Design Manager

About the Role: Design Manager, Canterbury

Cook Brothers Construction are currently seeking a Design Manager based in our Canterbury office to lead and coordinate the design process for our ECI and Design Build projects. This dynamic role offers the opportunity to work closely with clients, consultants, and our construction team, ensuring innovative, cost-effective, and high-quality outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and organise design meetings with clients and consultants, prepare agendas, and coordinate minutes.
• Engage with Trade Partners and Estimators to provide cost-effective solutions during the ECI/Design phase.
• Foster strong relationships with clients, consultants, and construction teams in a collaborative partnership.
• Manage design documentation within Procore for seamless distribution to relevant stakeholders.
• Prepare ECI / Design Build proposals, briefs, and scoping documents based on CBC pre-construction structures.
• Collaborate with estimating and marketing teams to develop complete submission packages
• Review design documentation at all stages, identifying gaps and areas for further coordination.
• Assist with development feasibility assessments, including bulk, location, preliminary design, and high-level budgets.
• Stay updated on relevant Construction Contracts Acts, Local Government Acts, and Codes, sharing knowledge with the team to mitigate compliance risks.
• Oversee and manage design phase coordination to deliver high-quality project outcomes.

This is a key leadership role for someone who thrives on variety, innovation, and collaboration, delivering projects that balance creativity, commercial acumen, and construction excellence.

About You

With a minimum of 5+ years’ experience on Tier 1 or Tier 2 construction projects and a national diploma or degree, you bring strong technical and commercial expertise. Skilled at leading design meetings, coordinating design processes, and managing commercial risk, you are confident reading and interpreting construction drawings. 

Building and maintaining positive relationships with clients, consultants, and teams comes naturally, alongside clear verbal and written communication. Experience with construction programming, finance, and CmBuilder is highly regarded.

A professional with integrity, negotiation skills, and a collaborative mindset, you thrive in a fast-paced environment and are proficient in Word, Excel, and Outlook. A current driver’s licence is required.

About Us

At Cook Brothers Construction, we back our teams to take ownership, make smart calls, and deliver with pride. Our strength lies in our people and their drive to continually raise the bar. This has led to a legacy of 20 years of dedication and teamwork. We value hard work, celebrate achievements, and take pride in the results we create and the connections we form.

From our Dunedin roots to growth across Auckland, Canterbury, Southern Lakes, Wānaka, and Otago, we’ve built a reputation as one of New Zealand’s leading construction firms.

Our foundations are clear: innovation, quality, sustainability, client satisfaction, health, safety and wellbeing.

If you’re looking to contribute to a company that values trust, collaboration, and growth, Cook Brothers is the place to be.

Why Join Us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a supportive, high-performing construction team.

If you are ready to take the next step in your career with a company that values its people, apply now!

At Cook Brothers Construction, your health, safety, and wellbeing are our top priority. Before starting with us, you’ll need to complete and pass a pre-employment medical, including drug and alcohol testing.

Please note, we are not accepting applications from external recruitment agencies for this role.

Please submit your application via Seek