Design Director: Estate Management | City Assets Management (Urban Planning)

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Job Description:

Parsons are recruiting for a highly experienced Design Director to join their team!

The Design Director is responsible for providing operational design leadership and assurance across city and district developments, representing the future operator, maintainer and asset owner throughout planning, design development, design reviews and asset delivery activities. The role ensures operational requirements, maintainability considerations, logistical needs, support facilities and service delivery requirements are appropriately reflected within asset designs and associated development proposals.

Acting as the design authority for operability and maintainability, the Design Director provides independent review, challenge, assurance and recommendations across all assets that will require future operations, maintenance, management or service delivery. The position develops and maintains operational design requirements, coordinates stakeholder alignment, supports district and development teams, and manages specialist consultant activities relating to operational design assurance.

The role works closely with Development, Delivery, City Operations, Community Management, Asset Management, Utilities, Mobility, Security, Digital and other operational stakeholders to ensure assets are designed for safe, efficient and sustainable operation throughout their lifecycle. The position also coordinates operational aspects of asset handover activities with City Asset Management to facilitate a smooth transition from development into operations.

What You'll Be Doing;

• Lead operational design reviews of city and district assets to assess operability, maintainability, functionality and long-term serviceability.

• Review asset designs throughout planning, concept, schematic, detailed design and pre-handover stages.

• Challenge design proposals to ensure assets can be safely, efficiently and sustainably operated and maintained.

• Assess asset layouts, operational functionality, maintenance strategies and service delivery requirements.

• Identify operational risks, maintenance constraints, accessibility challenges and service delivery issues that may impact future operations.

• Provide evidence-based recommendations to improve asset operability, maintainability and operational performance.

• Support governance and stage-gate reviews through technical review comments and assurance recommendations.

• Promote whole-life thinking within design reviews to support long-term operational sustainability and value.

• Develop, maintain and continuously improve operational design standards, guidance documents and review criteria.

• Define operability, maintainability and service delivery requirements for use by development and design teams.

• Develop operational requirements relating to maintenance access, serviceability, support facilities and operational infrastructure.

• Establish design review frameworks and assurance processes to support consistent assessment of developments.

• Ensure operational design requirements are embedded within development processes and governance frameworks.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to maintain current and future operational requirements across asset classes.

• Promote alignment between operational objectives, user requirements and design solutions.

• Provide subject matter expertise relating to operational readiness and operational design assurance.

• Review and provide assurance on the sizing, location and functionality of facilities required to support city operations and asset management activities.

• Assess operational support facilities, maintenance compounds, workshops, storage areas, waste facilities, logistics areas and staff support infrastructure.

• Evaluate proposed facility capacities against forecast operational requirements and service delivery needs.

• Ensure operational facilities are appropriately located to maximize efficiency, accessibility and service performance.

• Review space planning requirements associated with operational support activities and future city growth.

• Coordinate with stakeholders to validate operational assumptions and facility utilization requirements.

• Identify opportunities to optimize operational infrastructure and support facilities.

• Ensure asset support facilities align with long-term operating models and maintenance requirements.

• Review and provide assurance on operational logistics requirements associated with city and district assets.

• Assess asset access arrangements, servicing routes, loading facilities, deliveries, refuse collection arrangements and maintenance access requirements.

• Review emergency access provisions and operational resilience considerations.

• Ensure operational logistics requirements are appropriately integrated into development and design proposals.

• Coordinate stakeholder reviews of servicing, operational access and logistics planning arrangements.

• Identify operational conflicts and provide recommendations to improve functionality and service delivery performance.

• Promote safe, efficient and practical operational movement throughout developments.

• Support the development of operationally robust asset and infrastructure solutions.

• Provide operational design subject matter expertise to district development teams throughout planning and design activities.

• Participate in workshops, technical working groups, design reviews and stakeholder engagement activities.

• Coordinate operational stakeholder inputs to ensure consistent and integrated review outcomes.

