Architect

Not sure what your next step is, but know that you want your work to have more impact? This is your chance to join important place-shaping work in the public sector.

Public Practice is recruiting talented, motivated architects or architectural assistance from England and Wales. If you’re looking to gain experience working in the public sector, we can help you confidently take this next step with our Associate Programme. 

The Associate Programme can offer you:

1. A public sector role matched to your experience and skills
2. A tailored development course to support your shift into public service
3. A cohort of peers to grow with, connect with and learn alongside

The Programme involves completing a competitive application process. When you apply to this advert, you’re applying to join the Associate Programme rather than applying directly to a local authority. Successful candidates will secure a 12-month minimum employment contract, with a salary ranging between £30,000 and £55,000, depending on experience.

YOUR JOB ROLE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

With an increased focus on design in local government, local authorities are looking for design expertise in-house. Roles within Authorities vary, but as an architect, your role might include: 

• Write design policy, design guidance, design briefs, design codes and urban characterisation studies.
• Work with development management (planning) officers on appraising the design quality in planning applications and during pre-application meetings.
• Undertaking design-led site analysis, capacity and feasibility studies to support the delivery of small to medium-scale housing infill sites.
• Leading interactive co-design workshops with the local community and stakeholders, and setting up design competitions for masterplanning of large strategic sites.
• Providing expertise in heritage-led regeneration and development in Conservation Areas, including tall buildings guidance and urban intensification.
• Promoting a design-led approach to officers and members and growing confidence in design and conservation.

WHO YOU ARE

• We want our cohorts to be diverse in terms of skills, experience, and backgrounds and actively encourage applications from all sections of society, be it age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith, neurodiversity or disability.  
• We require applicants to have a minimum of three years of relevant professional working experience within the built environment so that they can hit the ground running from the start. There is no upper limit. 
• To be eligible for the programme, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK. We are not able to sponsor visas.
• Applicants must be willing to consider a full-time equivalent salary of £30,000 – £55,000, depending on the role's grade and their experience.

WHY APPLY TO THE PROGRAMME

• WORK FOR A FORWARD-THINKING AUTHORITY: We only work with ambitious organisations. Every placement is carefully selected and shaped by Public Practice. 
• JOIN A COHORT OF INTERDISCIPLINARY PLACEMAKERS: You will be part of a diverse cohort of highly skilled practitioners with different backgrounds, experiences and disciplines. 
• RECEIVE SUPPORT AS YOU TRANSITION: We understand joining the public sector for the first time can be a unique challenge. Through our bespoke Associate Course, we will provide you with career development and unique on-the-job learning in a supportive environment to help you transition. 
• BUILD YOUR NETWORK: Whether through learning sessions or our programme of events, including our annual Community Forum and our Community Field Trips, we will draw on our network to introduce you to people, organisations and ideas that can support your practice.

WHO WE ARE

Public Practice was founded as a social enterprise in October 2017 with a mission to build the public sector’s capability to improve the quality, equality, and sustainability of places. They believe that local government's role is crucial in creating and managing everyday places that work for everyone and that to achieve this, it must be well-resourced with diverse placemaking skills and the right support to lead the way. 

The organisation delivers services to help the public sector build capacity and

develop its placemaking capabilities. This includes the recruitment of talented

placemaking professionals into the sector through its Associate Programme, a jobs board for senior placemaking officers, and the publication of its annual Insights Report and Public Placemakers Magazine, Public Notice.

LOCATION 

We recruit Associates to jobs in Authorities across England and Wales. Opportunities to work from home have increased, but there is generally an expectation that Associates are present at their Authorities’ offices on a weekly basis (around two days per week). You will also need to be able to attend a number of in-person courses and field trip days throughout the first 12 months in your role.

HOW TO APPLY

• The first stage of the application process is completing an online form. Applicants will then be assessed anonymously based on their answers to questions. 
• Those who are successful at the online stage will receive an email during the week commencing 24 July inviting them to book into two online assessments.
• If you meet our requirements after all assessments, you will join our pool of candidates and be considered for any suitable roles we receive.
• We strongly recommend you take our Eligibility Quiz or attend one of our events for further information on our programme before starting your application on our website: https://www.publicpractice.org.uk/become-an-associate
• The deadline to apply is 10am on Monday 14 July

ACCESSIBILITY

Public Practice is committed to creating equal access to our recruitment process for all. If, for any accessibility reasons, you would prefer to submit your application in an alternative format, please email info@publicpractice.org.uk or call 020 3858 7447 to discuss your requirements.