Design Manager - DfE Education Projects

Location: Essex / Ipswich
Salary: Up to -75,000 DoE
Sector: Education / DfE
Role: Design Manager

Fawkes & Reece are proud to be working exclusively with a long-established regional main contractor with over 100 years of experience delivering high-quality construction projects across the East of England.

The business has a particularly strong track record within the education sector, delivering new-build schools, extensions, refurbishments, SEND facilities and further education projects across the region.

Following continued growth within their education division and a strong pipeline of work, they are looking to appoint an experienced Design Manager to join their team, working across DfE-funded education projects in Essex and the wider Ipswich/Suffolk area.

The contractor has recently secured a place on the Department for Education''s -15.4bn Construction Framework 2025, including the East of England lot, providing a strong pipeline of future education projects.

As Design Manager, you will take responsibility for managing the design process from pre-construction through to delivery, working closely with the project team, consultants, subcontractors and client.

Typical responsibilities will include:

• Managing the design process across DfE education projects
• Coordinating consultants, architects, engineers and specialist subcontractors
• Reviewing and managing design information and technical submissions
• Leading design coordination meetings
• Managing design programmes and ensuring key deliverables are achieved
• Supporting value engineering and buildability reviews
• Identifying and resolving design issues throughout the project lifecycle
• Working closely with the commercial and construction teams
• Ensuring projects are delivered in accordance with the required quality, programme and technical standards

The role will focus predominantly on education projects, including new-build schools, extensions and refurbishment works.

The contractor has an established track record delivering projects within live educational environments, including primary and secondary schools, specialist SEND facilities and further education buildings.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced Design Manager or Architect with a background working for a main contractor and a strong understanding of the design and technical delivery process.

Experience across the education sector is highly desirable, particularly candidates who have worked on:

• DfE / Department for Education projects
• Schools and academies
• SEND / SEN facilities
• Education frameworks
• Public-sector projects

Candidates with strong main contracting experience in other sectors may also be considered where they can demonstrate strong technical and design management capability.