Urban Design and Planning Leader

3 weeks ago

London, Greater London, United Kingdom Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Full time

Som is shaping a better future for our clients, communities, and planet. We strive to create sustainable, impactful work through interdisciplinary teams with diverse resources. We value passion, excellence, innovation, integrity, inclusivity, and collaboration.

Success means:

  • We believe in meritocracy of ideas and encourage active contribution from everyone.
  • Expertise comes from lifelong learning; we pursue answers, develop skills, and deepen knowledge.
  • We strive for excellence in concept, quality, and delivery of our work.
  • We value professionalism and personal integrity in individual contributions.
  • Interdisciplinary integration is essential for positive team culture and collaboration towards common goals.
  • We innovate and bring new approaches, solutions, and processes to our work.

About the role:

You will join architects and urban designers working in the UK, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. You will collaborate with Architecture and Open Space teams on projects at regional, city, district, and neighborhood levels.

This work includes international design competitions, urban district regeneration, community planning, university, and healthcare campus planning, emphasizing placemaking, sustainability, and livability.

Position responsibilities:

  1. Serve as an emerging leader of the Urban Design and Planning Team, demonstrating discipline and effectiveness.
  2. Demonstrate advanced understanding of planning and urban design concepts, building typologies, dimensions, utility systems, land development imperatives, and phasing techniques.
  3. Enrich design concepts through sophisticated knowledge, research acumen, and expert communication strategies.
  4. Show initiative, process innovation, problem-solving, decision-making quality, and attention to precision and accuracy at a project level.
  5. Develop diagrams, site plans, and contribute to graphic production.
  6. Implement quality control standards for deliverables.
  7. Create conceptual designs applied to complex projects at various scales and contexts, integrating interdisciplinary criteria.
  8. Collaborate at project, consultant, and client levels by evaluating ideas, contributing to studio participation, and managing workload to meet project deadlines.
  9. Define team member expectations, empower others, delegate tasks based on abilities, inspire leadership, and participate in staff mentoring.

Leadership responsibilities:

  1. Inspire leadership, mentor staff, define expectations, empower others, delegate tasks, and participate in talent strategy.
  2. Directly supervise staff, commit to professional development, and find specialists, leaders, and professionals for the firm.
  3. Develop a clear work plan to achieve project budget, deliverables, and schedule, engage in internal and external professional development opportunities, and contribute to sustainable strategies.
  4. Contribute to developing standards, policies, and procedures, and protect SOM from financial and legal risk.

Minimum qualifications:

  • Professional degree in Architecture, Planning, Urban Design, or Landscape Architecture.
  • Professional licensure close to completion, LEED accreditation preferred.
  • At least 6 years of experience or equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.
  • Significant experience in large-scale planning, mixed-use development, transit-oriented development, and fast-paced collaborative environments.
  • Effective communication internally and externally through timely and appropriate written, oral, and visual means.
  • Expertise in AutoCAD, ARC GIS, Rhino, Grasshopper, Enscape, parametric software, Adobe Creative Suite, Google Suite, Microsoft Office, and Revit proficiency.

SOM offers competitive salaries, health insurance, wellness, retirement, and financial and work-life plans. We welcome and encourage diversity in the workplace.

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