Senior Urban Designer - Masterplanning / Architecture Led in Manchester
Senior Urban Designer - Masterplanning / Architecture Led

Senior Urban Designer - Masterplanning / Architecture Led in Manchester

Manchester Full-Time 45000 - 60000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
Stantec UK

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design vibrant communities and masterplans that shape the future of urban spaces.
  • Company: Join Stantec, a leading firm known for its innovative and collaborative culture.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible working, and great perks like private medical insurance.
  • Other info: Be part of a supportive team that values creativity and offers excellent career growth.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on high-profile projects while working with a creative team.
  • Qualifications: Relevant qualification in Urban Design or Architecture with a passion for sustainable communities.

The predicted salary is between 45000 - 60000 £ per year.

We are excited to offer an opportunity for a Senior Urban Designer (Masterplanning/Architecture-led) to join our growing team in Manchester. You’ll work on high-profile, design-led projects that shape places and communities for the future.

About The Team: Our multi-disciplinary team based at Manchester brings together expertise in Urban Design, Town Planning, Graphics, and Landscape. We work in a vibrant, open-plan office designed to foster creativity and collaboration, with breakout spaces and dedicated drawing areas that reflect the inclusive and innovative culture we live by at Stantec. Typical projects include major residential led, mixed-use development masterplans and layouts, and public realm work of the highest quality. This includes new communities, new settlements, urban extensions as well as town and city centre masterplanning, and regeneration. Our clients include landowners and promoters, residential developers (including housebuilders), local authorities and government agencies providing an enviable and loyal client list. Projects are typically those considered by clients to be more complex and challenging, needing the innovative and creative technical expertise and approach that we pride ourselves on.

Your Impact:

  • Bring experience in UK masterplans, including new settlements, urban extensions and urban renewal or regeneration within an Urban Design or Masterplanning role.
  • Have consultancy experience, ideally within a multi-disciplinary environment.
  • Show strong project management skills, including the ability to coordinate and produce comprehensive and compelling documents including Visions, Design and Access Statements, Design Briefs and Design Codes or Guidelines.
  • Bring creativity and innovation to your design work and project involvement.
  • Combine attention to detail with strategic thinking, balancing the finer points of design with the bigger picture and commercial realities.
  • Communicate effectively, both visually and verbally, with clients, stakeholders, and colleagues.
  • Be proficient in key design software, including AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, and Microsoft Office. Vectorworks experience is desirable but not essential.
  • Produce high-quality hand-drawn sketches to complement digital outputs.
  • Demonstrate excellent team-working and facilitation skills, leading workshops and building consensus among diverse stakeholder groups.
  • Work independently and manage your own time, delivering to deadlines with confidence and professionalism.
  • Hold a full UK driving licence and have access to a car for site visits and client meetings.

About You:

  • Bring creativity and innovation to every aspect of your design work and project involvement.
  • Contribute to UK projects, supporting planning applications and masterplans for new communities ranging from 200 to 10,000 homes.
  • Develop visionary, place-led concepts for new settlements and town extensions, ensuring designs are both exciting and deliverable.
  • Work confidently across scales, from strategic frameworks to detailed development parcels and building footprints.
  • Produce masterplan drawings, design strategies, and detailed illustrations in both 2D and 3D to clearly communicate design principles.
  • Create indicative and proving layouts to test feasibility and capacity using CAD and hand-drawn techniques.
  • Generate urban design concepts with robust design rationales, balancing creativity with technical constraints.
  • Produce high-quality rendered drawings, by hand or using design software, employing a variety of techniques.
  • Develop land-use strategies and development schedules, ensuring effective integration of uses on site.
  • Support the production of Design and Access Statements and Vision Documents, combining written and graphic outputs, and manage coordination with consultants and client teams.
  • Take ownership of comprehensive Design Codes and Guidelines, setting clear standards for delivery.
  • Mentor junior team members, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
  • Engage with communities and stakeholders through design workshops and public exhibitions.
  • Deliver outstanding work to brief and within deadlines, maintaining attention to detail and design excellence.

Qualifications:

  • Hold a relevant qualification in Urban Design, ideally complemented by an architectural qualification or experience, and demonstrate a genuine passion for creating high-quality, sustainable communities.

Why Join Us?

  • Our People Culture: We're a close knit team and very proud of our friendly and collaborative environment.
  • Awards: Stantec were awarded the Stantec named ‘Best place to work’ and ‘International consulting firm of the year’ at NCE Awards at the 2024 NCE awards as well as being consistently recognised in the top 10 Corporate Knights most sustainable companies in the world.
  • Great Benefits: Competitive salary, pension plan, holidays, free private medical insurance, discounted gym membership and lots more.
  • Flexible / Hybrid working arrangements.
  • Great Projects in all of our sectors across the UK&I.
  • Industry leading training and development as well as paid for professional subscriptions.

