Senior Technical Design & Projects Manager

Job Description:

Salary DOE

Delta Pelio is a growing high\-end bespoke joinery manufacturer based in Basildon. This is a key senior management and highly technical appointment, combining leadership of the CAD Design Department with wider responsibility for technical coordination, project management and the successful delivery of projects from initial enquiry through to manufacture, installation and completion.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Managing Director and take a leading role throughout the full project lifecycle, including client liaison, technical development, design coordination, approvals, programme management, manufacture, installation and handover. They will be expected to maintain a clear overview of project requirements, identify risks early and ensure technical and project information is properly coordinated across the business.

A high level of technical joinery and manufacturing knowledge is essential. The successful candidate must be capable of developing and directing practical solutions for complex bespoke joinery, ensuring that designs are buildable, commercially considered and capable of being implemented effectively within the workshop and on site.

Acting as the senior technical authority within the CAD Design Department, the successful candidate will also represent Delta Pelio in client, design and project meetings, maintain strong working relationships and coordinate closely with architects, contractors, estimating, project management, production, CNC, installation teams and specialist subcontractors.

This is an office\-based role requiring attendance at the Basildon office.

The Opportunity

This appointment offers genuine scope to shape the technical direction and future development of Delta Pelio's design and project delivery functions. The successful candidate will have meaningful influence over technical standards, project management processes, CAD/CAM integration, departmental systems and the flow of information from initial design through manufacture, installation and handover.

As the business continues to grow and invest in its manufacturing capability, the role provides the autonomy to introduce improved systems, technology and ways of working that increase efficiency, accuracy and project delivery. For the right individual, this is intended to become a key long\-term senior position with increasing responsibility and influence as the Company expands.

Key Responsibilities

▪ Lead the CAD Design Department, allocating workloads, setting priorities, managing performance and ensuring design resources are aligned with project and production programmes.

▪ Act as the senior technical authority within the CAD Design Department, personally leading the development and resolution of complex technical requirements and ensuring solutions are practical, buildable, manufacturable and suitable for installation.

▪ Review and challenge proposed designs where required, developing alternative technical solutions that take account of joinery construction, materials, tolerances, structural requirements, fixings, interfaces, movement, finishes, hardware, machining, assembly, transportation and installation.

▪ Provide technical leadership and support to the design team, ensuring designers understand not only what is being drawn, but how and why it will be manufactured, assembled and installed.

▪ Work directly with the Managing Director on departmental strategy, recruitment, technical standards, programme risks and performance reporting, while contributing technical input to wider operational planning, investment and continuous improvement across the business.

▪ Attend and contribute to regular programme and capacity\-planning meetings with the Managing Director, Design Director, Estimating Team and Production Manager, using confirmed and forecast workloads to plan design capacity, priorities, recruitment requirements and production demand.

▪ Take senior responsibility for projects from tender and initial client brief through design development, approvals, manufacture, installation and completion, acting as a key client contact and ensuring technical, commercial and programme requirements are coordinated throughout.

▪ Work with the Managing Director and Estimating Department to assess design complexity, deliverables, surveys, coordination and revision allowances so that design time is estimated accurately; monitor actual hours, identify scope change and ensure variations are commercially captured.

▪ Manage design and project programmes, ensuring client comments, RFIs, technical submissions, design decisions and approvals are captured, allocated and tracked, with information updated and reissued in line with agreed programme requirements and risks escalated promptly.

▪ Lead the front\-end site survey process and personally attend key surveys where required, ensuring dimensions, interfaces, access requirements and site conditions are accurately captured, verified and incorporated into the design information before manufacture.

▪ Establish and manage formal checking and sign\-off procedures so that drawings and manufacturing information are reviewed for accuracy, buildability, coordination and compliance before release, with all required dimensions, tolerances, materials, finishes, hardware, machining, assembly and installation requirements clearly identified.

▪ Ensure the design team maintains accurate drawing, revision, approval, material and finish sample registers, and oversee the coordinated preparation of as\-built drawings, product information and supporting records for O\&M and handover.

▪ Coordinate design information with project management, workshop, CNC, installation teams and specialist subcontractors, including metalwork, stone and glass, resolving technical queries before they affect production or site works.

▪ Investigate design\-related manufacturing or installation issues, identify root causes and implement corrective actions that reduce errors, rework and avoidable cost while improving right\-first\-time production.

▪ Develop and implement efficient departmental and project management processes, templates, checking standards and document controls, including the effective use of SolidWorks and CAD/CAM workflows to improve information quality, CNC readiness and integration between design, project management, production and installation.

▪ Recruit, onboard, mentor and develop the design team, bringing existing and future team members up to Delta Pelio's required technical, quality and efficiency standards while creating a professional and accountable department culture.

Essential Experience and Skills

▪ Proven senior\-level experience leading or managing a CAD, technical design or project delivery function within high\-end bespoke joinery, furniture manufacture, interior fit\-out or a closely related environment.

▪ Exceptional technical capability within bespoke joinery and furniture manufacture, with strong practical knowledge of construction, materials, finishes, hardware, fixings, manufacturing methods, CNC production, technical tolerances, movement allowances, installation requirements and interfaces with other trades.

▪ Proven ability to interpret complex architectural intent, specifications and client requirements, identify technical risks before manufacture and develop practical, commercially considered solutions that can be successfully manufactured and installed.

▪ Advanced AutoCAD capability and strong professional experience using SolidWorks for detailed 3D models, assemblies and manufacturing drawings, with the technical understanding required to establish standards, review the work of others and develop the wider design team.

▪ Strong project management and client\-facing coordination experience, with the ability to take complex projects from initial brief through approvals, manufacture, installation and completion while maintaining effective communication with all project stakeholders.

▪ Commercial awareness, including experience estimating design resource, monitoring design hours, recognising scope change and understanding how design decisions affect cost, programme and margin.

▪ Strong planning, problem\-solving and decision\-making skills, with the ability to manage several projects, competing priorities and demanding deadlines without compromising quality.

▪ Demonstrable ability to recruit, mentor and retain high\-quality design personnel and build a collaborative, accountable and continuously improving team.

▪ Experience establishing and overseeing effective controls for drawings, RFIs, approvals, sample registers, O\&M information and wider project documentation, supported by strong Microsoft Office 365 skills.

▪ A clean, full UK driving licence and the ability to attend project and site meetings when required.

Desirable Experience

▪ Experience with SWOOD, CAM or comparable CNC\-related software, together with proven experience developing and implementing improved technical, design and project management processes that strengthen workflow, information control and integration between design, CNC, production and installation.

▪ A relevant qualification in furniture, product design, engineering, CAD, manufacturing or construction.

▪ Experience delivering complex, high\-value joinery packages and overseeing the coordinated preparation of O\&M and handover information.

Technology \& Systems

The successful candidate will be provided with the professional software, hardware and systems required to perform the role effectively. As part of this senior appointment, they will also have genuine input into the selection and implementation of new design technologies, software and systems that improve efficiency, technical coordination and project delivery across design, project management and manufacturing.

As a senior manager, you will be expected to demonstrate reasonable flexibility where required to

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