Design Manager – Manufacturing

Position: Design Manager – Manufacturing

Reporting to: Design Manager – Manufacturing

Salary: Highly competitive, dependent on experience

Job type: Permanent (subject to a three-month probation period

Holiday: 31 days* (*this figure includes Bank Holidays – three mandatory days taken over Christmas)

Schedule: 8:30am to 5pm inclusive of a one-hour lunch break

Pension: 6% company contributions

Location: Haverhill (office, preferred). For the right candidate, remote working will be considered

Overview

Guardtech are a rapidly growing, thoughtfully evolving design & build company that produce high-quality, tightly controlled manufacturing facilities (cleanrooms) across the globe for the Life Science sector for industries such as Pharmaceutical, Aerospace, Automotive & Medical Device.

Guardtech are a small enterprise with big aspirations. We achieve them by operating as a close-knit, supportive, flexible team. Any candidate must be able to show a willingness to pitch in and support the wider team whenever required. We expect all of our staff to relish consistently delivering the same outstanding results for our clients and to meet those same standards in all aspects of their working life.

Design Team

At the forefront of innovation and sustainability, we are committed to delivering cutting-edge projects that redefine the landscape. Our Design Department plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of our ventures by providing unparalleled design solutions. The Design Department is responsible for translating project requirements into comprehensive and innovative design solutions. The team is driven by a commitment to collaboration, education, innovation and continuous improvement to deliver projects that exceed client expectations and contribute to the industry’s advancement.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Project Delivery

• Lead and manage the delivery of all design activities within the assigned business stream, ensuring sufficient resource, effective workload allocation, and accurate, compliant, and practical design outputs.
• Ensure the Design Team follows the Design Process / VDC documentation and agreed departmental procedures, including correct document control and filing within ACC / CDE systems.
• Identify design risks, delays, coordination issues, and design changes early, ensuring revisions, scope changes, and impacts to programme or cost are properly communicated, controlled, and recorded.
• Maintain strong communication and coordination between Design, Project Management, Manufacturing, Procurement, Installation, and Validation teams to support successful project delivery.
• Maintain a strong understanding of construction processes, buildability, CDM regulations, and the role of the Principal Designer to support safe and practical design solutions.
• Understand project deliverables from the URS or accepted proposal, raise RFIs, develop pre-start briefs, and ensure all required information and responsibilities are in place prior to commencement by the wider Design Team.
• Lead client design meetings, sharing technical knowledge and supporting the client’s effective use of ACC / CDE systems throughout the design process.

2. Design Process Management

• Own, maintain, and continuously improve the Design Process / VDC documentation, design standards, templates, workflows and technical documentation across the business, ensuring these actively support Design for Manufacture and Assembly principles, off-site manufacture, prefabrication, modular construction opportunities, and more efficient manufacturing and on-site installation processes.
• Maintain and develop the department’s use of the CDE, Revit platform, Revit families, digital workflows, and associated technologies to support consistency, efficiency, and customer experience.
• Ensure Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, and Architectural specifications are maintained as standardised company documents and adaptable templates for bespoke projects.
• Capture lessons learnt from completed projects and feed improvements back into standards, templates, and the Design Process / VDC documentation.
• Remain up to date with industry developments, regulations, and emerging technologies, identifying opportunities to improve departmental performance and delivery.

3. Team Development & Coaching

• Maintain structured development plans and regular performance discussions for all Design Team members, promoting a coaching culture focused on technical growth, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Identify training, mentoring, succession planning, and development requirements within the department, supporting business budgeting and resource planning activities.
• Maintain personal development within their own discipline, striving to remain a subject matter expert within their field.

4. Joint Department Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the other Design Managers to ensure aligned processes, shared ownership of workload, and consistent departmental management across all business streams.
• Coordinate external designers, consultants, specialist suppliers, and contract resource to support project priorities and business deadlines.
• Work with senior leadership to develop, monitor, and report on departmental KPIs, performance, resource position, risks, and improvement actions.
• Ensure the full suite of available software and digital systems is utilised effectively to support collaboration, efficiency, and customer experience.

5. Project Support

• Support the Commercial Team during ITT, tendering, and pre-construction activities by developing practical and compliant technical solutions, maintaining specifications and standard documents, and providing technical input for submissions and client discussions.
• Maintain awareness of design budgets, estimated design hours, and departmental resource utilisation to support efficient project and departmental performance.
• Support Project Managers by maintaining accurate Design Gantt charts and providing clear communication on design progress, workload, priorities, and upcoming milestones.

6. QA & Compliance

• Maintain responsibility for the quality, compliance, coordination, and QA approval of all design outputs prior to issue, including authorisation of design information for internal and external release in line with company procedures.

Management System Compliance

• Operating within the company's ISO 9001 framework.
• Adhering to all company policies and procedures.
• Complying with General Data Protection Regulations.
• Promptly reporting hazardous situations that may lead to health and safety, quality, or environmental losses.
• Maintaining standards of housekeeping to ensure a safe and productive working environment.

Continuous Improvement

• To communicate and interact constructively with the Board of Directors, Operations Manager and other managers in the pursuit of continuous improvement.

To apply, please email a copy of your CV and a covering email to ***email_hidden***