General Summary
The Design Management Lead acts as the client's (owner's) primary representative for coordinating, managing, and governing the design review process across all project stakeholders. They ensure that the design meets operational, regulatory, safety, budget, schedule, and stakeholder requirements before construction.
All duties shall be carried out in compliance with client policies and procedures, applicable regulations, and company standards.
Key Responsibilities
Design Governance and Review Leadership
¦ Establish and manage the overall design review framework, procedures, and review schedule.
¦ Lead multidisciplinary design reviews and stage-gate approvals.
¦ Ensure design submissions meet owner requirements, contractual obligations, and program objectives.
¦ Drive timely resolution of review comments, issues, and design decisions.
Stakeholder Management
¦ Lead engagement with airport departments, airlines, regulatory agencies, and key project stakeholders.
¦ Facilitate alignment of operational, commercial, technical, and customer experience requirements.
¦ Resolve conflicting stakeholder inputs and secure consensus on design decisions.
¦ Ensure stakeholder feedback is incorporated and tracked throughout the design process.
Requirements Management
¦ Maintain and govern the Owner's Project Requirements and design criteria.
¦ Ensure design solutions align with operational, capacity, passenger experience, and maintenance objectives.
¦ Verify traceability of requirements throughout all design phases.
¦ Identify and address gaps between project requirements and proposed designs.
Technical Design Review Coordination
¦ Coordinate multidisciplinary reviews across architectural, structural, civil, MEP, and airport systems disciplines.
¦ Validate design completeness, coordination, and technical compliance.
¦ Consolidate review comments and oversee timely closure of design issues.
¦ Promote consistency and integration across all design packages.
Interface and Integration Management
¦ Manage critical interfaces between terminal, airfield, landside, utility, and operational systems.
¦ Identify and resolve design conflicts across disciplines and stakeholders.
¦ Ensure integration of airport operational, security, baggage, and technology systems.
¦ Coordinate design solutions that support uninterrupted airport operations.
Design Quality Assurance
¦ Implement design quality and assurance processes across all phases.
¦ Lead constructability, operability, and maintainability reviews.
¦ Verify compliance with airport standards, codes, and owner requirements.
¦ Drive continuous improvement in design quality and review effectiveness.
Risk Management
¦ Identify, assess, and communicate design-related risks and opportunities.
¦ Maintain visibility of critical design risks affecting cost, schedule, operations, and safety.
¦ Develop mitigation strategies in collaboration with designers and project teams.
¦ Escalate significant issues requiring executive action or decision-making.
Budget and Value Management
¦ Ensure design development remains aligned with approved budgets and program objectives.
¦ Monitor scope growth and evaluate cost impacts of design decisions.
¦ Support value engineering and optimization initiatives.
¦ Balance operational requirements, quality, and cost considerations.
Regulatory and Compliance Oversight
¦ Ensure compliance with aviation, security, building code, accessibility, and safety requirements.
¦ Coordinate regulatory reviews and approval processes.
¦ Verify incorporation of permitting and authority requirements into the design.
¦ Support resolution of compliance-related issues and design exceptions.
Design Change Control
¦ Govern the review and approval of design changes, deviations, and exceptions.
¦ Assess impacts of proposed changes on project scope, budget, schedule, and operations.
¦ Maintain design decision logs and change management records.
¦ Ensure formal resolution and documentation of design modifications.
BIM and Digital Coordination
¦ Oversee BIM requirements and model-based design review processes.
¦ Support clash detection, design coordination, and information management activities.
¦ Ensure digital asset information supports commissioning and long-term operations.
¦ Promote effective use of digital technologies across the project lifecycle.
Reporting and Executive Communication
¦ Provide regular updates on design progress, risks, decisions, and key performance indicators.
¦ Prepare executive briefings and stage-gate approval recommendations.
¦ Communicate critical issues, emerging risks, and mitigation plans to project leadership.
¦ Support informed decision-making through clear and timely reporting.
Qualifications
¦ Strong knowledge of airport terminal design, design management, and multidisciplinary design review processes throughout all phases of project development.
¦ Comprehensive understanding of aviation planning, terminal operations, passenger processing, baggage handling systems, security systems, and airside/landside interfaces.
¦ Knowledge of engineering, architecture, construction, and operational requirements associated with large-scale airport infrastructure programs.
¦ Experience with design governance, design quality management, value engineering, constructability reviews, and design risk management.
¦ Familiarity with aviation regulatory requirements, building codes, life safety standards, accessibility requirements, and permitting processes.
¦ Strong understanding of project delivery methods including Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, and GC/CM.
¦ Ability to lead multidisciplinary design teams and coordinate reviews among owners, designers, operators, airlines, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders.
¦ Strong leadership, communication, facilitation, negotiation, conflict resolution, and organizational skills.
¦ Ability to manage multiple design packages, competing priorities, and complex stakeholder environments.
¦ Proficiency with BIM and design collaboration tools such as Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), Revit, Navisworks, Bluebeam, SharePoint, and Microsoft Office Suite.
Requirements
Experience Requirements
¦ Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible experience in design management, program management, engineering, architecture, construction management, or related fields.
¦ Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary design reviews for large capital development programs.
¦ Experience managing design consultants, technical advisors, stakeholder review groups, and specialty engineering disciplines.
¦ Proven experience coordinating design activities within active operational environments while minimizing impacts to ongoing operations.
¦ Experience with airport terminal development, terminal modernization, concourse expansion, baggage handling systems, and other aviation infrastructure projects preferred.
¦ Experience with design quality management, value engineering, constructability reviews, and design issue resolution.
¦ Experience with public-sector project delivery, regulatory agency coordination, and stakeholder engagement processes preferred.
¦ Experience supporting BIM-enabled project delivery and digital design coordination preferred.
Education Requirements
¦ Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Aviation Management, Planning, or a related field.
¦ Master's degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Business Administration, Aviation Management, or a related discipline is preferred.
¦ Professional certifications such as PE, RA, PMP, CCM, DBIA, LEED AP, or equivalent are preferred.
¦ Specialized training or certifications in aviation planning, BIM management, design management, or program management are desirable
This position offers the opportunity to work on impactful projects that contribute to the development and improvement of critical infrastructure. Candidates with a passion for excellence and a track record of success in project management are encouraged to apply.
Work Environment / Conditions
The work environment and exposures described here are representative of those encountered while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.
¦ Position involves a combination of office-based project management, stakeholder engagement, and project coordination activities.
¦ Periodic visits to project sites, client facilities, construction sites, and operational environments may be required.
¦ Travel may be required depending on project assignments and client needs.
¦ Position may require managing multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities and deadlines.
