Senior Design Manager

Job description / Role

About Al-Futtaim Group

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions: automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and healthcare, employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group's entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand, responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration, and integrity, Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the Role

The Senior Design Manager will lead and oversee all design functions, working closely with operations, procurement, planning, and commercial teams. The role is responsible for ensuring complete coordination of design information, securing all necessary approvals in line with programme schedules and operational requirements.

Key responsibilities include identifying value engineering opportunities, monitoring design costs, and flagging activities that may pose commercial risks. The Senior Design Manager will also collaborate with operations to minimize HSE risks in construction activities wherever possible, while providing support to bid and procurement teams as needed.

What You Will Do

Primary role

• Implement and manage the Design Management Plan (DMP), coordinating, reviewing, and securing approvals for design deliverables in line with programme requirements, while carrying out risk analysis and corrective actions to exceed client expectations.
• Conduct progress meetings with individual and multiple trades as necessary to ensure sub-contractors provide fully coordinated design information.
• Ensure strict compliance with contract drawings, specifications, and employer's requirements.
• Work with the Commercial and Planning teams to identify variations and programme delays, supporting the preparation and submission of claims and EOT requests.
• Oversee change management by identifying missing contract information, managing IRS, resolving design issues, and recording design changes.
• Ensure all BIM model information is current, coordinating with trades to deliver timely and updated models.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior staff as required.

Design Accountabilities

• Be accountable for all areas of design responsibility and deliverables, while managing associated risks.
• Lead the design team (Architects, Structural Engineers, MEP Engineers, Coordinators, and Sub-Contractors), providing supervision, direction, technical support, and overall control of the design programme with direct responsibility for review, coordination, and monitoring submission schedules.
• Plan and oversee design activities in alignment with the approved Baseline Programme.
• Engage with the Client, PMC, and Consultant's Representative on technical issues to establish effective working relationships.
• Ensure the release and approval of all shop drawings, material approval requests, calculations, and related submissions in line with programme requirements.
• Manage activities of interfacing subcontractors and sub-consultants to ensure full coordination and timely delivery.
• Apply company standard document formats as per the IMS Library.
• Maintain all design document records in compliance with company IMS requirements and third-party audit procedures.
• Ensure correct and timely distribution of all design information.
• Prepare correspondence to clients and subcontractors as required to safeguard company interests.
• Maintain accurate instruction trackers, recording all design changes and delay events as they occur.
• Provide technical assistance to other company departments as necessary.
• Ensure current design information is readily available and accessible to all project delivery staff and subcontractors.
• Prepare complete handover design documentation in a timely manner and in full compliance with project requirements.
• Review and approve sample boards and mock-up units prior to submission to the client or consultant.

Required Skills to Be Successful

• Expertise in design management within construction, with proficiency in BIM modeling.
• Strong leadership and communication skills to manage contractors and sub-contractors effectively.
• Ability to conduct risk analysis, prepare claims, and manage variations effectively.
• Proficient in international standards compliance and safety protocols.

What Equips You for the Role

• Bachelor's diploma in Architecture, Structural, Civil, or MEP Engineering, preferably in Architecture.
• 15 to 20 years of construction industry experience with Tier 1 Main Contractors in GCC, ideally UAE.
• Minimum of 10 years experience or fully qualified professional with at least 5 years of Post Qualification Experience (PQE) and intermediate level qualification.
• Proven capability in managing complex projects, influencing stakeholders, taking initiative, driving results, providing engaging leadership, and developing talent.

About Al-Futtaim Contracting

Al-Futtaim Contracting offers customers complete engineering and systems integration solutions.

The Engineering arm operates in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt providing a wide variety of products and services from construction, air conditioning, scaffolding and access solutions, elevators and escalators, control and life safety, facilities management, building products, MEP, energy management, technology infrastructure, and digital transformation.

The Technologies division provides complete business solutions to large, medium, and small customers that include contact centre solutions, business applications, business intelligence, data management, advanced analytics amongst others. The IT infrastructure portfolio comprises IP telephony, ELV systems, networking solutions, professional audio-visual solutions, and managed services.

These solutions are further complemented by services that include project management, installation, testing, commissioning, and after-sales maintenance contracts.

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.