To hear what some of our employees say about life at Stantec, please click on My Stantec Stories.

About Stantec: The Stantec community unites more than 34,000 employees working in over 450 locations across 6 continents. We have been working with our clients and communities in the UK for over 150 years. We plan, design, deliver and manage the development and infrastructure needed to support the creation of sustainable, healthy and prosperous communities. Our teams provide effective and relevant solutions, translating our clients’ vision into valued consents, deliverable plans for projects and programmes, and efficient designs for delivery, based on technical excellence and deep market insights.

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

If you are excited by this role but worry that your experience doesn’t exactly align, we encourage you to apply. At Stantec we want you to perform your best at every stage of the recruitment process and are committed to ensuring it is accessible to all.

Senior Urban Designer - Masterplanning / Architecture Led in Manchester employer: Stantec UK

Stantec is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant and collaborative work culture in Manchester that fosters creativity and innovation. With a strong focus on employee growth through industry-leading training and development opportunities, as well as competitive benefits including flexible working arrangements and private medical insurance, Stantec is dedicated to creating sustainable communities while ensuring a supportive environment for its team members. Join us to work on high-profile projects that make a real impact on the future of urban design and masterplanning.
Stantec UK

Contact Detail:

Stantec UK Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior Urban Designer - Masterplanning / Architecture Led in Manchester

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, or even hit up local meetups. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that dream job.

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your portfolio! Make sure it’s up to date and highlights your best work. When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, bring it along and be ready to discuss your projects in detail.

✨Tip Number 3

Practice your pitch! You never know when you’ll bump into someone who could help you land a job. Have a quick, engaging summary of your experience and what you can bring to the table ready to go.

✨Tip Number 4

Apply through our website! We love seeing applications directly from candidates who are excited about joining us. It shows initiative and gives you a better chance to stand out from the crowd.

We think you need these skills to ace Senior Urban Designer - Masterplanning / Architecture Led in Manchester

Urban Design
Masterplanning
Architecture
Project Management
Design Software Proficiency (AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, Microsoft Office)
Hand-drawn Sketching
Stakeholder Engagement
Team-working
Creativity and Innovation
Attention to Detail
Strategic Thinking
Design Codes and Guidelines Development
Community Engagement
Feasibility Testing
Mentoring

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Off Your Creativity: When you're putting together your application, make sure to highlight your creative flair! We want to see how you can bring innovative ideas to the table, especially in your design work. Use examples from your past projects to showcase your unique approach.

Tailor Your Documents: Don’t just send a generic CV and cover letter. Tailor them to reflect the specific skills and experiences that match our Senior Urban Designer role. Mention your experience with masterplanning and urban design, and how it aligns with the exciting projects we work on at Stantec.

Be Clear and Concise: We appreciate clarity! When writing your application, keep your language straightforward and to the point. Make sure your documents are well-structured, so we can easily see your qualifications and how you fit into our team.

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about our culture and values!

How to prepare for a job interview at Stantec UK

✨Know Your Projects Inside Out

Before the interview, dive deep into the projects you’ve worked on, especially those related to masterplanning and urban design. Be ready to discuss your role, the challenges faced, and how you contributed to the project's success. This will show your passion and expertise in shaping communities.

✨Showcase Your Design Skills

Bring along a portfolio that highlights your best work, including both digital and hand-drawn sketches. Make sure to include examples that demonstrate your creativity and technical skills, particularly in software like AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite. This visual evidence can really set you apart.

✨Prepare for Team Dynamics

Since collaboration is key in this role, think of examples where you've successfully worked in a team or led workshops. Be ready to discuss how you build consensus among diverse stakeholders and how you mentor junior team members. This will highlight your team-working and facilitation skills.

✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently

Practice articulating your design philosophies and project visions clearly. During the interview, focus on communicating effectively, both verbally and visually. Use concise language and be prepared to answer questions about your design rationales and how they align with client needs.

Senior Urban Designer - Masterplanning / Architecture Led in Manchester
Stantec UK
Location: Manchester

Land your dream job quicker with Premium

You’re marked as a top applicant with our partner companies
Individual CV and cover letter feedback including tailoring to specific job roles
Be among the first applications for new jobs with our AI application
1:1 support and career advice from our career coaches
Go Premium

Money-back if you don't land a job in 6-months

>