CDM Principal Design Lead

We're Hiring: CDM Principal Design Lead

National role based from Manchester or Dartford | Multi-Sector Portfolio | Design Leadership

Do you believe great design starts with safety?

Are you passionate about embedding health and wellbeing into every design decision?

Ready to lead the integration of safety across some of the UK's most complex infrastructure projects?

Then this could be the opportunity for you.

Why This Role Matters

At Laing O'Rourke, we're delivering some of the UK's most ambitious and technically advanced projects – across sectors including healthcare, defence, life sciences, transport, energy, and major civils. As CDM Design Leader, you'll play a vital role in ensuring safety is a driving force behind every design decision – from early concept to final handover.

What You'll Do

• Lead the development and implementation of our strategies and processes for CDM compliance in design.
• Lead on the deployment of Principal Designer duties across a diverse portfolio of projects, where Laing O'Rourke are appointed as the PD under the CDM Regulations, and managing internal and external resources to achieve this.
• Responsibility for our internal governance at project level for the selection and appointment of the designated individual in line with HSE CDM 2015 regulations
• Acting as the designated individual for a project/ projects where Laing O'Rourke is appointed as the Principal Designer.
• Collaborate with design, health and safety, and technical delivery teams during pre-construction and construction delivery stages to drive safe-by-design thinking
• Champion safety-led design from preconstruction through to delivery.
• Engage with design partners and the wider supply chain to promote best practice and compliance
• Management of the procedures for the selection and appointment of external consultants (CDM PD Advisors) who are engaged to support Laing O'Rourke in fulfilling their obligations as PD for the CDM Regulations
• Responsibility for the CDM competency assessment process for designers, and competency assesment for our LOR internal teams, providing advice and guidance to the pre-construction teams and ensuring that the projects create and maintain design competency records.
• Develop, advise and maintain training programmes (in conjunction with the L&D function) aimed at (1) raising the general level of understanding at project team level of safety led design and compliance with the CDM Regulations and (2) developing our internal capability to fulfil the duty holder role of PD for the CDM Regulations, creating and maintaining a competency register of qualified/experience staff who can fulfil the PD role at project level
• Support our Client facing teams offering advice to Clients on their CDM obligations and where Laing O'Rourke can help in providing a fully integrated approach to safe by design delivery, Regulation compliance and Engineered Safety
  
  

What We're Looking For

• Based in or able to travel regularly to our Manchester or Dartford office
• Chartered construction industry design professional (Architect or engineer) with 10 years experience in design consultancy and at least 5 years experience of safety in design or carrying out the role of Principal Designer.
• 10+ years working on complex infrastructure or major projects
• Strong communicator and influencer, able to lead across disciplines
• A creative thinker and problem solver, able to facilitate solution development with our pre-construction teams and design teams that addresses safe by design considerations and requirements.
• Accredited Principal Designer (PD) training (e.g. RIBA, CITB, CIOB, ICE). While we are looking for a design professional for this role rather than a health & safety professional, evidence of further certified training provided by an independent accredited provider such as IOSH or NEBOSH, would also be welcome.
  
  

What's in it for you?

• Influence the design of flagship infrastructure projects across the UK
• Play a senior leadership role in a team driving innovation and excellence
• Be part of a Technical Function committed to safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Flexible working from Manchester or Dartford, with travel as needed across our projects
  
  

Inclusion Matters

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and experiences. We're committed to building a diverse team that reflects the society we serve – and creating an environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.