Design Assistant in Warrington

Morris & Spottiswood Ltd is a leading provider of fitout, housing, maintenance and M&E services to the retail, banking, commercial, education, housing and healthcare sectors across Scotland and North West /West of England. Our offices are based in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Warrington and Leeds.

Morris and Spottiswood’s in house design team, McLennan Architecture and Interiors, are looking for a Design Assistant to join their growing team of architectural and interior designers in the delivery of design activities across our National Frameworks, Finance Sector and other architectural/design projects. The successful candidate will be engaged in all design stages within the company’s scope of service, working closely with the Design Directors and other design team staff. They will support the team with the design and delivery of new and renovated spaces within a variety of sectors, including financial, public sector, office and workspace sectors. They will be expected to provide the design team with assistance in all project phases, from initial concept design and through the detailed development stage, statutory applications and assisting the delivery teams during the site delivery phase. They will also be expected to contribute to our overall design excellence in the fields of sustainability and health and safety, ensuring that design risks are mitigated during the design process.

Required

• Graduate qualification in Interior Architecture or Architecture (Part 1 or Part 2).
• Ability to commute to the Warrington / Glasgow Office dependant on your location.
• Working knowledge of UK Planning and Building Regulations.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp and Enscape (preferred).

Personal Attributes

You should have excellent graphic, written and verbal communications skills as you will be required to express your design and specifications graphically, in writing and verbally within the internal design team and to the wider project team and consultants. In addition, you should be able to demonstrate a good track record of working with clients to meet their expectations as well as to deliver for the business.

Strategic/Operational

• Support the Design Director and design team in delivering projects across all RIBA stages, including on-site delivery.
• Contribute to concept and developed design for new-build and interior projects, including architectural details, temporary works, and space planning.
• Undertake research, precedent studies, and feasibility support, maintaining awareness of current design and architecture trends.
• Translate client briefs into clear design proposals, producing idea boards/presentations and aligning outputs with relevant Design Guides.
• Produce sketches, drawings, and plans using Revit/AutoCAD and create visualisations as required (e.g., Enscape).
• Coordinate with internal teams and external consultants/contractors, supporting programmes, compliance (planning/building regs/H&S), and site observations to ensure delivery matches the design and specification.

Financial

• Demonstrate commercial awareness by delivering tasks efficiently, accurately, and in line with project budgets.
• Maintain quality standards and reduce rework through careful coordination and checking.

People

• Learn from senior colleagues and the wider design/delivery team to build capability and confidence.
• Communicate clearly and demonstrate professional behaviours, contributing to a positive team environment.
• Support client liaison to understand requirements, deliver added value, and strengthen relationships through great service.

General

• Keep departmental documentation accurate and up to date.
• Take on other duties as required, using a flexible and proactive approach to support service delivery.
• Commit to continuous learning and improvement, demonstrating enthusiasm, integrity, and openness to feedback.

Other information

Our standard business hours are 8-5 Monday-Thursday and 8-4 on a Friday (1hr lunch break each day). We have adopted a hybrid working model so you will have flexibility to work in the office (based in Warrington or from home, or a mixture of both). The role will involve working / visiting live site environments to review design delivery and to ensure the site delivery meets the proposed specifications.

What you’ll need

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date departmental documentation and support wider business needs as required.
• Take a flexible, proactive approach to support the effective delivery of services.
• Commit to learning and continuous improvement, demonstrating enthusiasm, integrity, and openness to feedback.

Renumeration

• Competitive Salary (DOE) + Car Allowance.
• Healthcare benefits.
• 5% Employers Pension Contribution.
• 33 days annual holiday (including public holidays).
• An extra half a day paid holiday on your birthday.

Valuing People at McLennan Architecture and Interiors

McLennan Architecture and Interiors is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. One of our core values is to ‘Value People’. We are passionate about investing in people and genuinely take care about what we do and how we do it. This ensures that the working environment, staff, suppliers, and the communities we serve always remain at the front-of-mind. Put simply, a diverse and inclusive workforce opens our business up to a much wider talent pool and greater innovation and creativity through teams with different experiences, backgrounds, and education. This is an excellent opportunity to join a successful team.