Experienced Urban Designers, Masterplanners and Layout Designers

As a long established, highly respected and award-winning urban design and planning practice, David Lock Associates’ portfolio of exciting projects continues to expand. We are now looking to recruit:

• urban designers with two – three years’ post graduate experience; and
• experienced masterplanners with five-plus years’ experience and a flair for producing illustrative and commercially robust residential led master plans and layouts.

Successful recruits will work on some of the UK’s most significant growth and regeneration challenges.

About us

Based in Milton Keynes for more than 30 years, we operate nationwide, assisting public and private sector clients in the creative endeavour of shaping geography, places and spaces for the enrichment of users.
DLA’s masterplanners and urban designers have backgrounds in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, graphic design and science, and together work at all scales as part of an integrated team, practicing alongside exceptional planners, graphic designers, GIS experts and 3D visualisers in a friendly and supportive studio environment.

Our well-rounded team brings enthusiasm and skill to our projects to deliver outstanding results. Our approach is bespoke and contextually driven by the site and brief, and we take many of our projects from inception to delivery.

What’s on offer

We aim to provide opportunities for remarkable people to achieve great things. We employ people who like to be stretched, and who are not afraid to express an opinion or step forward to take on new challenges. Our low staff turnover is a good indicator of the potential to grow a fulfilling and stimulating career here, whilst building rewarding professional relationships and lasting friendships. There are no bars to progression, including to the Partner’s Board, for talented and ambitious individuals.

In return, we offer competitive salaries, generous pension contributions, annual profit share, up to 30 days annual leave, additional long service leave, flexible working arrangements, a cycle to work scheme, mobility allowance, a medical insurance scheme and many other benefits. Our business is 100% owned by an Employee Benefit Trust on behalf of our employees, which means we all share in the rewards of our work.

Current Opportunities

We are interested in hearing from applicants who can clearly demonstrate the following:

Experienced Masterplanners:

• evidence of operating at a senior level within a private practice;
• a track record in masterplanning for large scale sites, including the preparation of illustrative master plans;
• credible experience of preparing proving layouts for bespoke and housebuilder residential schemes, as part of masterplanning;
• examples of working with multi-disciplinary teams;
• good inter-personal skills, with experience of nurturing junior colleagues and building strong client relationships;
• a developed profile in our field of work with strong networks and relationships with co-consultants;
• a relevant design qualification; and
• excellent drawn, written and presentation skills using a range of media.

Urban Designers:

• a demonstrable flair for, and an ambition to develop a career in urban design;
• a relevant design qualification at undergraduate level, and preferably a post-graduate qualification in urban design;
• experience of producing urban design analysis, concept sketches and illustrations for urban design projects to a high standard;
• experience of working within multi-disciplinary teams; and
• good interpersonal skills.

Candidates should apply in writing to Roz Collier at rcollier@davidlock.com by 30 May. Your application should comprise a letter which gives a flavour of your ambitions and your reasons for applying to DLA, a CV (maximum of 2 sides of A4), and a portfolio showing examples that are relevant to our work (including student projects where relevant).

If you would like to discuss this role, please contact rcollier@davidlock.com in the first instance.

No recruitment agencies please.