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Public Practice is looking for urban designers to join its team in London, UK.

Paid year-long urban design placements within the public sector.

Public Practice is looking to recruit talented, motivated and experienced urban design professionals who want to gain experience working in the public sector. After completing a competitive three-stage application process, successful candidates (known as associates) will secure fixed-term employment in a public sector role with salaries ranging from £30,00 – £70,000.

Associates spend 90% of their time in their role at their host authority and the remaining 10% is spent participating in a learning and development programme. During the programme, associates benefit from a bespoke course and being part of a cohort of interdisciplinary place-shapers.

The role as an urban design officer

Roles within authorities vary, but as an urban design officer, you will likely be one of the only employees in the council with urban design training.

Your role might include:

• drafting strategic site design principles and toolkits
• write design policy, design guidance, design briefs, design codes and urban characterisation studies, drawing on best practice examples
• lead development management officers on appraising the design quality in planning applications and during pre-application meetings
• provide urban design, architectural or placemaking support for potential new development opportunities on council-owned land
• undertake design-led site analysis, capacity and feasibility studies to support the delivery of small to medium-scale housing infill sites
• lead interactive co-design workshops with the local community and stakeholder and setting up design competitions for masterplanning of large strategic sites
• provide expertise in heritage-led regeneration and development in conservation areas, including tall buildings guidance and urban intensification
• deliver in-house design training to officers and members to upskill teams and grow confidence in design and conservation

You can read further details on the placement type here.

Who you are

• we want our cohorts to be diverse in terms of skills, experience, and backgrounds and actively encourage applications from all sections of society, be it age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith, neurodiversity or disability
• there are no fixed requirements in terms of qualifications but we do expect associates to have a minimum of three years of urban design professional working experience so that you are able to hit the ground running from the start. There is no upper limit
• we are looking for candidates who align with our values of equality, diversity, inclusion, excellence, entrepreneurship, pragmatism, openness, trust and respect
• all associates will need to have the legal right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply to the programme
• you will be willing to consider a full-time-equivalent salary of £30,000 to £70,000 depending on the grade of the role and your experience

You can take our eligibility quiz here.

Why apply to the programme?

• work for a forward-thinking authority – authorities compete to host placements, so we only work with ambitious organisations. Every placement is carefully selected and shaped by Public Practice. We look for roles that can deliver real impact, and fit with our mission as a social enterprise
• deliver change on the ground – a year is a short time in a job, but it is still long enough for you to make a lasting difference to the public sector. In some placements, it will be possible to directly deliver change on the ground through meanwhile uses or managing schemes on-site. In others, policies or planning decisions may take years to play out
• form a network of interdisciplinary change-makers – you will be part of a diverse cohort of highly skilled practitioners bringing together different backgrounds, experiences and disciplines
• learn about how the public sector works – the L&D programme introduces you to the formal processes and protocols of working in the public sector, as well as the informal tactics and techniques you’ll need to navigate the system. Beginning with a comprehensive induction before you start in-post, the programme continues over the year to build your knowledge on the fundamentals of the public sector workings, and public sector placemaking
• build your network – you will have access to public practice’s network of leading figures in the built environment across the public, private and third sectors. Whether through learning sessions, or our programme of events including our forum, we will draw on our network to introduce you to people, organisations and ideas that can support your practice

Who we are

Public practice is a social enterprise with a mission to help built environment practitioners transition into a career in the public sector.

We believe that:

• the built environment is where the symptoms and solutions to society’s most complex challenges are played out
• the public sector is where impactful change to the built environment can truly be made
• an interdisciplinary placemaking approach, with a diversity of thought, experience and skills are required to deliver that change

You can read examples of our press coverage on our website here.

Location

We currently only offer placements in authorities across London and the south east or the east of England. Opportunities to work from home have increased, but there is generally an expectation that Associates are present at their authorities’ offices on a weekly basis. You will also need to be able to attend any in-person L&D days, which will be held across the region throughout the 12-month programme.

How to apply:

• the first stage of the application process is completing an online form where applicants will be assessed anonymously based on their answers to four questions. The deadline for applications is 29 November 2021
• those successful at the online stage will be invited to a day-long placement workshop between 10 to 14 January 2022
• if successful at the placement workshop applicants will then be considered for matching to placements we have available and be asked to meet with their proposed Authority at the end of January 2022

Click here to apply

We strongly recommend you read our prospectus, FAQs and further information on our programme before applying through our online form that can be found on our website here.

Accessibility

Public practice is committed to creating equal access to our recruitment process for all, if for any accessibility reasons, you are unable to submit the initial application using the online form, we are happy for you to submit your application in an alternative format.

Please email [email protected] or call 020 3858 7447 to discuss your requirements.

www.publicpractice.org.uk

• Applications have closed.