Design Enablement Manager

Job Description

Hybrid | Warrington | Competitive Salary + Exceptional Benefits

Ready to shape the specialist services that power one of the UK’s largest engineering design functions? At United Utilities, we’re transforming how we deliver essential infrastructure — and we need a leader who can bring structure, clarity and high‑performance to the federated support functions that underpin our design capability.

This is your opportunity to take a pivotal role where your leadership will influence design quality, programme efficiency and the value we deliver for customers and the environment.

Your mission

As our Engineering Design Enablement Manager, you’ll lead, develop and optimise the federated support services — including Planning, Ecology, Project Controls and other specialist technical functions — ensuring they deliver consistent, high‑quality and commercially efficient support across engineering design.

You’ll directly manage the Ground Engineering function, embedding strong technical standards, effective utilisation and seamless integration with design teams. You’ll drive standardisation, continuous improvement and best‑value performance across all specialist resources, ensuring they are aligned to regulatory, business and programme objectives.

You’ll be doing things like

• Leading and managing federated support functions such as planning, ecology, project controls and other specialist services, ensuring alignment with programme and corporate priorities.
• Providing direct leadership and operational management of the Ground Engineering discipline, ensuring high‑quality technical support across all programmes.
• Embedding standardised ways of working, templates, governance and reporting across support functions to drive efficiency and quality.
• Ensuring effective resource planning, utilisation and allocation across all specialist teams to meet programme and project delivery needs.
• Supporting the delivery of design outputs by ensuring specialist services are aligned, available and delivering best‑value outcomes.
• Working collaboratively with senior leaders across Asset Strategy, Programme Delivery, Operations and Engineering to integrate support services into business processes.
• Driving innovation, continuous improvement and digital transformation across support functions to enhance capability and performance.
• Supporting risk identification and management by ensuring specialist expertise informs decision‑making and technical assurance.
• Developing and maintaining strong supply chain relationships for specialist technical services, ensuring quality, consistency and commercial value.
• Providing governance and oversight of technical compliance, data quality and assurance processes within federated support functions.
• Leading, mentoring and developing specialist teams to build high‑performing groups capable of meeting current and future business needs.
• Establishing and monitoring KPIs for performance, utilisation, cost‑to‑serve and service quality.
• Embedding through‑life asset management principles into design and project delivery through effective integration of specialist support.
• Representing United Utilities in internal and external working groups, governance forums and discussions relating to specialist support functions.

What we’re looking for

• Chartered or working toward Chartered status with a relevant professional institution, or equivalent demonstrable competency.
• Strong leadership and people‑management experience across multi‑disciplinary technical or support service teams.
• Proven experience managing specialist technical functions such as planning, ecology, project controls or ground engineering within a large infrastructure, utility or engineering organisation.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and stakeholder‑management skills, with the ability to operate effectively at senior levels.
• Demonstrable experience managing resources in complex, multi‑project environments with competing priorities.
• Strong commercial awareness, including cost‑to‑serve, risk management, value engineering and programme performance measurement.
• Deep understanding of how support functions integrate into engineering and project delivery processes.
• Experience driving standardisation, continuous improvement and digital transformation within technical teams.
• Resilience to operate in a demanding environment supporting multiple programmes of work.
• Collaborative approach with a track record of building positive internal and external relationships.

What you’ll get

A competitive package that recognises your expertise, including:

• 26–30 days holiday + bank holidays
• Up to 14% employer pension contribution
• £5,000 car allowance
• Up to 20% bonus
• Healthcare, wellbeing benefits, discounts and more

If you’re ready to lead the specialist functions that enable high‑quality engineering design, drive standardisation and deliver best‑value outcomes across our programmes, we’d love to welcome your expertise to United Utilities.