Design Manager

Design Manager, Paris, France

Mercury is the European leader in construction solutions.

We build and manage complex engineering & construction projects for the world’s leading corporations. Our solutions help deliver technologies and life changing advancements that connect people, communities, and businesses, giving them the power to achieve incredible things. Our people have the courage to be innovative. Their determination and sharp focus enable us to deliver with certainty, time and time again

We deliver our clients’ visions through leading edge construction solutions across multiple sectors, including Enterprise Data Centres, Advanced Technology & Life Sciences, Hyperscale Data Centres, Fire Protection.

At Mercury, it is our duty to encourage and back our people to realise their vision of themselves. We place them at the heart of what we do, providing challenging opportunities to develop within a great team in a supportive environment that allows them to reach their full potential.

Key Responsibilities Of The Role

Design Leadership & Technical Stewardship

• Lead the architectural design development for all data centre buildings, ensuring compliance with client standards, local regulations, mission-critical performance criteria, and coordination with MEP, structural, and specialist systems.
• Maintain and manage the controlled architectural document register, ensuring all drawings, specifications, and revisions are issued, tracked, and archived in accordance with project protocols.
• Oversee the integration of architectural requirements into multidisciplinary models, ensuring spatial accuracy, interface clarity, and coordinated design outputs suitable for construction.
• Review and validate architectural design deliverables to ensure they are accurate, coordinated, and aligned with the overall design intent.

Coordination & Interface Management

• Lead architectural coordination with MEP, structural, fire engineering, security, ICT, and specialist vendors, ensuring all interfaces are resolved and documented.
• Manage architectural inputs for off-site pre-manufactured components, ensuring spatial, access, and installation requirements are fully integrated into the design.
• Support the development and maintenance of the Design Delivery Schedule, coordinating architectural milestones with the client, PM, consultants, and contractor teams.
• Participate in design workshops, technical reviews, and coordination meetings, providing continuous architectural input to minimise rework and maintain design efficiency.

Design Assurance & Compliance

• Ensure architectural design compliance with building codes, fire regulations, accessibility standards, sustainability requirements, and mission-critical operational criteria.
• Review and approve architectural elements within technical submittals, ensuring alignment with design intent and project specifications.
• Provide architectural oversight on contractor-designed portions (CDP), ensuring proposed solutions meet performance, aesthetic, and regulatory requirements.

Change Management & Value Engineering

• Identify and evaluate architectural value‑engineering opportunities, balancing cost, performance, constructability, and long‑term operational considerations.
• Collaborate with the commercial team to assess design change impacts, providing architectural input on scope, cost, and schedule implications.
• Support risk management by tracking architectural design issues, constraints, and dependencies across internal and external stakeholders.

Procurement & Consultant Management

• Prepare and develop architectural scopes of work, design deliverables lists, and contract documentation for consultant procurement.
• Lead architectural consultant engagement from tender enquiry through appointment, including scope negotiation, deliverables definition, and performance expectations.
• Manage workload distribution across the architectural team and external consultants, ensuring timely delivery of coordinated architectural outputs.

Construction Support & Methodology

• Provide architectural input into construction methodology, sequencing, and site logistics, ensuring design intent is preserved during installation.
• Support site teams with technical clarifications, architectural details, and resolution of design queries during construction.
• Ensure specialist models and fabrication drawings are architecturally coordinated and suitable for construction release.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Liaise with clients, insurers, consultants, and statutory authorities, ensuring architectural requirements are clearly communicated and approvals are obtained.
• Work in accorda