Design Manager | Commercial Builder (Head Contractor)

What's in it for you?

• $160k – $200k package depending on your experience
• Work on design-led, often high-profile projects requiring detailed, in-depth design
• Lead the process from tender through to delivery across education, health, and civic builds ($5M–$40M)
• A HO based role, with time out on site coordinating with site teams
• Join a national builder with a grounded culture and stable pipeline of meaningful work

The Role

This is a key Design Manager role for someone already operating within a commercial head contractor environment. It’s not a transition-from-architecture role — we’re looking for someone who understands the pace, pressures, and practicalities of a builder’s delivery team.

You’ll manage the design process across feasibility, consultant engagement, design development, documentation, and construction. Your focus is balancing design integrity with buildability, compliance, and commercial outcomes while navigating the needs of clients, consultants, and site teams. You’ll be responsible for:

• Leading design coordination and consultant communication
• Managing drawings, specs, compliance, and buildability reviews
• Supporting teams with design resolutions during construction
• Driving outcomes across education, health, science, and civic sectors
• Acting as the key point of contact for all design-related matters
• Adding value through creative problem-solving and practical thinking

You’ll thrive here if you’re motivated by design quality, but grounded enough to deliver within time, budget, and site reality.


The Builder

This national builder delivers fit-out, refurbishment, and new build projects requiring a high level of architectural detailing, stakeholder engagement, and design coordination. With turnover exceeding $100M, they prioritise public benefit projects and technically complex builds.
Project sectors include:

• Education (primary to tertiary)
• Health and hospitals
• Science and laboratory environments
• Museums, libraries, and civic buildings
• Heritage refurbishments and adaptive reuse

The team is experienced, agile, and values process, professionalism, and long-term career development.


Are you suitable?

We’re looking for a Design Manager with proven experience on the builder’s side, confident managing design outcomes on complex commercial projects.
You’ll bring:

• At least 3 years in a Design Manager role within a head contractor
• Experience in non-residential sectors like health, education, or government
• Confidence in leading design conversations with consultants and clients
• A detail-driven, proactive mindset with a problem-solving approach
• The ability to translate vision into buildable, code-compliant outcomes

How to apply

If you have a resume ready to send, forward it to Martin Preece by email at [email protected] or simply click on the 'apply now' tab for this advert and attach your resume.

Or, if you would like a confidential discussion regarding this job before committing to the role - call Martin on 0400 934 025

Feel free to contact Martin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-preece-buildingenvironsrecruitment/

For an up-to-date list of all our vacancies, news and podcasts visit: www.buildingenvirons.com.au


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