Lead Architect – School Design & Campus Development

Lead Architect – School Design & Campus Development

Reporting To

Group Head – Projects & Infrastructure, Global Schools Group

Role Purpose

The Lead Architect – School Design & Campus Development serves as Global Schools Group’s central architectural design authority for K–12 campuses across geographies. The role is responsible for conceptualising, standardising, and delivering pedagogy-led, future-ready, safe, and operationally efficient learning environments aligned with GSG’s 9

GEMS Holistic Education Framework, international curriculum requirements, sustainability commitments, and local regulatory codes.

This role is critical in ensuring design consistency, brand integrity, scalability, cost discipline, quality assurance, and in positioning GSG as a benchmark setter in global school campus design.

Primary Accountabilities

• Campus master planning and concept design
• Pedagogy-led spatial planning
• Establishment, review, and approval of design standards
• Architectural quality assurance
• BIM-led coordination and consultant management
• Setting and maintaining global benchmarks for school campus design within GSG

Shared Accountabilities

• Sustainability outcomes
• Cost optimisation
• Regulatory approvals
• Post-occupancy performance

Design Authority & Decision Rights

• Acts as GSG’s final architectural design authority for campus master planning, spatial standards, and architectural quality across all geographies.
• Leads the end-to-end design review and approval process
  , including:
• Design freeze approvals
• Pre-authority submission reviews
• Post-completion / as-built checks and verification
• Holds authority to approve, reject, or direct revisions to consultant designs to ensure alignment with GSG pedagogy, safety, brand, sustainability, and operational standards.
• Escalates material design deviations, risks, or conflicts through the Projects & Infrastructure governance framework for resolution.

Key Responsibilities

Campus Master Planning & Concept Design

• Lead master planning and architectural design for new and existing GSG campuses from Pre-Primary to Grade 12.
• Design campuses that support multi-curriculum delivery, including CBSE, IB, Cambridge, British, and Montessori programmes.
• Translate GSG’s 9
  
  GEMS pedagogy into integrated spatial planning covering academics, sports, arts, leadership, innovation, wellbeing, and community functions.
• Ensure scalability, flexibility, and provision for future expansion within all master plans.

Pedagogy-Led & Child-Centric Design

• Collaborate closely with academic leadership to design flexible, technology-enabled classrooms; STEM, AI, robotics, AR/VR, and maker spaces; early-years learning environments aligned with global best practices; and inclusive environments supporting special education and student wellbeing.
• Embed experiential, project-based, and blended learning models into campus layouts and spatial strategies.

Global Standards, Compliance & Design Quality

• Ensure all designs comply with applicable local building bye-laws, zoning regulations, fire and life safety codes, accessibility standards, and child protection requirements across geographies.
• Ensure alignment with CBSE, IB, Cambridge, and British inspection and accreditation standards.
• Act as the design authority to maintain brand consistency, spatial efficiency, and quality standards across all campuses.
• Establish and enforce formal design governance gates, including concept freeze, design freeze, and construction issue control.
• Identify design, authority, constructability, and operational risks early and drive mitigation actions.
• Maintain a Design Risk Register aligned with the Projects & Infrastructure risk management framework.
• Ensure robust change-control discipline, including documentation and approval of design deviations and revisions.

Value Engineering & Lifecycle Performance

• Lead design-led value-engineering exercises focused on CAPEX optimisation without compromising pedagogy, safety, durability, or long-term performance.
• Evaluate lifecycle cost implications, including maintenance, energy consumption, and adaptability.
• Partner with Operations and FM teams to embed design-for-maintenance and design-for-operations principles.

Sustainability & Future-Ready…