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Jacobs Deputy Design Manager - Aviation UK Wide 
United Kingdom, England, London 
552129398

17.08.2024
Your impact

People are Jacobs’ greatest asset, and we offer a competitive package to retain and attract the best talent.

In addition to the benefits you’d expect, UK employees also receive free single medical cover and digital GP service, family-friendly benefits such as enhanced parental leave pay and free membership of employee assistance and parental programmes, plus reimbursement towards relevant professional development and memberships. We also give back to our communities through our Collectively program which incorporates matched-funding, paid volunteering time and charitable donations.

Jacobs Transportation has an enviable reputation in Highways, Rail and Aviation. The Highways UK infrastructure consultancy sector contains a portfolio of high-profile projects with clients that include Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Manchester Airport Group, and international projects. Our Aviation team provides comprehensive consultancy and engineering services to the aviation sector, covering the full spectrum of aviation infrastructure requirements, from business case and project development, preliminary appraisal, and feasibility studies through to detailed design, implementation, operational management advice, and operations and maintenance.

Jacobs are looking for Deputy Design Managers (DMs) who will support the provision of consultancy services to major clients in the aviation sector delivering a range of multi-disciplinary projects in the UK and across the globe. DMs are accountable for all aspects of the day-to-day engineering and technical delivery of work on specific projects. They support the technical interface between the Project and the engineering and technical disciplines, providing direction, guidance, and support as required.

About you

As a Design Manager within our Transportation business, you will undertake a key role in delivering our clients’ requirements. Working closely with the Project Manager you will be the controlling mind over the engineering and technical delivery across all aspects. As an individual we would look to you to show experience in leadership, delivery performance, excellent communication skills combined with being a team player. The knowledge, skills and experience we value are varied as we continue to develop diverse teams.

In delivery you should understand your clients’ requirements and the impacts of the success factors of the project, developing a schedule and delivery plan to ensure success. You’ll provide a proactive risk identification and mitigation environmentthat allows for innovation and creative delivery. You’ll have a track record of successfully delivering complex multi-disciplinary projects within budget and on schedule, whilst maintaining the highest of safe working cultures within project teams.

As the technical leader and member of the project team you should have excellent communication skills, allowing you to maintain relationships with your client, your team, and the Jacobs organisation. You will communicate progress, potential issues, and risks to inform and proposed mitigation to your client, the Project Manager, and internally. Together with the Project Manager you’ll control budgets for projects, escalation points, key milestones and targets including time, cost, quality, and safety to ensure that objectives are achieved in line with programme plans.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Accountable for delivering a safe design.
  • Accountable for delivering a sustainable design that supports decarbonisation and improves social value.
  • Accountable for integrating the delivery team, design coordination, quality and ensuring the technical solutions meet the scope.
  • Accountable for technical delivery to programme.
  • Responsible for assisting discipline leads and the project management team in managing budget and forecasting.
  • Actively listen across all disciplines, both engineering and technical, to make balanced decisions through reasoning and open discussion.
  • Champion the consistent use of Jacobs delivery tools/processes which ensure that all parties have an agreed understanding of the project and their part within it.
  • Champion a culture of getting design and delivery right first time. - Encourage unconventional thinking and drive innovative solutions.
  • Drive continual improvement of our deliverables by using digital delivery tools, Lessons Learned from other projects, and Clients’ feedback.
  • Implement improvement measures and share good practice.
  • Technically support Business Development opportunities across the UK.
  • Help to maintain a highly motivated team with specific attention to safety and well-being.
  • Lead in line with our inclusion and diversity policies so that individuals and teams can develop their full potential.
Here's what you'll need

You will preferably have a bachelor’s or master’s Degree (or equivalent Degree) with proven design management experience gained across a range of infrastructure projects in a multi-disciplinary environment. It is desirable to be a member of a relevant professional institution with a sound understanding of design management principles and application in an aviation, construction, architectural or civil engineering environment. You will have the ability to:

  • Lead and guide others in implementation of relevant standards.
  • Undertake Design Manager role on aviation projects.
  • Experience in the delivery of multi-disciplinary projects where engineering and technical disciplines all had an equal part to play.
  • Apply relevant assurance processes when working on civil engineering projects.
  • Apply engineering principles to develop innovative, robust, and safe design.
  • Take account of the priorities of projects, effectively plan, monitor, and control the technical delivery of projects to clients.
  • Understand the factors affecting motivation of project team members.
  • Excellent organisation skills and an ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines.

Our Culture

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain diverse talent. For greater online accessibility please visit to view and access our roles. As a Disability Confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

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