• Facilitate alignment between Development, Delivery, Asset Management, City Operations, Community Management and specialist operational functions.

• Ensure operational considerations are appropriately represented throughout the design process.

• Support resolution of design issues through structured review, analysis and stakeholder engagement.

• Promote collaboration between project teams and future operational stakeholders.

• Establish effective communication channels to support informed decision-making and coordinated design development.

• Define scopes, deliverables, acceptance criteria and performance requirements for consultants supporting operational design review and assurance activities.

• Manage consultant activities relating to operability, maintainability, facilities planning, logistics planning and operational readiness.

• Review consultant reports, technical studies, assessments and recommendations.

• Ensure consultant outputs align with operational objectives and requirements.

• Coordinate specialist reviews and independent assessments where required.

• Challenge recommendations to ensure practical, efficient and sustainable operational outcomes.

• Escalate significant issues, risks and recommendations to senior management where appropriate.

• Promote effective knowledge transfer and capability development through consultant engagements.

• Support design governance processes through operational design assurance, review comments and technical recommendations.

• Participate in stage-gate reviews and governance forums relating to city and district developments.

• Review design submissions and assess compliance with operational requirements and agreed standards.

• Maintain records of design review findings, risks, actions and assurance outcomes.

• Monitor closure of operational design review comments and stakeholder actions.

• Coordinate operational aspects of asset handover planning with the City Asset Management team.

• Support verification that operational requirements have been appropriately incorporated into delivered assets.

• Facilitate alignment between design teams, delivery teams and future asset owners during handover activities.

• Promote continuous improvement in operational design review processes, methodologies and governance arrangements.

• Capture lessons learned from developments, asset handovers and operational experience.

• Coordinate benchmarking activities with specialist consultants to identify leading industry practices and operational design improvements.

• Monitor design trends, emerging technologies and innovative approaches relevant to asset operations and maintenance.

• Develop leadership reporting, dashboards and management information relating to operational design assurance activities.

• Identify opportunities to improve asset performance, maintainability and operational efficiency through design optimization.

• Support capability development through guidance, coaching and stakeholder engagement.

• Promote evidence-based decision making through robust analysis and transparent reporting.

What Required Skills You'll Bring;

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Facilities Management, Asset Management, Urban Planning, Building Sciences, Construction Management or a related discipline.

• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline is desirable.

• Chartered, licensed or professionally accredited status with a recognized professional institution is preferred.

• Additional qualifications relating to facilities management, asset management, operational readiness or infrastructure planning are advantageous.

• Minimum 20 years of progressive experience in design management, operational readiness, facilities planning, asset management, infrastructure delivery, estate management or related disciplines, including leadership experience.

• Demonstrated experience reviewing complex developments from an operational, maintainability and service delivery perspective.

• Experience influencing design outcomes across multidisciplinary projects and stakeholder groups.

• Experience developing operational requirements, design standards and assurance processes.

• Experience supporting design governance and stage-gate review processes.

• Experience coordinating development, operations, asset management and delivery stakeholders.

• Experience managing consultants, technical advisors and specialist studies.

• Experience within major mixed-use destinations, large-scale developments, infrastructure programs, master-planned communities, cities or giga-projects is strongly preferred.

• Operability and maintainability reviews.

• Operational design assurance.

• Design governance and stage-gate processes.

• Facilities planning and operational infrastructure assessment.

• Operational logistics and accessibility planning.

• Asset handover coordination.

• Stakeholder engagement and cross-functional integration.

• Consultant management and technical assurance.

• Operational readiness planning.

• Whole-life asset performance considerations.

Desirable Skills You'll Bring;

• Operational design assurance.

• Facilities planning and operational readiness.

• Estate management and city operations.

• Asset management and lifecycle optimization.

• Infrastructure operations and service delivery planning.

• Master-planned developments and large-scale destinations.

Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

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