Job Description

Are you a skilled Principal Designer or CDM Manager looking for your next challenge? Join Mitie's dynamic Projects Professional Services team and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of construction health and safety across Mitie's Central Government Portfolio. We're searching for an experienced professional who brings expertise in CDM 2015 compliance and a passion for driving best practice, safety, and innovation. As a key member of our team, you'll provide critical CDM Management and Principal Designer services, ensuring our projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and to the highest standards. If you're ready to make a real impact and champion a culture of excellence, we'd love to hear from you.



We welcome talented applicants from a variety of locations, offering exciting opportunities to join our team and make a meaningful impact across multiple UK regions.


Manchester and the North West Bristol and the South West Leeds and the North East Midlands London and South East

This position will follow a hybrid model with remote work as the primary base; however, travel to sites will be required when hands-on support is necessary and to ensure project delivery meets established standards. On-site attendance will be important during certain project phases to facilitate collaboration with teams and stakeholders, address challenges as they arise, and maintain adherence to health, safety, and compliance requirements.



You'll be at the heart of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team, supporting an impressive range of projects from 250,000 to more than 5 million. Each project is overseen by a dedicated Project Manager, with expert support from Heads of Projects, Quantity Surveyors, and Project Coordinators. Working in this collaborative environment, you'll have the support you need to deliver outstanding results for a diverse array of clients and initiatives.



Mitie often serves as the Client Representative, handling related responsibilities for clients. Our contracts require us to act as both Principal Designer and Principal Contractor, which is crucial for safe, compliant project delivery.



We are seeking a highly experienced and knowledgeable professional with proven competence in CDM 2015. The successful candidate will drive compliance, champion best practice, and contribute to consistently high standards of service delivery. They will play a key role in delivering successful outcomes for our clients while actively capturing, sharing, and strengthening CDM and construction health and safety knowledge across the Projects team.



The Principal Designer/CDM Manager will hold operational responsibility for ensuring Mitie meets its legal duties under the CDM 2015 Regulations. This includes planning, managing, monitoring, and coordinating health and safety during the pre-construction phase, as well as supporting the coordination of health and safety throughout the construction phase. The objective is to ensure that all projects are delivered without risk to the health, safety, or welfare of workers and any others affected by the works.

Key Objectives and Responsibilities of the Role:

Ensure effective implementation, management, and compliance with CDM 2015 Regulations, health and safety legislation, and industry best practices across all Mitie projects. Promote Mitie's CDM and health and safety policies to embed a strong safety culture across all project phases. Provide expert advice, guidance, and support to project teams throughout all RIBA stages--from enquiry and briefing, through design, tender, mobilisation, construction delivery, to practical completion and handover. Oversee the safe delivery of projects carried out by, for, or on behalf of Mitie, ensuring all parties--clients, designers, consultants, and contractors--understand and fulfil their duties under CDM regulations. Facilitate clear communication and collaboration among all stakeholders during both the pre-construction/design and construction phases. Build and maintain strong professional relationships with clients, tracking satisfaction and performance in managing project risks and responsibilities. Tailor CDM management and support to suit the scale, complexity, and risk profile of each project. Collaborate with HSE, quality, and audit teams to ensure consistent alignment with Mitie's policies and procedures. Actively contribute to CDM and Projects team meetings by sharing insights, lessons learned, and identifying priority health and safety risks affecting Mitie and its clients.

Main Duties:

