We are seeking Senior to Principal level Urban Designers to play senior project‑running roles within our urban design and masterplanning team. This position is ideal for an experienced urban designer who is ready to step up into a more senior role and take on greater responsibility for project delivery, client engagement and team support.
Within our structure, a Principal Urban Designer leads defined projects or workstreams, working with a high degree of autonomy while being supported by Associate and Director‑level colleagues. The role combines hands‑on design, day‑to‑day project leadership and active involvement with clients and junior team members.
Your role
Project & design leadership
- Lead the day‑to‑day delivery of urban design and masterplanning projects or defined workstreams, from concept through to completion.
- Contribute strongly to design development, spatial strategies and design narratives, ensuring high standards of quality and clarity.
- Exercise sound professional judgement in balancing design quality, deliverability, programme and stakeholder priorities.
- Review and coordinate project outputs to ensure consistency and quality across drawings, reports and presentations.
Project management & coordination
- Manage programme, budget and resources for your projects or workstreams.
- Coordinate multi‑disciplinary inputs from planning, transport, landscape, architecture, economics and engineering colleagues and external consultants where appropriate.
- Support effective project delivery with appropriate oversight of internal governance and quality processes.
Client engagement
- Act as a key day‑to‑day contact for clients on your projects.
- Lead and contribute to client meetings, design reviews, workshops and stakeholder sessions.
- Communicate clearly and confidently with clients, helping to build trusted and productive working relationships.
Team support & mentoring
- Provide day‑to‑day guidance and mentoring to junior urban designers.
- Support line managers and Associates in the development of junior staff through informal mentoring and project‑based learning.
- Contribute positively and help shape a collaborative and supportive team culture.
Business development support
- Contribute to bids, tenders and fee proposals, including methodology writing and design input.
- Support senior colleagues in identifying opportunities and maintaining client relationships.
About you
Experience & background
- Experience in urban design and/or masterplanning.
- A Master's degree in Urban Design or a related discipline (with a first degree in architecture, landscape architecture or similar preferred).
- Strong experience across UK‑based and International projects, particularly residential‑led development, urban regeneration or strategic land.
- A good working understanding of the UK planning system, including experience contributing to SPDs, outline applications and design codes.
- Experience on infrastructure‑related or complex urban regeneration projects is advantageous.
- Prior exposure to work winning activities will be an advantage.
Skills & capabilities
- Strong spatial thinking and design judgement, with the ability to communicate ideas clearly through drawings, diagrams and written narrative.
- Experience managing projects or defined workstreams, including programme coordination and team inputs.
- Confident contributing to and, where appropriate, leading client meetings and workshops.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong graphic skills with fluency in AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite.
- Experience using GIS, hand sketching and 3D modelling software (e.g. SketchUp, Rhino).
- Experience and interest in innovative AI software applications (including research, text and graphic production).
- Advantageous previous experience and interest in the use BIM for masterplanning tools (Autodesk Forma).
Personal attributes
- Proactive, organised and comfortable taking responsibility for your work.
- Collaborative and supportive, with an interest in mentoring and team development.
- Curious about people, cities, infrastructure and the role of urban design in shaping better places.
- Willing to travel within the UK and/or internationally as required.
- Application
Please share a short PDF portfolio of your recent projects along with your CV.
