Design Leadership Jobs in United Kingdom
Find your next Design Leadership role at companies that value creative talent
Showing 142 jobs
Security Design Manager - Stations
🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
Hs2 (high Speed Two) Ltd 🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
The Security Design Manager will lead the security interface between the HS2 Railway Directorate and the supply chain to produce compliant security design deliverables. They will provide subject matter expert support to project teams and ensure all designs align with HMG standards and UK legislation.
Framework Engineering & Design Manager
🇬🇧 West Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Costain Group Plc 🇬🇧 West Sussex, England, United Kingdom
The role involves leading engineering design and assurance across the entire project lifecycle for Gatwick airport infrastructure frameworks. You will manage a multidisciplinary team, oversee design compliance, and ensure all works are delivered safely, on time, and within budget.
Design Manager
🇬🇧 Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
Wates Group 🇬🇧 Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom
Lead and coordinate the design process for residential construction projects from tender through to completion. Manage consultants, subcontractors, and design information to ensure buildability, compliance, and commercial viability.
Senior Design Manager
🇬🇧 England, United Kingdom
Skanska 🇬🇧 England, United Kingdom
The Senior Design Manager will lead the design process and team from the initial bid and PCSA stages through to construction, completion, and handover. They are responsible for managing design contracts, ensuring compliance with cost, time, quality, and safety standards, and overseeing the delivery of design deliverables.
Service Design Manager
🇬🇧 Redhill, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Gattaca 🇬🇧 Redhill, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
The Service Design Manager is responsible for defining and implementing service design and transition strategies for large-scale IT programmes. They lead end-to-end service design activities, ensuring processes, governance, and operational readiness are maintained throughout the service lifecycle.
Assistant Design Manager
🇬🇧 Coventry, England, United Kingdom
Psr Solutions 🇬🇧 Coventry, England, United Kingdom
The Assistant Design Manager will oversee design processes during pre-construction and construction phases to ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, and within budget. They are responsible for coordinating external design consultants and collaborating with internal teams to develop comprehensive contractor proposals.
Design Manager
🇬🇧 Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Tiptopjob 🇬🇧 Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Manage construction projects through the full lifecycle, from initial bid stages and detailed design to site delivery. Coordinate design processes and ensure effective communication across project teams to meet client requirements.
Design Manager
🇬🇧 Southampton, England, United Kingdom
Tiptopjob 🇬🇧 Southampton, England, United Kingdom
Manage the full project life cycle from bid stages and detailed design through to site delivery. Coordinate with internal teams and stakeholders to ensure projects are delivered within the framework requirements.
Digital Design Manager
🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
Atlassian Williams F1 Team 🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
You will lead the digital creative output, owning the quality and direction of all digital assets including the website, app, and campaign materials. You will collaborate with the Head of Creative, Social, and Brand teams to ensure integrated, high-performing digital experiences that align with the broader brand strategy.
Security Design Manager - Stations
🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
Hs2 (high Speed 2) 🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
The Security Design Manager leads the security interface between the HS2 Railway Directorate and the supply chain to produce security design deliverables. They provide subject matter expert support and ensure all designs are compliant with UK legislation and safety requirements.
Design Lead / Design Manager - Womenswear
🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
Zachary Daniels 🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
The Design Lead will take ownership of the Womenswear design direction, developing seasonal concepts and building commercially relevant ranges. They will also lead and mentor a growing team of designers while working closely with commercial and creative stakeholders.
Design Manager
🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
Fawkes & Reece 🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
The Design Manager will oversee the design process, coordinate consultants and subcontractors, and drive technical solutions for a major high-rise development. They are responsible for ensuring all designs are fully coordinated and deliverable on-site from pre-construction through to completion.
Primary Design Manager
🇬🇧 Stafford, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom
Ge Vernova 🇬🇧 Stafford, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom
Lead and coordinate global engineering teams to deliver high-quality primary plant designs for HV/EHV substation projects. Ensure compliance with regulatory standards, manage project milestones, and provide technical leadership to junior engineers.
Architectural Design Manager
🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
Stack Infrastructure Emea 🇬🇧 City of London, London, United Kingdom
Act as the architectural subject matter expert for hyperscale data centre projects, overseeing the full lifecycle from site due diligence to construction and handover. Review and challenge designs from external consultants to ensure compliance with technical standards, regulatory obligations, and operational requirements.
Design Manager
🇬🇧 Cradley Heath, Cradley Heath Bus Station, B64 7AR, United Kingdom
Jb Products (dudley) Ltd 🇬🇧 Cradley Heath, Cradley Heath Bus Station, B64 7AR, United Kingdom
Lead and mentor a design and CAD team while overseeing complex sheet metal fabrication projects from concept to manufacture. Act as the primary technical bridge between the factory, clients, and construction sites to ensure accurate and cost-effective designs.
About Design Leadership careers
Design leaders in 2026 set the strategic vision for design organizations navigating an AI-saturated market. This role requires a balance of craft expertise and high-level business acumen to advocate for design's value at the executive level.
Effective leaders foster a culture of technical agency, establishing systems that allow human creativity and machine efficiency to coexist.
Companies like Stripe and Airbnb seek VPs and Directors of Design who can scale teams and align design strategy with long-term business objectives.
We feature senior leadership positions including Design Directors, Heads of Design, VP of Design, Chief Design Officers, and design team leads at companies like Meta, Google, Airbnb, Stripe, and fast-growing AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. These roles span product design, brand, and cross-functional design organizations.
Many companies offer remote design leadership roles, including distributed-first companies like Notion, Linear, GitLab, and Vercel. AI companies like Midjourney and Anthropic also hire remote design leaders. Some companies prefer hybrid arrangements for VP+ positions.
Most positions require 8–15+ years of design experience with 3–5+ years managing teams. Strong candidates demonstrate strategic thinking, team building, stakeholder management, and a track record of shipping successful products at companies like Figma, Spotify, Netflix, or emerging AI startups. Browse leadership portfolios to see how experienced designers showcase their impact.
Design leadership salaries are highly competitive: Design Directors earn $160k–$240k, VPs of Design $220k–$350k+, and CDOs at major companies can exceed $400k with significant equity packages. AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks often offer premium total compensation. Consult our salary guide for detailed breakdowns.