.
• Strong understanding of design development, technical governance, and construction delivery processes.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary design teams across design, construction, commercial, commissioning, and project controls functions.
• Experience acting in a client-side, consultancy, contractor, or PMC leadership role.
• Ability to manage multiple complex workstreams within fast-paced project delivery environments.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to make sound technical and commercial decisions.
• Experience supporting commissioning, operational readiness, and project handover activities.

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