London, UK
Associate
at Gort Scott
Gort Scott is seeking an associate to join its team in London.
Gort Scott is looking for a very experienced, qualified architect or equivalent, to join us as an associate. You will have extensive experience in housing and urban scale projects – urban design, placemaking and masterplanning. You will also have experience of submitting and presenting bids and bringing in work.
An Associate is an integral part of the senior management team, responsible for overseeing multiple projects, or one large complex project. You will have an awareness of the practice’s finances and be responsible for managing project profitability on the project(s) you are overseeing. You will have in depth and comprehensive understanding of Gort Scott’s design ethos and management systems, disseminating these through the practice by setting the direction for each project with the directors, and monitoring its progress as each scheme develops.
You will support the directors in the management and organisation of the practice, taking an active role in identifying upcoming priorities and areas of development as the practice evolves. You will act as mentor to senior architects and project managers.
You should expect to represent the practice externally at networking events and other marketing opportunities, and to seek such opportunities.
About Gort Scott
Gort Scott is an architecture and urban design practice with a focus on how buildings and places create the setting for connections between people. We are attuned to working and thinking at different scales, from one-off houses to planning pieces of city and in both the public and private sectors. We are inspired by the contexts in which we work and develop propositions that resonate with them.
We recognise the link between equality and quality, both in our practice and in the projects that we design. At our self-built Bermondsey studio, we have grown to an international community of 30 members within a gender-diverse team. We are members of the London Practice Forum and Londonon, collectives for collaboration, research and knowledge-exchange. We are co-founders of RE-SET-GO a paid workplace experience and mentoring programme established with the mission of diversifying architecture practices.
We are committed to working urgently to make the massive changes needed to end the built environment’s contribution to the climate and ecological emergency. This is integral to our wider purpose to create healthy environments for better connections between people, now and for the future. Social and environmental goals are incorporated in our work at all stages both internally and externally.
We are a dedicated, friendly office, with a creative and motivated atmosphere, encouraging open discussion and testing of ideas. We are a Certified B Corporation, a London Living Wage Employer and have signed up to the Mayor’s Good Work Standard
The studio has won a number of awards, including the Wallpaper Best Private House, an AJ Retrofit Award, NLA Mayor’s Prize, a Civic Trust Award, RIBA National Award, AR Future Project of the Year, and shortlisted for the Architect of The Year Award.
Key role responsibilities
Design:
- act on behalf of the directors in meetings with current and potential clients and collaborators
- present and communicate architectural design ideas to clients, collaborators and staff at meetings and wider industry events
- maintain and contribute to the practice’s design ethos, driving this through each project at all stages
- establish the design direction and practice’s project priorities for each project with the directors and communicate this to the internal project team
- oversee the progress and development of each design, ensuring quality is maintained throughout
- ensure that design, technical, impact reviews are regularly scheduled at critical points with the directors and/or associate directors, Environmental Action Group, and EDI & Social Value Action Group. Encourage project teams to engage and share their ideas, pushing the creative output of the practice
- following our QMS Policy, review design information, reports, and presentations you produce for errors, discrepancies, and omissions prior to seeking review from others. Design information includes 2D drawings, 3D models, schedules, specifications, and visualisations.
Project management:
- overall responsibility for preparation and delivery of services on projects
- act as primary liaison with the client and design team, negotiating and managing project fees and appointments with support from the associate directors and directors
- maintain regular dialogue with the client, external project managers and other project principals to reinforce key relationships and ensure that strategic project objectives are met
- ensure that outputs are in line with deliverables outlined in the project programme and brief/appointment
- following our QMS Policy, review design information, reports, and presentations by other team members for errors, discrepancies, and omissions and implement any corrections prior to issue to the Associate/ Technical Director or Compliance Lead for further review prior to external issue
- support the Project Manager to manage the internal team day-to-day and ensure deadlines are met
- oversee projects in CMap. Ensure you have oversight of project profitability through control of budget, fees, additional costs and resource
- oversee invoicing schedule and advise the Practice Manager as soon as a project stage is invoiceable
- flag any project management, resourcing or commercial issues or risks to the Directors and Associate Directors in a timely manner
- ensure Project actions that arise are followed through
- manage any sub-consultants fees and appointments as required
Compliance and knowledge:
- oversee and support Project Managers as they plan, manage and coordinate project work with both internal and external teams
- allocate appropriate time and resources to meet all quality and compliance needs
- follow the Quality Management System (including Project Quality Plans) for both practice and project work; ensure the Project Manager and project team are also following Quality Management System procedures including:
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- filing requirements
- RIBA Stage Reports and packs of information to be reviewed and signed-off prior to issue
- all necessary project reviews
- perform your responsibilities in relation to the practice’s other systems, including Environmental Management System, Health & Safety Policy, and Arrangements for CDM and Building Regulations, ensuring compliance at all times
