Design Manager (Kano-Maradi Railway Project)

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Design Manager (Kano-Maradi Railway Project)

Location: Kano

Mission

• The Design Manager serves as the primary interface between the Project Team, Client, Design Consultants, Independent Engineers, Regulatory Authorities, and Construction Teams to ensure that design solutions are technically sound, constructible, cost-effective, sustainable, and delivered in alignment with project objectives.
• The Design Manager is responsible for leading, coordinating, reviewing, and controlling all multidisciplinary engineering and design activities related to the Kano-Maradi Railway Project, ensuring that the railway infrastructure, stations, structures, track systems, signaling, telecommunications, electrical, mechanical, geotechnical, and associated facilities are designed in compliance with contractual requirements, client specifications, Nigerian standards, international railway standards, lender requirements, project schedules, and budget constraints.
• The project comprises a major railway corridor with stations, bridges, culverts, maintenance facilities, freight yards, and rail systems infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities
Design Leadership:

• Establish design priorities and technical standards.
• Ensure integration between civil, structural, geotechnical, architectural, railway systems, MEP, signaling, telecommunications, and environmental designs;
• Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams;
• Develop and implement the overall design management strategy;
• Lead and manage all design activities for the railway project;

Design Planning and Control:

• Ensure timely submission of design packages to the Client and Engineer.
• Develop and maintain the design schedule;
• Coordinate design deliverables with construction requirements;
• Monitor progress against engineering milestones;
• Identify design risks and implement mitigation measures;

Technical Management:

• Review and approve engineering calculations, drawings, specifications, and technical reports;
• Review value engineering proposals and optimization opportunities;
• Manage design interfaces between disciplines and contractors;
• Verify compliance with project technical requirements and contractual obligations;
• Resolve complex engineering issues.

Railway Systems Integration

• Oversee engineering coordination for:
  • Signaling systems;
  • Power supply systems;
  • Freight yards and operational facilities;
  • Stations and ancillary buildings;
  • Depot and maintenance facilities;
  • Bridges and structures;
  • Permanent way and track design;
  • Telecommunications systems;
  • Earthworks and drainage;
• The railway includes numerous bridges, culverts, stations, rail infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and operational systems requiring coordinated design management.

Stakeholder Management:

• Participate in technical meetings and design review sessions.
• Manage relationships with:
  • Lenders and Technical Advisors.
  • Supervising Engineers;
  • Design Consultants;
  • Federal Ministry of Transportation;
  • Independent Consultants;
  • Regulatory Authorities;
• Act as the focal point for all design-related communications;

Design Quality Assurance:

• Establish document review and approval workflows;
• Coordinate multidisciplinary design reviews;
• Ensure compliance with ISO and project quality management systems;
• Implement design quality control processes;
• Manage non-conformities and design change requests;

Construction Support:

• Support commissioning and testing activities.
• Provide technical support during construction;
• Coordinate responses to site engineering issues;
• Manage design clarifications and revisions;
• Review Requests for Information (RFIs);

Change Management:

• Maintain design registers and revision histories;
• Assess technical and commercial impacts of design changes;
• Obtain required approvals before implementation.
• Control design modifications;

Budget and Resource Management:

• Optimize engineering costs while maintaining quality and safety standards.
• Plan and allocate design resources effectively;
• Monitor engineering expenditures;
• Manage design budgets and consultant contracts;

Environmental and Social Compliance:

• Ensure design compliance with:
  • Sustainability and climate resilience requirements.
  • Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) requirements;
  • Lender standards (AfDB, EBRD, IFC and equivalent);
  • Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) requirements;
• Support incorporation of mitigation measures into engineering designs.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Design-related non-conformities;
• Number of unresolved design interfaces;
• Engineering productivity index.
• Compliance with project budget;
• Percentage reduction in design-related construction rework;
• Number of approved designs submitted on time;
• Design change turnaround time;
• Design deliverables completed on schedule;
• Technical risk closure rate;
• Client approval rate of submitted designs;

Qualifications
Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, Railway Engineering, Structural Engineering, Transportation Engineering, or related discipline;
• Master's degree is an advantage.

Professional Registration:

• Professional Engineering Membership;
• COREN Registered Engineer;
• PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent project management certification is desirable.

Experience:

• Experience working on internationally financed infrastructure projects is preferred.
• Proven experience managing multidisciplinary design teams;
• Minimum of10 years in major infrastructure projects;
• Minimum of 15 years of engineering experience;
• Experience with EPC and Design-Build contracts;
• Minimum of 5 years in railway, metro, transportation, or large linear infrastructure projects;

Technical Competencies:

• Systems integration;
• Value engineering;
• Quality management systems.
• Design management;
• Contract management;
• Construction methodology;
• BIM and digital engineering;
• Project controls;
• Risk management;
• Railway engineering design;
• AutoCAD, Civil 3D, MicroStation, OpenRail or equivalent;

Behavioral Competencies:

• Strategic thinking;
• Negotiation and influencing skills;
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• High ethical standards;
• Leadership and team management;
• Stakeholder engagement;
• Problem solving and decision making;
• Results orientation;

Authority Level
The Design Manager has authority to:

• Approve technical submissions within delegated authority;
• Recommend design approvals;
• Coordinate and direct multidisciplinary design teams;
• Recommend engineering consultant appointments and performance evaluations.
• Initiate design reviews;
• Escalate design risks to project leadership;