Senior Design Standard manager

Dear Firstname

We are seeking an exceptional Senior Design Standards Manager to lead the development, governance and continuous improvement of design standards across the Met Police/MOPAC estate - one of the largest, most complex and diverse property portfolios in the UK.

Sitting within the Real Estate Development team, you will be at the forefront of shaping the technical, operational and functional specifications that define how our policing estate is designed, built, maintained and modernised. Your work will directly support operational policing by ensuring our estate is flexible, durable, safe and aligned to statutory, regulatory and best-practice requirements.

This is a highly visible and influential role, requiring a blend of technical expertise, excellent writing and documentation skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders across PSD, policing commands, external partners and industry bodies.

Location: London, can be based in any MET office

Contract: 12 months - Full-time - 37.5 hrs a week - Monday to Friday

Vetting: Must be able to pass a security clearance - May take up to 6 weeks for clearance.

Salary: £550 per day Umbrella

Working Pattern: 3 days office based 2 days working from home - as long as the role allows you to do so.

About the Role

We are seeking an exceptional Senior Design Standards Manager to lead the development, governance and continuous improvement of design standards across the Met Police/MOPAC estate - one of the largest, most complex and diverse property portfolios in the UK.

Sitting within the Real Estate Development team, you will be at the forefront of shaping the technical, operational and functional specifications that define how our policing estate is designed, built, maintained and modernised. Your work will directly support operational policing by ensuring our estate is flexible, durable, safe and aligned to statutory, regulatory and best-practice requirements.

This is a highly visible and influential role, requiring a blend of technical expertise, excellent writing and documentation skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders across PSD, policing commands, external partners and industry bodies.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the research, drafting and publication of design standards, guides, technical requirements and room data sheets.

Work closely with PSD project managers, external design teams and specialist consultants to ensure accurate interpretation and application of standards.

Act as Deputy Chair of the Design Standards Group, facilitating governance, agendas, minutes and action tracking.

Provide authoritative advice on standards to project teams, FM teams and senior stakeholders, ensuring consistency across the estate.

Review and quality-assure all proposed standards, ensuring clarity, usability, compliance and alignment with strategic objectives.

Develop and maintain an effective digital platform for accessing, sharing and updating standards.

Conduct site visits to assess implementation and gather lessons learned for future revisions.

Maintain oversight of derogations, identifying trends and improvement opportunities.

Build strong working relationships with internal and external partners, including specialist policing units, change programmes, government bodies and supply chain partners.

Lead the development of a central technical library for standards, policies and reference materials.

Prepare business cases, briefing papers, cost-benefit analyses and reports to support decision-making.

Support continuous improvement and ensure PSD meets deadlines across multiple competing priorities.

Experience & Qualifications

Essential:

Strong technical knowledge of building components, systems and services.

A qualification in the built environment or design (HNC/HND/Degree or equivalent).Advanced written communication skills - able to draft clear, concise and technically accurate documentation.

Strong verbal communication skills, able to explain complex concepts to non-specialists.

Experience in stakeholder engagement across multidisciplinary environments.

Familiarity with researching standards, legislation, policies and industry frameworks.

Excellent influencing, negotiation and interpersonal skills.

Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).Highly organised and capable of managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Strong analytical skills and the ability to distil technical information effectively.

Desirable:

Knowledge of procurement, financial management, cost-benefit principles and value-for-money assessments.

Experience developing digital knowledge-sharing platforms or technical libraries.

Personal Qualities

Technically minded with strong attention to detail.

Confident, proactive and resilient.

Excellent collaborator with strong networking skills.

Able to work independently and see tasks through to completion.

Professional, reliable and committed to delivering high-quality outputs.