Pre-Development Design Manager - #2192835

Pre-Development Design Manager

Salary: £60,000–£65,000 + Company Car / Allowance
Location: Yorkshire

The Opportunity

An established residential developer is looking to appoint an experienced Pre-Development Design Manager to join its Technical team.

This is a key position responsible for overseeing residential development opportunities from initial site assessment and feasibility through planning approval, design development and pre-construction.

Working closely with the Head of Technical, Land, Commercial and wider Development teams, you will take ownership of the design and planning process across multiple residential sites, ensuring each development is coordinated, commercially viable and progressed in line with the company's objectives.

The successful candidate will ideally come from an architectural background, with strong experience in residential development, planning strategy and design management. You will be confident managing external consultants, overseeing design proposals and driving projects through the planning process towards construction readiness.

The Role

• Take ownership of multiple residential development sites from initial feasibility through planning, design development and pre-construction.

• Work closely with the Land team to assess new opportunities, reviewing site constraints, planning potential and development viability.

• Lead the design process, ensuring proposals are coordinated, practical and aligned with the overall development strategy.

• Manage planning applications, coordinating submissions, supporting reports, technical information and external planning consultants.

• Review architectural and engineering proposals, identifying design challenges, technical constraints and opportunities.

• Appoint, coordinate and manage external architects, engineers, planning consultants and technical advisers.

• Oversee design development, ensuring key deliverables are achieved against agreed programmes.

• Establish and manage pre-development and pre-construction programmes, monitoring milestones, dependencies and critical-path activities.

• Identify planning, technical and programme risks, implementing strategies to mitigate delays and maximise development opportunities.

• Work alongside the Commercial team to ensure design proposals align with development appraisals, cost plans and commercial objectives.

• Identify opportunities to improve site layouts, design efficiency, buildability and overall development viability.

• Coordinate internal departments and external stakeholders to resolve design, planning and technical issues.

• Provide regular updates to senior management on project progress, planning status, risks and key decisions.

• Drive developments towards planning approval and a coordinated, commercially viable, construction-ready position.

The Ideal Candidate

• Strong architectural background, ideally with experience in residential housing development.

• Proven experience within a housebuilder, residential developer or architectural consultancy.

• Extensive understanding of the planning process, including applications, policy considerations, technical reports and approvals.

• Experience managing multiple residential developments through pre-development and planning stages.

• Strong design management and external consultant coordination experience.

• Experience producing and managing pre-construction programmes.

• Commercial awareness, with an understanding of development viability, cost planning and value engineering.

• Confident managing external consultants and coordinating multiple internal departments.

• Excellent project management, organisational and communication skills.

• A proactive, commercially minded individual capable of taking ownership and driving developments forward.

What's on Offer?

• Salary of £60,000–£65,000, depending on experience.

• Company car or car allowance.

• Senior position within an established residential development business.

• Responsibility for a portfolio of residential development opportunities.

• Exposure to land acquisition, planning strategy, design management and pre-construction.

• Opportunity to play a key role in shaping and progressing residential developments from initial concept through to construction.