Design Manager

MatchBox Consulting Group is seeking a Design Manager to join a leading construction organization in Richmond, BC. This is a key leadership position responsible for managing the design process from pre-award through design completion and construction subcontract awards.

The successful candidate will bring strong design management, constructability, and commercial judgment, with the ability to quickly assess architectural and engineering drawings and identify whether the proposed design is practical, coordinated, and achievable within the project budget.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

• Lead the overall design strategy and development of win themes for Design-Build and P3 pursuits.
• Lead the selection and retention of design consultants and specialty professionals.
• Manage consultant teams throughout the full design process, from pre-award through completion.
• Review architectural and engineering drawings with a strong focus on constructability, efficiency, and budget alignment.
• Identify design elements that create unnecessary cost, complexity, schedule risk, or constructability concerns.
• Develop and manage design budgets, schedules, QA processes, and risk controls.
• Ensure designs meet or improve upon established project budgets through value engineering and design optimization.
• Coordinate design schedules with the overall project schedule, procurement strategy, and contractual requirements.
• Monitor design deliverables to ensure they are complete, coordinated, compliant, and submitted on time.
• Review designs for layout efficiency, area requirements, gross-up factors, coordination, and minimal compliance.
• Monitor clash detection and BIM coordination processes.
• Coordinate with Estimating to maintain accurate project budgets as design progresses.
• Identify and communicate design variances, contractual issues, and budget impacts to the Commercial and Project teams.
• Act as the primary design contact for clients, consultants, municipalities, authorities having jurisdiction, and internal project teams.
• Lead design approvals and submissions through internal Project Director and senior management review.
• Support permitting and regulatory coordination.
• Oversee Design Coordinators, specialty resources, and external specialists on larger projects.
• Develop and mentor technical expertise within the team.
• Support Project Directors, Project Managers, Estimating, and Construction teams as required.
• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure design policies, procedures, and contractual obligations are followed.

THE COMMERCIAL / CONSTRUCTABILITY MINDSET

This role requires more than simply coordinating consultants.

The successful candidate must be able to take a cold-eyed, commercially focused look at a design and quickly determine whether it makes sense from a construction and budget perspective.

You should be comfortable challenging drawings, identifying unnecessary complexity, recognizing when a design is trending beyond budget, and working with consultants and project teams to develop more practical solutions.

Strong candidates will understand how design decisions translate into construction cost, schedule, procurement, coordination, and execution risk.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The ideal candidate will come from one of two backgrounds:

• Construction Management / General Contractor: Project Manager, Development Manager, or Design Manager with demonstrated Design-Build experience in the ICI sector.
• Prime / Coordinating Consultant: Project Manager, Development Manager, Coordinating Professional, or Design Manager with strong ICI design coordination experience, preferably from an architectural or engineering environment.

You will ideally have experience delivering large commercial and institutional projects through multiple delivery models, including Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, Construction Management, IPD, and/or P3.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in construction management, design management, architecture, engineering, or a related consulting environment.
• 3+ years of direct Design Management experience.
• Experience with large-scale commercial and/or institutional projects.
• Strong understanding of the full design process and construction methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to assess constructability and design against project budgets.
• Strong project management, coordination, scheduling, and leadership capabilities.
• Experience managing design consultants and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience working directly with clients, consultants, contractors, municipalities, and authorities having jurisdiction.
• Healthcare or Long-Term Care project experience is a strong asset.
• P3 project experience is a strong asset.
• Experience with Design-Build delivery is highly preferred.
• University degree or diploma in a technical, business, scientific, engineering, architecture, or related discipline.
• Engineering or Architecture degree is an asset.
• LEED, PMP, P.Eng., or AAA designation is an asset.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including MS Project.
• Proficiency with BIM software and design coordination tools.
• Experience with Revizto and Assemble is an asset.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU

• $120,000–$160,000+ base salary, depending on experience.
• Profit-sharing program.
• 6% RRSP matching.
• 4 weeks of vacation plus 1 additional week at Christmas.
• Comprehensive benefits.
• Free parking.
• $500 annual Health Spending Account, including eligible fitness and wellness expenses.
• 100% dental coverage.
• Prescription coverage: 100% at Costco and 80% elsewhere.
• Practitioner coverage of $500 per practitioner, with some services covered up to $750.
• Hybrid flexibility.

LOCATION & TRAVEL

The position is based out of the Richmond, BC office, with hybrid flexibility.

As a project-based organization, assignments are driven by business and project requirements. The successful candidate must be comfortable working remotely, travelling, or temporarily relocating to project sites when required. Projects may be located within or outside the candidate's home region, with travel frequency and duration varying according to project needs.

WHY THIS ROLE?

This is an opportunity to take a senior role in the front end of major construction projects, where your ability to challenge design, protect budgets, improve constructability, and coordinate multidisciplinary teams can have a direct impact on project outcomes.

If you are a Design Manager, Project Manager, Development Manager, Architect, Engineer, or construction professional with strong design-build experience and a commercial approach to design, we'd like to hear from you.