Formally agree and define the scope of Principal Designer and/or CDM services with the client on a project-by-project basis, including arrangements for planning, managing, and monitoring the pre-construction phase. Maintain ongoing client liaison and engagement throughout all stages of the project lifecycle. Provide support and guidance to the client in developing the project brief where required. Ensure formal appointments and acceptance of Principal Designer and Principal Contractor roles are in place. Submit F10 notifications to the HSE, where applicable. Facilitate clear and effective communication among all project stakeholders--including Mitie, clients, designers, and contractors--and encourage regular progress meetings. Support the client in identifying and compiling pre-construction information, and ensure timely distribution to relevant parties. Conduct site visits to identify existing hazards and client-imposed restrictions for inclusion in the pre-construction information. Highlight gaps in pre-construction information and advise the client when further investigations or surveys are needed. Ensure that health and safety risks are identified, communicated, and captured in the project risk register. Monitor and support designers in fulfilling their duties under the CDM Regulations. Promote coordination and cooperation between designers, ensuring complex or unusual design elements are developed with safe construction methods and shared with the Principal Contractor(s). Gather relevant design and risk information from designers and provide it to the Principal Contractor(s) in a timely manner. Maintain regular liaison with the construction team to ensure continuous exchange of health and safety information throughout the build phase. Verify that supplier appointments consider organisational capabilities and individual competencies (SKET), including compliance with any client-specific vetting requirements. Review and support the development of Construction Phase Health and Safety Plans, as needed. Carry out formal reviews of risk assessments and method statements where required. Ensure all CDM documentation and supporting project information is always 'Audit Ready'. Oversee the handover of relevant information from designers and contractors for inclusion in the Health and Safety File during construction. Compile and maintain the Health and Safety File as the project progresses. Deliver the final Health and Safety File--including Operations & Maintenance manuals--in the required format and within agreed timescales following project completion.

Additional Duties:

Conduct CDM health and safety inspections on live project sites to monitor compliance and identify areas for improvement. Support Project Managers during both internal Mitie audits and external project audits. Deliver CDM-related training sessions and workshops to Mitie personnel and external stakeholders, promoting continual improvement of CDM and health and safety competencies. Monitor, record, and analyse project-related accidents and incidents Contribute to the creation of management reports, internal newsletters, and bulletins to share updates and key information within the Projects teams. Provide advice on a range of specialist topics, including fire safety, hazardous materials, asbestos management, temporary works, work at height, confined spaces, and demolition activities. Fully engage in required training and appraisal activities to support role development and personal performance. Stay informed on new and evolving legislation and maintain expert working knowledge of CDM and wider health and safety regulations. Communicate relevant updates and manage the rollout of changes across the Projects team and wider Mitie network.

To meet the high expectations of our diverse and discerning clients--as well as our internal teams--we are seeking a candidate who is ambitious, entrepreneurial, and confident, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment. We welcome applicants from various backgrounds, including construction, QHSE, design, and engineering.



We're looking for someone who is creative and forward-thinking, constantly seeking new ways to improve how we operate as a team and in collaboration with our supply chain. You will be pragmatic, proactive, empowered, and bring energy, initiative, and commercial acumen to help move our team and business forward.



To meet the high expectations of our diverse range of projects and clients, we are seeking candidates who are ambitious, entrepreneurial, and confident, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment. We welcome applicants from various backgrounds, including construction, QHSE, design, and engineering.



We're looking for someone who is creative and forward-thinking, constantly seeking new ways to improve how we operate as a team and in collaboration with our supply chain. You will be pragmatic, proactive, empowered, and bring energy, initiative, and commercial acumen to help move our team and business forward.

Key Attributes:

Strong client focus with the interpersonal skills to build trust and credibility across all project stakeholders. A collaborative team player with a positive, polite, and respectful attitude. Patience and diplomacy, essential for fostering a cooperative project environment. Self-driven, capable of working independently while delivering consistently high standards of service. Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities. Excellent verbal and written communication skills to convey complex CDM and health and safety concepts clearly. Confident presenter with the ability to engage varied audiences. Open-minded and responsive to client and project-specific adaptations. Skilled negotiator--able to advocate for safety without compromising on project progress. Analytical thinker with a talent for simplifying and explaining complex issues. Naturally inquisitive, with strong attention to detail and investigative instincts. Flexible approach to work, with readiness to adapt to shifting demands. UK driving licence; willing to travel as needed to support project needs.

Qualifications and Experience:

Three years' experience in a Principal Designer position Working knowledge of the CDM Regulations 2015 Experience advising on CDM compliance within complex projects Completion of a two-day Principal Designer training course (Desirable or willing to work towards) NEBOSH Construction Certificate, General Certificate, or comparable QHSE qualification Association for Project Safety (APS) membership--IMaPS Desirable or willing to work towards Professional qualification in design or engineering discipline (Desirable or willing to work towards) Experience with public and private sector construction projects Knowledge in areas such as asbestos, temporary works, fire safety, or confined spaces is beneficial Understanding of prevention principles and design risk reduction Proficient with Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams

Qualifications and Experience:

Candidate must hold or be able to achieve SC level security clearance