Associate Director

Associate Director

Qualified Pt 3 Architect with min 10 years’ experience, capable of taking responsibility for designing and delivering a number of separate projects and managing a team of architects and assistants. AD’s will be entrusted with day to day contact with key clients and, together with Directors, will be responsible for the strategic direction of the practice, its design ethos, quality management systems and marketing plans.

Alongside the Directors and Associates, AD’s will be expected to set and maintain high standards of design and establish sustainability targets for individual projects. In general, AD’s will be expected to keep abreast of current legislation and government policies in respect of the built environment and contribute to topical professional debate through press articles, reports and speaking at seminars and conferences, as appropriate.

The role of Associate Director does not preclude AD’s from carrying out the role of Project Architect on individual projects if this is appropriate. However, AD’s will be expected to assume responsibility for a large number of separate projects and will be expected to delegate design tasks to appropriate levels of staff in such a manner that every project is delivered in a profitable way.

In addition, AD’s have the following responsibilities:

Responsibilities:

• As necessary, attend quarterly Board Meetings to report on Team Performance in line with Business Objectives.
• Attend regular Management Meetings to report on Team Performance or other specific delegated matters.
• Support the relevant Director to agree and achieve annual Team Objectives which align with overall Business Objectives.
• Manage financial performance and cost control of projects
• Support the relevant Director to manage resources within the Team and Line Management of relevant staff.
• Prepare all necessary information in accordance with the brief and budget and support wider team, i.e.: Project Architects to achieve same.
• Take responsibility, where required by the business, for specific areas of the business, i.e.: Sustainability; BIM; etc.
• Liaise, where appropriate, with members of the external design team and other associated organisations or companies
• Seek, and record evidence of, continuing professional development (CPD) and an annual Personal Development Plan (PDP) in accordance with the requirements of the RIBA/ ARB.
• Thorough knowledge of and compliance with ECD procedures and standards
• Accurately record time spent on projects and work with Project Director to ensure this remains within agreed budget and timescale.

Qualities & skills required:

• 10+ years post part 3 qualification experience in Architecture (ideally in a UK practice)
• Knowledge of Revit preferable but not essential
• Ability to deliver all aspects of a project, both independently and as part of a team
• Highly motivated and can manage workload of self and other team members
• Confidence managing both clients and projects
• Outstanding attention to detail and design
• Ability to demonstrate ability to undertake the above responsibilities
• Ability to understand and formulate design decisions and present for discussion
• Ability to use a variety of media in the development and documentation of the design project
• Ability to take initiative in response to direction or instruction
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines efficiently
• A flexible and open attitude towards new ways of working and commitment to independent, lifelong learning
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to manage sensitive and sometimes confidential information
• Self-motivated and able to take responsibility
• Excellent interpersonal skills and able to work independently and as part of an effective team
• Able to build good relationships at all levels, internally and externally
• Resilient to cope with conflicting demands, able to prioritise duties and work effectively under pressure while remaining calm and professional at all times
• Ability to assist with the management of team resources and financial objectives
• Understanding of financial aspects of running a design project on time and on budget
• Experience working in BIM
• Ability to use the following: Revit, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint

This description reflects the core activities of the role but is not intended to be all-inclusive and other duties within the Company may be required in addition to changes in the emphasis of duties as required from time to time. There is a requirement for the post holder to recognise this, and adapt a flexible approach to work.