Design Risk Consultant / CDM Principal Designer (Design-Led)
Technical Design Group – Foster + Partners
The Opportunity
Foster + Partners is looking for a design-literate construction or engineering professional to join our Safety by Design team — a specialist group operating at the heart of the practice’s Technical Design Group (TDG).
This is not a traditional health & safety role, and it is not a site-based compliance position.
Instead, this role sits alongside architects and engineers, working at the design stage to anticipate construction risk, challenge assumptions, and embed safety into the way buildings are conceived, detailed, and delivered — in the UK and internationally.
You’ll support the practice in delivering the Principal Designer role under CDM and the Building Safety Act, while helping shape how Safety by Design is applied across some of the world’s most complex and high-profile projects.
What You’ll Be Doing
* Working directly with architectural and engineering teams to identify, manage, and mitigate design-stage construction risk
* Acting as (or supporting) the Principal Designer role on UK projects, and applying equivalent principles internationally
* Reviewing drawings and technical information to anticipate buildability, temporary works, and construction sequencing risks
* Managing and developing design risk registers and supporting design risk assessments
* Engaging confidently with internal teams, clients, consultants, and external stakeholders
* Supporting best practice across the practice through guidance, training, and collaboration
* Operating as part of the Technical Design Group, alongside fire engineering, façade engineering, QA, and specifications — supporting all studios globally
This is a thinking role, not a tick-box one.
Who This Role Is For
We’re deliberately open on background.
You do not need to be a qualified architect or engineer — but you must understand how buildings are designed and built.
Strong backgrounds include:
* Mechanical, structural, or building services engineering (including part-qualified or non-chartered)
* Architectural technologists / technicians
* Construction professionals with strong design exposure
* Design-side CDM professionals with genuine drawing literacy
* Site-experienced engineers or coordinators who’ve moved closer to design
If you can read drawings, understand construction methodology, and talk confidently with designers about risk in design, you’re likely to be a strong fit.
What We’re Not Looking For
* Pure health & safety or inspection-led backgrounds
* Trade-only experience with no design or engineering literacy
* Roles focused solely on audits, RAMS, or testing
This is a design-led role — safety through understanding, not enforcement.
What Makes This Role Different
* Design first: You’ll influence projects before they’re built, not after problems arise
* Global exposure: Work across UK and international projects
* Technical environment: Embedded within the Technical Design Group, not a studio role
* Balanced culture: A professional, supportive team with a genuine 9am–6pm working pattern
* Long-term commitment: This role has full management buy-in and is intended as a long-term position within the practice
The Interview Process
The team takes capability seriously. As part of the interview process, you may be asked to:
* Review a drawing
* Identify potential construction or design risks
* Explain your thinking and approach
This is about how you think, not just what’s on your CV.
Why Join Foster + Partners?
This is a rare opportunity to help shape how Safety by Design is delivered within one of the world’s most respected design practices — working with exceptional people, on exceptional projects, with the support and platform to build something meaningful over time.