Manager of Project Design

City of Charlotte•Charlotte, NC

15d•$96,323 - $120,404

About The Position

The Manager of Project Design leads and coordinates the planning, engineering, and design phases of a large, complex capital project – the Red Line Commuter Rail project, which includes track and guideway infrastructure, stations, facilities and systems elements. Working under general direction, this role ensures design deliverables meet safety, operational, regulatory, constructability, accessibility, sustainability, and life-cycle requirements. The role oversees consultant design teams, facilitates design reviews, integrates stakeholder needs, and ensures project documentation is complete, traceable, and compliant with funding and permitting requirements. This role supports transition to procurement and construction phases by ensuring design intent, risks, and assumptions are well-documented and communicated, and manages the approval process for design changes during construction.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a closely related technical field.
5 years of progressive experience managing or overseeing design for complex capital infrastructure or facility projects.
Demonstrated experience coordinating multi-disciplinary consultant design teams.
Working knowledge of public-sector project delivery, permitting, and procurement environments.
Knowledge of Engineering and architectural standards, design processes, multi-discipline coordination, and public infrastructure permitting.
Skill in Directing consultant teams, resolving technical conflicts, facilitating design workshops, and synthesizing technical and operational requirements.
Ability to organize heavy and complex workloads, establish and adjust priorities, and accomplish objectives within established scopes, budgets, and schedules are required
Ability to Lead complex design efforts from concept through readiness for construction and communicate design decisions clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Professional registration (PE) desired
Experience with large transit, transportation, or public infrastructure programs.
Experience supporting alternative delivery models (e.g., Design-Build, CM/GC, Progressive Design-Build).
Familiarity with FTA-funded projects, accessibility requirements, and life-safety standards.

Responsibilities

Design Oversight & Coordination Lead and manage the design process across planning, preliminary engineering, final design, and pre-construction phases. Coordinate the work of multiple design disciplines (civil, structural, systems, architecture, signal/communications, environmental, ADA, fire/life safety, and utilities).
Standards, Requirements & Technical Governance Ensure designs comply with applicable codes, engineering standards, design criteria, accessibility requirements, fire/life safety guidelines, operational needs, and federal funding conditions. Maintain configuration control and design decision records.
Stakeholder & Agency Integration Facilitate design coordination with Operations, Maintenance, Safety, Real Estate, Environmental compliance, external utilities, jurisdictions, and third-party stakeholders.
Constructability, Cost & Schedule Alignment Lead constructability reviews, value engineering workshops, and cost-risk analyses in collaboration with Project Controls and construction partners. Coordinate design timelines to align with procurement strategy and construction phasing.
Procurement & Contract Support Develop or review scopes of work, technical specifications, bid documentation, and design-related contractual submittals. Support procurement evaluations and design clarification meetings.
Transition to Construction Ensure design documents support construction execution, testing, commissioning, and system start-up needs, with clearly documented assumptions and change history. Manage design changes during construction and ensure project goals and design intent continue to be met.