- ensure compliance with CDM, Building Regulations and other standards; support your team(s) and review their work to ensure they meet necessary requirements
- be alert to the extent of your own, personal competence and those on your teams and proactively flag whenever you/they are requested to act beyond your/their knowledge, experience and training, agreeing appropriate solutions with the Senior Management Team
- maintain and improve your knowledge of CDM, Building Regulations and best practice documents, i.e. London Plan, LETI/RIBA/other sustainability guidance, etc as appropriate to the projects the practice works on. In particular, maintain a thorough knowledge of the Building Regulations Approved Documents
- take responsibility for your professional development to maintain professional knowledge and competency and suitability for the role, including as a minimum the required annual CPD hours
- contribute proposals to practice CPD schedule, training plan and other initiatives to strengthen our organisational competence
New business:
- identify new business opportunities in line with the practice’s business plan
- support the New Business team in the management and submission of new business proposals, bids and tenders
- support the New Business team to identify opportunities for promotions on the website and social media, providing text and images as necessary
- support the New Business team in the production of marketing material
- collaborate with the Communications Manager on the PR strategy for each project
- represent the practice at events such as industry fairs, conferences and networking events as necessary and relevant to the work you are doing
Studio and HR:
- support the Directors and Associate Directors with project resource planning
- support the Directors and Practice Manager with management of HR issues
- participate in the recruitment process, reviewing CVs, interviewing potential candidates and selecting new members of the team who fit with the role requirements and culture of the practice
- participate in the annual review process, giving feedback on individual performance and agreeing objectives in annual appraisals
- mentor staff day-to-day, taking responsibility for the well-being of project teams, identifying training requirements and proactively setting up or delivering office-wide CPD and individual development opportunities, including Part 3 mentoring
- ensure practice is compliant with practice Quality Management System, Environmental Management System, Health & Safety Policy, and Arrangements for CDM and Building Regulations
- ensure compliance with legal requirements, appointment documents, subconsultant agreements, CDM procedure and BIM Level 2 requirements if required
- highlight areas of improvement and support the Directors and Practice Manager in the progression of office systems and policies
- take on additional areas of responsibility, management or other specialisms within the practice, to be agreed where not set out below
- support the Practice Manager to maintain a clean and tidy office environment suitable for the work that the practice undertakes
Impact:
- lead our approach to social value and environmental impact and advocate for it in all our work, including during project brief setting with clients and consultants (where appropriate)
- promote use of the Social Value Project Check List and Sustainable Design Roadmap across all projects
- oversee delivery of your project’s social value contractual obligations and environmental goals throughout all project stages, from briefing and design to delivery and use
- commit to taking part in a form of outreach or volunteering for the practice each year
- understand Gort Scott’s carbon reduction targets and be mindful of how you contribute to reducing our carbon footprint
Skills and competencies
Experience and qualifications:
- ARB registered Architect, or equivalent
- at least seven years experience as a qualified Architect, or equivalent, is essential
- housing and urban design experience is essential
Skills:
- excellent design and attention to detail
- excellent organisational skills
- proactive approach to working either as part of a team or on your own, capable to take the initiative
- good communication skills, including good written skills for the purpose of reports and presentations
- fluency in speaking and writing English essential
IT and software:
- highly IT literate
- knowledge of Microsoft Office 365, in particular Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word and PowerPoint essential
- excellent knowledge of Vectorworks essential
- good knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud, in particular Acrobat, InDesign, and Photoshop essential
- knowledge of NBS Chorus essential
- knowledge of CMap desirable
- knowledge of BIM and Revit software desirable
- knowledge of Enscape desirable
Salary and benefits
Our salary offer is from £55,000 to £70,000 per annum, depending on experience.
Gort Scott is dedicated to providing a good work/life balance and offers a range of benefits to its staff, including, but not limited to:
- three additional holiday days off for Christmas per year
- increasing holiday days for length of service
- two additional days off for volunteering per year
- five additional half days off for childcare reasons per year
- hybrid and flexible working
- TOIL arrangements for overtime
- support for Part 3 studies: fees, loan, mentor, and study days
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Death in Service insurance
- enhanced maternity and paternity pay
- mentoring scheme
- social activities from our GS Life team
Additional information on benefits can be provided and discussed at interview.
Applying for the role
Gort Scott is an equal opportunities employer. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, disabled, and women candidates as these groups are underrepresented throughout the architecture profession.
Sadly, at this time, we are unable to sponsor anyone without a visa to work in the UK. Therefore, it’s essential that you apply only if you have permanent right to work in the UK.
If you are interested in applying, please send over your CV and portoflio to [email protected] with the subject line: Associate Application – Autumn 2025
We need to fill this role quickly and will review applications as they come in. Therefore, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
We may not be able to respond to all applications. If you have been shortlisted then you should hear from us by the end of the year.
No CVs over 5MB. No agencies.