Associate - Landscape architecture

The Associate – Landscape operating as a senior design professional is responsible for driving strategy, innovation, and excellence in the design and delivery of landscape architecture projects. This role combines hands-on project leadership with team management, technical oversight, and client engagement. The Associate plays a key role in shaping project outcomes, mentoring staff, and contributing to the studio’s growth and reputation through thought leadership, quality assurance, and business development.

Responsibilities:

• May be required to act as a line manager and should be able to mentor, monitor timekeeping, conduct performance reviews, and provide feedback on assigned technical staff.
• Play an active role in the technical development of the allocated team. Acts in a supporting role to the Team Leader/ Manager/ Associate Director /Director by delegating work and directing less experienced staff to complete assigned projects' technical tasks.
• Able to monitor and track the budget for specific tasks within the project.
• Take the lead on multiple landscape architecture projects and define roles and responsibilities.
• Lead client interface and manage projects' contractual requirements.
• Planned and conducted design and creative review sessions for ongoing projects and competitions.
• Identify skills gaps, source, interview, and recruit new joiners.
• Present market research outcomes and develop a thought leadership presentation for the wider team.
• Well aware of landscape architecture standards generally applied across landscape architecture projects sourced from landscape architecture authorities and regulatory guidelines.
• Drive and conduct site opportunity and constraint studies for projects, present proposals internally and externally, and derive design ideas for implementation and further consideration.
• Contribute to discussions and design drivers within the studio's ethos. Establish innovative visions for the projects that align with the studio ethos, the site's potential, and the project brief.
• Lead landscape architecture project deliverables with applicable landscape architecture authorities and client requirements.
• Ensure the compliance of deliverables with the scope of work and contracts.
• Clearly understand the scopes of Architecture, urban planning, and landscape, as well as the synergies and overlaps between them, on projects and in the studio.
• Able to develop new landscape architecture and building typologies applicable to projects and sites with conditions.
• Able to tailor design responses to project-specific conditions.
• Narrate landscape architecture ideas clearly through literature in reports and presentations, and guide/mentor direct reports in effective report writing.
• Bridge between delivering design ideas and delivering to budget.
• Understand client objectives and steer design thinking accordingly.
• Actively promote innovative landscape architecture attributes and influence peers and reports.
• Promote the use of innovative digital tools in landscape architecture projects and engage in internal research and development.
• Identify new potential areas of innovation and improvement in design ideation and presentation that the landscape architecture team can benefit from.
• Manage, coordinate, and deliver landscape architecture bids and proposals, tailoring technical approaches, methodologies, and delivery structures as needed. Prepare and coordinate the commercial aspects of bids in accordance with project expectations.
• Structure teams for landscape architecture projects with a clear understanding of project roles and responsibilities.
• Advocate for quality procedures applicable to the landscape architecture technical practice group and continuously apply thorough self-checks and reviews of deliverables before sharing them.
• Implement safety in design standards and procedures, and report on safety within and outside the work environment, including any incidents or near misses that may impact staff.
• Contribute to and participate in one of the U+P steering committees that promote integration, knowledge sharing, digital integration, or diversity and inclusion.
• Organise internal libraries and update the internal landscape architecture capabilities statement.
• Promote innovation and change in landscape architecture graphics across projects and document these changes for broader team use.
• Lead and present internal and external workshops, driving outcomes that benefit projects and the studio.
• May be required to act as Project Manager on small to medium-sized discipline-specific projects. Has an excellent understanding of project delivery requirements and is well-versed with the company’s procedures. Should be well-versed in using Earned Value Management to assess design progress against budget.
• Has the ability to build and maintain client relationships. Attend client meetings as the technical lead to gather information, discuss project requirements, and explain/ defend work. Participates in the development and preparation of bids and proposals—the ability to present solutions to clients professionally and technically competently.
• Understand bid requirements and be able to support putting together the' technical approach and methodologies' while supporting the delivery structure, coordinating input, and implementing the commercial aspects of bids.
• Supports business development and selling initiatives to expand work assignments, including managing client relationships and expectations. Assists with proposal development and participates in creating bids and technical write-ups for proposals. Leads communication with clients to discuss work scope, requests information to support project execution and receives client comments on draft work products.
• Presents to clients, senior leadership and other project stakeholders to demonstrate progress and clearly explain design principles.
• Responsible for coordinating with the other disciplines to ensure no design gaps and provide fully coordinated design deliverables.