Design Manager

Design Manager – Manufacturing / Product Innovation

Permanent | Competitive salary + benefits

Tonbridge

Contact : Emily or Sammy – Pearson Whiffin Recruitment

Do you thrive in fast-paced, hands-on environments where ideas move quickly, and your decisions make a visible impact?

Are you the kind of Design Leader who brings energy , pushes boundaries , and loves solving real engineering problems —not just managing paperwork?

If you’re nodding, this could be your perfect next step

The Opportunity :

A well-established UK manufacturer is investing heavily in innovation and looking for a dynamic, engaging, sleeves-rolled-up Design Manager to lead their in-house CAD and R&D function.

This isn’t a huge corporate machine where everything takes six months and requires four committees.

This is a business where :

• Engineers actually get to engineer
• New ideas get heard quickly
• You can influence design strategy, production thinking, and product performance
• You’ll be visible, valued, and genuinely shaping the next generation of products

You’ll head up a small, talented team and take ownership of all product design activity—from concept to production release.

What you’ll do

In short : you’ll be the person who makes great ideas happen.

What we’re looking for :

We want someone with spark . Someone who lights up when they talk about design.

Someone who thrives on problem-solving, gets stuck in, and loves working in an SME where pace matters.

You’ll also bring :

If you prefer rigid structure, big hierarchies, long sign-off chains or working at arm’s length—this won’t be your environment.

If you love variety, ownership and getting things done— you’ll thrive here.

Why join?

This role is being managed exclusively by the Manufacturing, Engineering & Technical team at Pearson Whiffin Recruitment.