Design Manager (Site) – Data Centres

Location: Middlesbrough
Reporting To: Project Director
Employment Type: Full-Time, Site-Based
Rotation: Mon-Fri - OT if required

About CTS Group

CTS Group is a leading international design and build contractor specialising in the delivery of mission-critical data centre facilities across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). We combine engineering excellence, digital innovation, and construction expertise to deliver high-performance, sustainable, and scalable infrastructure for hyperscale, colocation, and enterprise clients.

With a diverse workforce representing more than 40 nationalities, we foster a collaborative and high-performance culture where technical excellence, safety, and innovation underpin everything we do. Alongside our construction capabilities, CTS develops advanced digital solutions and standardised modular infrastructure, enabling faster, smarter, and more efficient data centre delivery.

As we continue to expand across the UK and Europe, we are seeking an experienced Design Manager (Site) to join our growing project delivery team.

The Role

The Design Manager (Site) serves as the primary design authority on site, ensuring that all works are delivered in accordance with the approved design, project specifications, client requirements, and regulatory standards.

Embedded within the project delivery team, you will act as the critical link between site operations, subcontractors, specialist vendors, client representatives, and CTS's Design & Engineering function. You will lead the management of RFIs, technical queries, design changes, and construction-phase coordination, ensuring that design intent is maintained throughout the build, commissioning, and handover stages.

This is a highly visible role suited to an individual who thrives in fast-paced, technically complex environments and possesses a strong understanding of data centre design, construction, and delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Design Leadership & Coordination

• Act as the lead design representative on site and primary point of contact for all construction-phase design matters.

• Coordinate closely with project teams, subcontractors, consultants, vendors and client representatives to ensure seamless design implementation.

• Support the Project Director in resolving technical challenges and maintaining programme objectives.

• Provide regular updates on design status, technical risks, outstanding actions and change requests.

Design Management & Technical Governance

• Manage the RFI and Technical Query (TQ) process, ensuring timely review, response and closure.

• Review and coordinate contractor submittals, shop drawings, material approvals and vendor documentation.

• Ensure construction teams are working to current approved design information at all times.

• Lead design reviews of site issues and provide practical, buildable solutions while maintaining design integrity.

• Assess proposed site changes and manage the design change process, considering programme, cost, quality, resilience and compliance impacts.

Site Delivery & Quality Assurance

• Conduct regular site inspections, audits and walk-downs to verify installations align with approved designs.

• Identify, track and resolve design-related non-conformances and quality issues.

• Support multidisciplinary coordination across electrical, mechanical, public health, controls, fire protection and specialist systems.

• Work closely with QA/QC teams to ensure installations meet project specifications and client expectations.

BIM & Digital Coordination

• Collaborate with BIM and digital engineering teams to resolve clashes and coordinate field changes.

• Ensure all design modifications are accurately captured within the BIM model and Common Data Environment (CDE).

• Support digital construction processes and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.

Commissioning & Handover Support

• Provide technical support throughout testing, commissioning and Integrated Systems Testing (IST) activities.

• Assist in resolving commissioning issues and design-related observations.

• Support the production and review of as-built documentation, red-line mark-ups and final handover packages.

• Ensure design information is complete and accurately transferred to operations and facilities management teams.

Compliance & Safety

• Promote and uphold Safety in Design principles throughout project delivery.

• Support compliance with UK Building Regulations, Building Safety Act requirements, CDM Regulations and project-specific standards.

• Assist with inspections, approvals and interactions with building control authorities and statutory bodies.

Continuous Improvement

• Capture and communicate lessons learned from site activities to improve CTS standards, design methodologies and future projects.

• Contribute to the development of best practices, standard details and reference designs across the business.

About You

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Degree qualified in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Building Services Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture, or a related technical discipline.

• Minimum 7 years' experience within design management, design coordination, engineering or construction delivery roles.

• At least 3 years' experience working in a site-based design management or construction-phase engineering environment.

• Proven experience delivering data centre, mission-critical, pharmaceutical, industrial, infrastructure or other highly technical projects.

• Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical systems and their integration within complex building environments.

• Experience managing RFIs, technical queries, submittals, design coordination and design change control processes.

• Experience supporting testing, commissioning and project handover activities.

• Strong knowledge of BIM workflows, digital coordination and Common Data Environments such as Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), BIM 360 and Navisworks.

• Thorough understanding of UK construction legislation, including:

  • Building Regulations and Approved Documents

  • Building Safety Act 2022

  • CDM Regulations 2015

  • BS 7671

  • Relevant British Standards and Eurocodes

• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and problem-solving skills.

• Full professional proficiency in English.

Desirable

• Previous experience working for an EPC contractor, design-build contractor or engineering consultancy delivering large-scale projects.

• Experience on hyperscale or enterprise data centre developments.

• Understanding of Uptime Institute Tier classifications and resilience strategies.

• Knowledge of modular or prefabricated data centre solutions.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to play a key role in the successful delivery of some of the UK's most complex and high-profile data centre projects. You will work alongside industry-leading professionals in a fast-growing international organisation that values innovation, collaboration and technical excellence.

In return, we offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits package

• Career progression opportunities within a rapidly expanding business

• Exposure to major hyperscale and mission-critical developments

• International, collaborative and high-performance working environment

• Structured professional development and training opportunities

• Flexible remote working during scheduled rotation periods

Eligibility to Work in the UK

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom at the time of application and throughout their employment. Please note that CTS Group is unable to provide visa sponsorship or support Skilled Worker visa applications for this position. Candidates requiring current or future sponsorship to work in the UK will not be considered.

If you are an experienced Design Manager looking to contribute to the delivery of world-class data centre projects, we would welcome your application.