Graduate Architectural Assistant - Part 1 (Manchester)

Jacobs Manchester, England, United Kingdom

At Jacobs, we\’re challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world\’s most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

Join the Jacobs Graduate Development Programme (GDP) and have a meaningful, positive impact on our environments, communities and societies. Bring your passion, your ingenuity and your vision. Let’s see the impact we can create, together.

What will you get?

Our Graduate Development Programme is a structured two-year scheme designed to support your development at the start of your Jacobs career journey. Through a combination of blended learning, mentoring, progress reviews and networking, you will establish yourself as knowledgeable and competent across four key focus areas; human skills, consulting skills, champion our strategy and your passions.

The Graduate Development Programme allows you to customise your learning journey to reflect your specific interests, career goals, and technical skillset – creating a graduate experience that is unique to you.

The GDP is an experience programme, meaning that a large portion of what you’ll learn will be on-the-job. You’ll work with your manager and mentor to collect the learning experiences that will be most meaningful for you.

The programme is more than just a steppingstone. It’s a launchpad for your career, offering you the tools, experiences and support you need. Join us and unlock your potential as you work on meaningful projects and collaborate with industry leaders to deliver outcomes and solutions for complex challenges.

About The Opportunity

The Jacobs Cities & Places (C&P) team create thriving places – from regions, cities, neighbourhoods & communities through to individual buildings and all through an integrated design approach. We have a tremendous opportunity in front of us to build upon our strengths and develop an interdisciplinary planning, design and delivery practice that is uniquely Jacobs, that sets the direction for the industry and is home to the very best and brightest design thinkers, disruptors, technical experts, visionaries and storytellers.

Our business unit brings together engineers, architects, surveyors, designers, place-makers, project managers and transport planners to provide collaborative and coordinated value design solutions for our clients, both domestically and internationally.

A key enabler behind our growth and work winning strategy is the development of the Architecture team in the UK. To support this strategic objective Cities and Places are recruiting a number of engineering and architectural professionals to work within our design teams in the UK and be an integral part of delivering high-value solutions to our clients.

We are looking for a Part 1 Architectural Assistant to join our business unit in the Cities & Places UK Architecture team. Based in the office, but with work across the UK and Europe, you will work alongside our Architects within a multi-disciplinary design team set-up, delivering design solutions across multiple sectors from Public sector, Defence, Transportation, Commercial, Pharmaceutical and Mixed-Use development.

We deliver projects across all stages of the building design and construction process from initial strategic briefing, where client objectives and feasibility studies are conducted; through to development of conceptual and technical proposals, to construction phase delivery.

You will need strong design skills, we will provide support and mentoring to develop your skills to work in collaboration with other project team members in preparing, reviewing, and refining design proposals using various media. This includes traditional methods such as hand-sketching to develop design concepts and detailed design solutions, through to project delivery using BIM (Building Information Modelling).

Key requirements for this role are good communication skills with a collaborative working pro-active mindset. Regular check-in meetings to review progress, design decisions, and openly air any blockers with the UK project team will be essential and form part of your day-to-day work ethic. You will need to be able to work both independently and as part of a wider project team.

The start date for this position is September 2026.

Here\’s what you\’ll need

• Qualified to RIBA Part 1 level with an aim to study Part 2.
• Degree in Architecture
• A flexible self-starter who is keen to drive your career forward
• Adaptable to change, with a thirst for learning new things
• You must have the permanent right to work in the UK

Selection Process

• Step 1 Apply Online
• Step 2 Solo Video Assessment
• Step 3 Interview

Apply before 19 October 2025 for your application to be considered in the first assessment window. You can still apply after this date if the role remains open to applications. However, you do so with the knowledge that we may not proceed with your application if the role is filled in the first assessment window.

What else we provide

• A flexible workstyle, embracing a hybrid working pattern and supporting those who need to balance work/life commitments a bit differently than others
• Free single medical cover and digital GP service
• Reimbursement towards relevant professional development and memberships
• A focus on safety, health, and wellbeing, prioritising our people through a culture of caring and positive mental health champion network
• Opportunities to give back to our communities through our Collectively program, incorporating matched-funding, paid volunteering time and charitable donations.

We want you to bring your whole, authentic self to Jacobs.

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit www.vercida.com to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.