Job description

The Principal Design Manager at Mott MacDonald is responsible for end-to-end delivery of complex high-rise, mixed-use, and luxury developments across the built environment sector, ensuring integration of design management, innovation, quality, compliance, and stakeholder leadership. The role provides single-point accountability across the entire project lifecycle, managing requirements definition, scope establishment, basis of design, competencies, governance, quality assurance, risk management, and compliance with client briefs. The position involves acting as Design Manager and/or Project Principal in accordance with Mott MacDonald management systems, policies, and QA/QC procedures while coordinating multidisciplinary design teams, overseeing design reviews, technical assurance, and independent checks to deliver high-quality outcomes. The role ensures compliance with codes, standards, statutory requirements, and client specifications across all design disciplines, while maintaining ownership of design solutions including change control, reporting, and authority approvals. The Principal Design Manager builds strong client relationships, acts as trusted advisor, leads escalation on design-related matters, mentors teams, and fosters a collaborative environment focused on technical excellence. Responsibilities include managing technical, commercial, project, and reputational risks while identifying value enhancement opportunities. The role also requires integrating sustainability frameworks including LEED and Estidama into design development and championing innovation and digital enablement through collaboration with discipline leads and digital teams. The position requires strong experience in project controls, FIDIC contracts, cost management, consultancy environments, and delivering design-to-budget solutions for high-rise, mixed-use, and luxury developments within the Middle East region.