Design Manager

Job Description
Company Description:
About Us
McDonald's has run its business in the UK since 1974 and currently operates over 1500 restaurants across the UK and Ireland, serving almost four million customers each day. McDonald's is one of the UK's largest private sector employers, employing over 170,000 people.
Hybrid Working
Hybrid - split between remote/ site visits and 1 day per month in East Finchley & Leicester.
Job Description:
At McDonald's UK & Ireland, we're looking for an experienced and detail-oriented Construction Design Manager to lead design aspects of new build and reimage construction projects. You'll play a crucial role in optimizing restaurant design, ensuring efficiency, innovation, and brand alignment.
What you'll be doing:

• Collaborating with Architects & project teams to develop efficient, high-quality designs for new and refurbished restaurants.
• Leading the Design Working Group, approving bespoke new build and reimage projects.
• Communicating design guidance to Project Management teams through monthly presentations
• Interpreting Global Design Studio standards, implementing them across UK & Ireland. Partnering with Procurement to ensure the availability of all furniture elements.
• Ensuring compliance with Building & Welfare Regulations and UK industry standards.
• Conducting competitor analysis, identifying threats and opportunities in restaurant design.
• Visiting restaurants to review design execution, ensuring compliance and quality.

Qualifications:
What we are looking for:

• 5+ years of experience in a design management role, ideally within retail construction.
• Strong space planning experience (essential) and expertise in producing retail layouts.
• Background in interior design, with a keen eye for optimizing restaurant aesthetics and functionality.
• Excellent communication, negotiation & organizational ability, with stakeholder management expertise.
• Confidence to push back, ensuring design integrity and strategic alignment.
• Ability to manage multiple projects & priorities, ensuring smooth execution.
• Familiarity with UK Building & Welfare Regulations, ensuring compliance.
• Influencing skills, comfortable working with senior management & cross-functional teams.
• Diploma or equivalent qualification in construction-related design.
• Membership in a relevant professional institute (desirable).
• Driving License: A full, clean driving license is required due to the travel involved across the UK & Ireland.

Additional Information:
Company Vision and Culture
Our Global vision is to build a better McDonald's and in the UK and Ireland we are working hard to be the UK & Irelands best-loved restaurant company.
McDonald's is defined by its culture. Our culture shapes and informs everything we think and everything we do. Our culture influences the way we interact with each other, and how we interact with customers, franchisees and suppliers. Our culture motivates and inspires us to attract and retain great talent, creating positive, energising, exceptional working environment for us all.
Our values drive our culture and shape our beliefs, our priorities and our actions. They influence the decisions we make, how we treat one another and how we show up as a brand to the world.
Serve: We put our customers and our people first
Inclusion: We open our doors to everyone
Integrity: We do the right thing
Community: We are good neighbours
Family: We get better together
At McDonald's we are People from all Walks of Life...
People are at the heart of everything we do, and they make the McDonald's experience. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture that means people can be their best authentic self in our restaurants and offices, which helps us to better serve our customers. We have a strong heritage of diversity and representation within our communities, which we are proud of. The diversity of our people, customers, Franchisees and suppliers gives us strength.
We do not tolerate inequality, injustice or discrimination of any kind. These are hugely important issues and a brand with our reach and relevance means we have a very meaningful role to play.
We also recognise our responsibility as a large employer to continue being active in our communities, helping to develop skills and drive aspirations that will help people to be more aware of the world of work and more successful within it, whether with McDonald's or elsewhere."
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