Architect to Design Manager | Landmark Cultural, Masterplanning & Infrastructure Projects

Are you an architect who finds you’re most effective when you’re organising the work, not just producing it?

Many of the architects we speak with have reached a point where they’re running the programme, chairing the coordination meetings and keeping consultants on track. They’re doing all of this alongside their design responsibilities. For some, that’s the part of the job they’ve come to enjoy most.

If that sounds like you, a move into Design Management could be the next step.

We’re working exclusively with a well-established London consultancy that is growing its Design Management team. They act on behalf of clients on some of the most complex and high-profile projects in the UK and internationally. That includes major cultural institutions, large-scale masterplans, infrastructure, education, commercial and residential schemes. Many involve multiple stakeholders, large consultant teams and programmes running over several years.

The Role

This is a chance to work on landmark projects at a scale most practices rarely see, from flagship cultural schemes to multi-billion-pound master planning and infrastructure projects. You’ll be working alongside a collaborative, supportive team, many of whom have made the same move from architecture.

This is not a design role. You won’t be producing drawings or leading the design. Instead, you’ll take responsibility for how the design process is planned, coordinated and reported on, from early stages through to delivery. You’ll work directly with clients and senior stakeholders from day one.

Typically this includes:

• Building and managing design programmes and information release schedules
• Coordinating the consultant team and keeping everyone working to the same plan
• Running workshops, design reviews and progress meetings with clients and project teams
• Preparing clear, concise reports for clients and stakeholders
• Identifying risks early and making sure decisions are made at the right time

It’s a clear career path in a discipline that’s growing in demand, and the breadth of projects means no two commissions are the same.

Who This Suits

• Qualified architects (or those with equivalent experience) with a solid understanding of the RIBA Plan of Work
• People who have run projects or a workstream, and taken real ownership of the programme, the team and/or the client relationship
• Experience at any stage is relevant. Front-end experience is valuable, but so is experience post-tender, on site or through to completion
• Strong organisers who communicate clearly
• Someone who has thought carefully about stepping away from design, and wants to do it

Opportunities are available at both Design Manager and Senior Design Manager level, depending on experience.

Helping architects move beyond traditional practice is what we do. It’s our specialism, not a sideline.

Over the years, we’ve become the go-to recruiter for individuals making this move, guiding architects into design management roles with many of the UK’s leading employers.

We know what the move involves, which experience transfers, and what makes someone well suited to it. That means we can give you an honest view from the very first conversation.

Because this role is exclusive to us, it isn’t being advertised elsewhere. Every conversation is confidential.