London, UK
Design advisor
at Design South East
Design South East is seeking a design advisor to join its team in London.
Reports to: head of programmes
Salary: £35,000 to £50,000 depending on experience, pro-rata if part-time
Contract: permanent, full-time (part-time or secondment position negotiable)
Start date: February/March 2024
Location: hybrid – working from home, our London office and on-location
Leave: 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days after one year) and statutory holidays (both pro-rata for part-time)
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of design advisors in a role that helps to drive up design quality in the built environment and to shape the future of local places.
Design advisors are integral to Design South East’s role as a not-for-profit independent design consultancy operating across the south-east region, bringing together those from the public and private sectors involved in the planning and design of development proposals to share knowledge and create better places.
Design advisors manage design review panels, write reports, deliver workshops, organise roundtables, facilitate community charrettes, support business development and nurture relationships with local authority clients and their stakeholders. They engage with every scale and type of project, from town centre regeneration schemes to new settlements. They are involved at all stages of the planning process, from shaping policy to reviewing detailed design proposals. And they work alongside leading practitioners in their fields. Design South East thrives on delivering social value, but also directly supports ground-up, community-led initiatives in the areas in which they work.
If you are passionate about the need for good quality homes and neighbourhoods for all; are inspired by innovation in the built environment to help deliver sustainable development; enjoy writing reports that translate complex ideas into practical recommendations; and are motivated by the opportunity to collaborate with a wide network of planning officers and built environment specialists, then apply now!
Who we are
Design South East is a not-for-profit design consultancy that works with planning authorities, design professionals, landowners, developers and local communities across London and the South East. Our purpose is to support quality of life through good, sustainable placemaking, which is the foundation of our work. On a practical level, our work spans design review and design workshops, policy development, strategy and visioning, stakeholder engagement and design training. We help to improve the quality of the built environment through the application of best practice guidance and tailored advice on good design in the planning system.
We believe that the best solutions come from collaboration and from inter-disciplinary, cross-sector knowledge-sharing. We work with a network of around 200 experts from a variety of built environment disciplines who form our expert panels. These are the leading practitioners and thinkers in their fields, and we harness their passion and knowledge to address the challenges of good growth to create positive outcomes in a changing environment.
Our work engages with all types of project and scales of development. Our people are highly motivated and committed to delivering social value. And our approach requires inquisitive minds to identify creative solutions to help our clients achieve the best design outcomes.
More information can be found at www.designsoutheast.org.
Who we are looking for
We are looking for an organised, confident and proactive individual from a built environment background to join our talented team of 12. You will be an efficient project manager, initiating projects and taking responsibility for their delivery, bringing people together and delivering high quality work. You will be a good communicator, able to build strong relationships with clients and to manage diverse stakeholders and their competing interests. You will be synthesising design panel discussions into written reports. Your writing must therefore be excellent, and you must be skilled at translating complex built environment discussions into clear and concise written reports for diverse audiences.
Duties and responsibilities
Your primary responsibility will be the planning and delivery of design review and design workshop sessions, including all associated project management.
Depending on your experience, you will be:
- coordinating and managing design review panel meetings
- synthesising complex design panel discussions into clear, concise written reports
- writing and editing a range of reports for a variety of audiences
- designing and delivering workshops and events that bring stakeholders together, including communities, to help to shape the principles of projects and design policies, including design guides and codes
- supporting the delivery of our learning programmes
- capturing our impact and writing case studies
- measuring KPIs and delivering annual reports to clients
- managing long-term contracts and key client relationships to maximise our value to our clients by identifying opportunities to develop solutions to support the delivery of design quality
- supporting senior colleagues to identify and approach new clients and drafting proposals for new opportunities
Personal attributes:
- a desire to have a real impact on the future of the places where we live and work
- an ability to work independently on a project, or as part of a team
- an entrepreneurial attitude and a willingness to take ownership
- a desire to solve problems and identify appropriate solutions
- a sensitivity to complex stakeholder interests
- an eagerness to form partnerships
Knowledge and experience
Built environment:
- have at least two years post-qualification experience as a built environment professional, working in planning, design or policy
- have a qualification in a discipline such as urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, conservation or planning
- understand the tools, techniques and principles of urban design, including masterplanning and design policies, frameworks, guides and codes, and will have knowledge of best practices
- have at least a basic knowledge of key issues relating to national and local planning legislation/policy and the operation of local government
- have experience in planning and delivering design workshops and/or design reviews
- have experience in designing, planning and delivering creative stakeholder engagement workshops and events for diverse groups
Communication:
- have excellent writing skills, with the ability to synthesise complex built environment discussions and information into easy-to-read written reports, with excellent spelling and grammar, editing and proofreading skills
- be confident in verbal communication and able to lead events and deliver presentations
Project management:
- have experience in managing projects, including budgets
- have proven strong organisational and time management skills, an attention to detail and an ability to think strategically, from detail to big picture
Teamwork:
- have experience of working autonomously but also as part of a team, with a willingness to contribute to team discussions
- have experience working on projects that bring together different disciplines and stakeholders
Client management:
- have experience of working with clients
- understand the principles of good client relationship management and be able to build partnerships
We offer opportunities to continuously develop your skills and knowledge. 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.
We deliver the majority of our services through in-person events; therefore, the role requires travel throughout London and the wider south-east.
How to apply
To apply please send the documents below to Ahmed via the apply for job button:
- an up-to-date CV (max two pages of A4)
- a cover letter explaining why you are motivated to work for Design South East
The application deadline is noon on Monday 8 January 2024. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 16 January 2024.
A written communication exercise and presentation will form part of the interview.
If, having read this pack, you require an informal conversation about the role, please get in touch with our head of programmes, Helen Goodwin.
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.