Principal Design Coordinator

81865 - Principal Designer Coordinator

This Principal Designer Coordinator will report to the Design Lead and will work within Capital Programme based in our Bury St Edmunds office. You will be a permanent employee.

You will attract a salary of £65,241 plus car and a bonus of 3%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote

Close Date: 06/01/2026

We also provide the following additional benefits

• 25 Days Annual Leave plus bank holidays.
• Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid
• Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)
• Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan
• Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes
• Occupational Health support
• Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers' products
• Discounted gym membership
• Employee Assistance Programme

Job Purpose

Be a focal point and point of reference within the company for CDM compliance within the design teams and provide CDM role to CPP and other directorates (notifiable projects), until such time as CDM regulations change.

You will work across UKPNs OHL and cable diversions portfolio and external customers collating stakeholder requirements. You will ensure the necessary information is available as part of the design process. You will provide professional CDM advice ensuring UKPN achieve full compliance and that CDM regulations are maintained.

You will have specific responsibilities and accountability for:

• Provide advice as point of reference on adherence to the CDM regulations and responsibilities of the Principal Designer.
• Contribute to the production of technical, commercial and contractual documents for procurement of engineering products that comply with internal governance procedures.
• Sourcing survey information from specialist contractors.
• Notification to HSE of all Notifiable projects
• Monitor P6 for progress reports and maintain communications with all parties.
• Summarise action points and learning opportunities from P6 exception reports, design reviews and Requirements and Validation events.
• We ask that you are self-motivated and can work with the minimum supervision.
• The job requires site meetings at UKPN and customer site offices, some travel and work with multiple office locations.
• We require clear communication both written and verbal along with the capacity to learn to use new IT and processes.

Principal Accountabilities

• Provide health, safety, environmental and CDM advice to design team, to allow the team to remain compliant with all statuary H&S regulations
• Monitor and report upon the provision of necessary surveys, reports, investigations and plant/equipment specifications to ensure efficient designs that maximise value engineering opportunities.
• Monitor and report the design progress highlighting resource constraints.
• Monitor the provision and effectiveness of design risk assessments (HEML) are carried out on all projects. To ensure compliance with statuary regulations and safety by design
• Arrange and hold regular design, Value Engineering and HEML reviews, monitoring monthly design progress and reporting, to ensure financial targets are met
• Provide CDM coordination following current regulations to ensure statutory CDM compliance (CPP and other directorates) and when applicable (Principal) Designer responsibilities in capital programme.
• Responsible for the compilation and submission of a statutory notice for all Notifiable projects within their design team and any updates.
• Collate monthly design dashboard, detailing latest view of project portfolios, workloads, delivery programmes, efficiencies and any underlying performance and design issues.
• Provision of accurate and current data to allow managers to co-ordinate delivery of civil / electrical design packages to agree quality, cost and P6 programme and following the Engineering Design Process.

Nature and Scope

To receive projects from Team Leaders/Design Manager and assist the coordination of designers in reaching agreement of the scope of works and deliverables in the form of milestones.

• To help the design lead to ensure the team fulfil the role of principal designer though professional advice.
• Accountable for the liaison with design coordinators/leads who will manage external design resources to ensure that the deliverables are completed to budgetary targets, design brief requirement and within agreed programme.
• Support Design Manager/Technical Leads/Designers for closure of actions.
• Collaborate with technical leads to ensure designs are agreed and reviewed following departmental procedures
• Work as a team player in a dedicated design team.
• The job requires site meetings at UKPN and customer site offices, some travel and work with multiple office locations.
• We require evidence of good written, spoken and visual management skills.
• Communicate with senior colleagues and customers along with the ability to explain complex programming issues to junior staff.
• Support Design Team to produce efficient designs that meet our standards and all necessary statuary and regulatory approvals.
• Be a focal point and be responsible for CDM within the team ensuring compliance with the current CDM regulations.
• Responsible for ensuring Health and safety files and as-built drawings are completed and filed within programmed time scales.
• Help with the capture of Lessons learned and coordinate these back into standards and processes

Skill Qualifications and Experience

• Track record in design coordination with experience in mainstream engineering construction including electrical Networks.
• Knowledge of CDM 2015.
• Hold, or work towards the NEBOSH Construction Certificate
• Technical qualifications at HNC/HND or equivalent experience.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft desktop applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, P6, ProjectWise, & Alfresco.(training may be provided where required)
• Knowledge of Toolkit CDM software (training may be provided where required)
• A good safety ethos with a sound understanding of Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations and their application.
• Work unsupervised, set and comply with own targets, and identify and implement innovative cost saving solutions.
• Be familiar with and follow Quality Assurance procedures and company design standards.
• Hold a full valid UK driving licence.

Health & Safety Responsibilities:

Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.

Employees will ensure they understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.

If in doubt ask!

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at careers@ukpowernetworks.co.uk quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.