London, UK
Urban designer
at We Made That
We Made That is looking for an urban designer to join its growing team in London, UK.
Are you interested in shaping cities through super mixing of uses in town centres, industrial areas and our communities?
We are seeking a candidate capable of working on influential spatial strategies and large-scale public realm schemes and coordinating complex projects and consultant teams. We have a number of projects focusing on the delivery of place-shaping strategies and city regeneration schemes across the UK. We are looking for a new team member to work on the implementation of innovative and inclusive design approaches on these projects.
You will have experience in managing projects and will enjoy working collaboratively. You will be comfortable in managing your time across projects, strategy development and wider practice initiatives. You will be capable of leading projects and progressing within the practice.
Responsibilities and tasks
The ideal candidate will be an experienced urban designer, responsible for delivering complex place plans and area strategies at a range of scales across the capital and the UK. You will have an informed understanding of town centre strategies with a working knowledge of policy guidelines and wider political, economic and societal issues.
Project focused:
- contribute design and strategy development across multiple projects
- develop robust urban design, public realm and master planning solutions
- prepare strategy proposals through graphically strong content
- plan and lead production of 2D and 3D drawings and diagrams
- use appraisals and baseline data to drive compelling and innovative project proposals
- develop town centre action plans, regeneration strategies
- demonstrate an up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and thinking
- clearly construct and communicate complex reports and documents
- lead on shaping and progressing our design strategies and approaches through knowledge sharing
- assist the team in developing and implementing industry-leading engagement processes
- successfully manage project management issues, identifying and implementing solutions
- act as the main point of contact for teams, collaborators, clients and external stakeholders
- actively manage project resources, budgets and outcomes
- help to shape the outputs of the practice in line with our B Corp status and contribute to initiatives to maximise our impact
- commit to developing our EDI strategies and embedding meaningful and sustainable social value in our projects
- help mentor and support junior staff members in their development, share expertise through resources, project references and CPD
Competencies, skills and experience
You must be an experienced urban designer with a keen working knowledge of town centres and city regeneration landscapes. With strong analytical skills and an informed, contemporary understanding of the challenges faced in towns and cities today, you will have the ability to situate strategies within wider political, economic and societal contexts.
Essential:
- have a master’s qualification in urban design or similar related subject
- have demonstrable strategic or master planning experience in the UK
- specific knowledge and experience in relation to place-shaping strategies, policies and regeneration approaches
- visual skills with a keen eye for presentation
- have experience independently leading project development
- experience of overseeing project resource allocation and monitoring project programmes
- be familiar with London, other major UK towns and cities regeneration contexts and improving best practice
- excellent verbal communication and presentation skills
- technical knowledge of delivering masterplans and area strategies and ability to articulate ideas and objectives clearly
- good project management skills, with the ability to drive project development forwards with meaningful impacts
- sensitively and pragmatically navigate working with a wide range of audiences and stakeholders
- demonstrate a working knowledge of environmental and social performance impacts and how we can deliver these within projects
- have fluency with Adobe CS, Vectorworks and GIS (essential)
Desired:
- have three to five years relevant professional experience and post masters-level qualification in urban design/planning discipline
- experienced in delivering high-quality projects for public sector clients
- experience using CMAP or similar project management software
Benefits
On top of a competitive salary, we offer staff a wide range of benefits: hybrid working options, flexible working hours policy, pension and enhanced parental leave provision, profit share, paid professional memberships, training opportunities, cycle-to-work scheme and an interest-free TfL season ticket loan. Our internal wellbeing and activities programme includes social events and field trips, as well as wider support.
Equal opportunities
Candidates must be eligible to work in the UK and would ideally be available to start in September 2023. We Made That is London Living Wage accredited, an equal opportunities employer and supporter of the Mayor’s Fund for London Diversity Pledge.
How to apply
Please send a digital copy of your portfolio and CV (max 10 MB) via the ‘apply for job’ button below along with a cover letter outlining how you meet the criteria. Mark the subject line with ‘Urban Designer’.
Pay will be commensurate with experience and we would request that you set out your pay expectations in the cover letter.
The deadline for applications is 18 August 2023.
About We Made That
We create equitable places through incisive research and impactful projects. We work exclusively for the public sector and charities and are committed to delivering public good.
Our multi-disciplinary team delivers urban research, strategies and master plans and public spaces and buildings. Together, we provide considered and thorough intelligence, shape healthy, fair and well-designed places and bring life and value to the built environment. We are driven by making better places for all.
We Made That was established in 2006 and became a Certified B Corporation in 2021 with new legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. We deliver projects across the UK from offices in London and Manchester.