Job Title
Design Programme Manager
Ref #
54192
Date posted
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Country
United Kingdom
Location
Bicester
Business area
Design
Department
Design
Position level
5
Working time
Full Time
Working pattern
37.5 Standard 9:00 - 17:00 (30 min lunch)
What to Expect

The Design Programme Manager provides project leadership and oversight across complex vehicle design programmes, ensuring that all design deliverables are aligned with programme milestones and wider business objectives. Serving as the key interface between creative and technical teams, this role safeguards design intent while driving disciplined execution against timing, cost, and quality targets. The ideal candidate brings extensive experience in automotive design programme management, proven stakeholder management skills, and a strong track record of shaping and controlling processes that bridge design creativity with production feasibility

What You'll Do

Project planning & execution

  • Create & maintain achievable timing plans in conjunction with PMO team and facilitate resource requirements with key stakeholders within design for agreed gateways and deliverables.
  • Present timings and deliverable outputs from the studio to PMO for alignment
  • Provide Design programme management updates into key design review presentations.
  •  Manage design meeting cadence to ensure the Design project team are aware of project timing and deliverables.

Budget & project planning/forecasting

  • Support the Head of Design Programme management with project forecasting
  • Supporting the Head of Design Programme management with the tracking of Design spend including internal/external headcount, design development spend within programme.

Working collaboratively

  • Foster a combined and creative work environment to encourage innovation and efficiency.
  • Provide guidance to team members to ensure project goals are achieved.
  • Empower the studio Design Team to enable the delivery of both digital and physical design properties.

Key Responsibilities

  • Develop and maintain detailed programme plans, schedules, and deliverables for assigned vehicle design projects. Production and Advanced Concepts
  • Work with the Design leaders to develop and maintain the cross functional design processes, procedures standards.
  • Support the ongoing development of new design processes and procedures
  • Coordinate with cross-functional teams to align design milestones with engineering, manufacturing, and supplier timelines.
  • Monitor programme progress, prepare status updates, and escalate issues or risks when required.
  • Support design governance meetings, including preparing reports, dashboards, and gateway readiness documentation.
  • Assist in resource planning for design teams, including workload balancing and capacity tracking.
  • Support the studio engineering team with the preparation and running of the weekly design convergence meetings, ensuring that design decisions are recorded and cascaded to key stakeholders




What You'll Bring

Essential:

  • Experience in programme or project management within an automotive design environment.
  • Strong understanding of the automotive design process, gateways, and approval stages.
  • Excellent coordination and communication skills, with the ability to engage both creative and technical teams.
  • Good knowledge in programme management tools (e.g. Excel, MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent).
  • Strong problem-solving and risk management abilities.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Design, Engineering, Programme Management, or a related field.

Preferred:

  • Experience in a premium or luxury automotive design environment.
  • Familiarity with design studio operations and digital/physical modelling workflows.
  • Knowledge UI/UX development processes, procedures and timelines
What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:

  • Structured career development framework
  • 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
  • Enhanced company pension scheme
  • Discretionary annual bonus award
  • Private medical insurance and health cash plan
  • Life assurance benefit
  • Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
  • Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
  • Generous parental leave policies
  • A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks. 

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey. 

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