London, UK
Design adviser
at Design South East
Design South East is hiring a design adviser to join its team in London/remotely.
Job description:
Title: design advisor
Reports to: director
Salary: £35 – 45K depending on experience, pro-rata
Contract: permanent, full-time (part-time or secondment position negotiable)
Start date: October 2021
Location: Hybrid, working from home and our London office
Leave: 30 days annual leave (pro-rata if part time) plus statutory holidays
About Design South East
Design South East is a not-for-profit consultancy that provides independent advice to planning authorities, design professionals, landowners, developers and local communities. We work across London, the South East and the East of England, with hubs in London and Kent. We work with a network of around 200 experts from a variety of built environment disciplines who form our expert panels comprising the leading practitioners and thinkers in their fields. We harness their passion and knowledge and direct it to address the challenges of growth and place-making that many communities are facing.
We have a new opportunity to join our team, helping to develop, manage and delivery our services. This will include planning and facilitating workshops and charrettes, managing design review panels and leading study tours and training events. You will be someone who relishes working closely with clients to help them address the challenges they face. You will be a good communicator and be able to manage stakeholders and their competing needs. Your writing must be excellent, and it is crucial that you are able to understand often complex schemes and discussions and produce reports that are concise and clear.
You will be working across a number of places, assisting with the development of design policies, guide and codes, integrating design review into our local authority clients planning processes and facilitating dialogue and collaboration across departments and with stakeholders and communities. You will be involved with every scale and type of development, from town centre regeneration to new settlements and you will be working at the interface between public and private sectors and communities, helping us improve the quality of the built environment through the practical application of evidence, knowledge and best practice.
We believe everyone deserves good design. If you share that belief and you are passionate about helping people to unlock the transformative power of design, we want to her from you.
Key tasks
You will be:
- working closely with a number of planning authority clients to identify opportunities and develop solutions to support their management of design quality
- managing long-term contracts and major projects, maintaining oversight and ensuring that key client relationships are developed and that we maximise our value to our clients
- planning and managing design review meetings
- writing and editing high-quality reports for a variety of audiences
- conceiving, designing and delivering workshops and events
- facilitating workshops, charrettes and roundtables that bring stakeholders together
- supporting senior colleagues to identify and approach new clients
- drafting proposals for new opportunities
- capturing our impact and writing case studies
- measuring KPIs and delivering annual reviews to clients
Skills and behaviours
- a desire to have a real impact on the future of the places where we live and work
- an entrepreneurial aptitude
- highly motivated and a self-starter, with a willingness to take ownership
- happy to work independently on a project, or to team up with others
- ready to solve problems and identify appropriate solutions
- a sensitivity to complex political environments
- an eagerness to form partnerships
Knowledge and experience
Built environment:
- you will be a built environment professional, working in planning, design or policy
- you will have a qualification in a discipline such as urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, conservation or planning
- you will have at least three year’s professional experience
- you will have experience of developing and delivering workshops and events
- you will have an understanding of the tools, techniques and principles of urban design and knowledge of best practice
- you will have at least a basic knowledge of key issues relating to planning legislation and policy and the operation of local government
Communication:
- you will have excellent writing skills, with the ability to synthesise complex information into concise, clear written reports, avoiding jargon; excellent spelling and grammar, editing and proofreading skills
- you will be confident in public speaking, leading events and delivering training and presentations.
Project management:
- you will have experience of managing projects, including budgets
- you will have proven strong organisational skills, an attention to detail and an ability to think strategically, from detail to big picture
Teamwork:
- you will have experience of working autonomously but also as part of a team, with a willingness to contribute to team discussions
- you will have some experience of working on projects that bring together different disciplines and stakeholders
Client management:
- you will have some experience of client relationship management
We will offer opportunities to continuously develop your skills and knowledge and provide for career development within Design South East. The role offers the possibility for career progression, to take on greater responsibility, including contract and client management, and to take a lead on the development of services for the clients you manage.
How to apply
To apply please submit:
- an up-to-date CV (maximum 2 pages of A4)
- a covering letter
via the ‘apply for job’ button below.
The application deadline is 12 noon Friday 10 September 2021
Interviews will be held w/c Monday 13 September 2021
A written communication exercise will form part of the interview.
If, having read this pack, you require an informal conversation about the role with our director, Chris Lamb, please email; [email protected]
Equal opportunities
DSE is committed to equal opportunities, and we value the diversity of perspectives that people from different backgrounds bring to our work. We positively encourage applications from eligible candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identification, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation
Feedback
Due to the expected number of applications we cannot guarantee to give feedback on unsuccessful applications.