Senior Urban Designer - London
19 hours ago
City of London
About Prior + Partners Prior + Partners is a specialist placemaking practice integrating masterplanning, planning and economics to unlock the potential of places and communities. Our work spans district, city and regional scales, moving between strategic visioning, concept and detailed masterplans, and implementation. We work on major regeneration projects, new communities, mixed-use districts and strategic development frameworks in the UK and internationally. Our international portfolio includes transformative projects across the Middle East, including strategic visions, regional development frameworks, and concept and detailed masterplans for large-scale urban development projects in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider region. We are now seeking an experienced Senior Urban Designer to join our London team and contribute to the design and delivery of complex Middle East masterplanning and urban development projects. About the role The successful candidate will be a creative, proactive and technically capable urban designer with around 5+ years of professional experience in masterplanning and urban design. This role will be primarily focused on major projects across the Middle East, working from our London office in close collaboration with our London and Dubai-based teams. You will support project leads in the design, coordination and delivery of complex masterplanning projects across strategic, concept and detailed design stages. Previous Middle Eastern project experience is preferred, particularly on large-scale or district-scale masterplanning projects. However, the role would also suit candidates with strong UK masterplanning, regeneration, housing-led or mixed-use development experience who are interested in developing their international project experience. The role requires strong design capability, technical understanding, clear visual communication, and the ability to work collaboratively in fast-moving, multidisciplinary project environments. Key Responsibilities: The role will include: • Contributing to the design, development and testing of masterplans across strategic, pre-concept, concept and detailed design stages;, • Supporting the preparation of place visions, spatial strategies and urban design frameworks for large-scale urban development projects;, • Undertaking site analysis, capacity studies, baseline reviews and design option testing;, • Preparing drawings, diagrams, illustrations, presentations, reports and design narratives;, • Supporting the development of design codes, design guidelines, plot sheets and project-specific design standards;, • Contributing to the preparation of design briefs, development schedules and project datasets;, • Coordinating tasks and project inputs across internal teams, sub-consultants and design partners;, • Supporting client presentations, workshops, design reviews and stakeholder meetings;, • Working closely with Associates and Project Leads to coordinate outputs, deadlines and technical requirements;, • Supporting coordination between London, Dubai and wider consultant teams;, • Guiding and supporting Urban Designers within project teams;, • Participating in internal team meetings, project reviews and cross-office coordination. The candidate we are looking for will have: • A degree in Urban Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture or a related discipline;, • Around 5+ years of professional experience in urban design and masterplanning;, • Experience contributing to large-scale, mixed-use, regeneration, district, city or regional masterplanning projects;, • Previous Middle Eastern project experience preferred, particularly on large-scale or district-scale masterplanning projects;, • Strong UK masterplanning, regeneration, housing-led or mixed-use development experience also welcomed;, • An interest in developing experience on major international projects in the MENA region;, • Strong design flair, supported by technical understanding and delivery experience;, • Excellent drawing, graphic, written and verbal communication skills;, • Confidence explaining design ideas clearly through sketches, diagrams, presentations and reports;, • Ability to manage tasks, coordinate outputs and work to deadlines;, • A collaborative, organised and proactive approach;, • Experience working in multidisciplinary consultancy environments;, • Fluency in English; Arabic language skills would be an advantage. Technical and digital skills Strong technical and digital design proficiency is expected, including: • Adobe Creative Cloud;, • AutoCAD and/or Rhino, including 3D modelling;, • GIS software such as ArcGIS Pro or QGIS;, • CAD-to-GIS workflows. Experience in the following would also be beneficial: • Excel-based development schedules and data coordination;, • Rendering software such as V-Ray, Twinmotion or Enscape;, • Climate, wind or environmental modelling tools;, • Grasshopper or other parametric design tools;, • Revit, Unreal Engine, Unity or generative AI workflows for illustrative outputs. How to apply Salary will be commensurate with experience. We offer the opportunity to further your career within a busy, growing and multidisciplinary practice, working alongside urban designers, planners, economists, spatial data specialists and public realm professionals. To apply, please submit your CV and portfolio in confidence to: careers@priorpartners.com Prior + Partners is an Employee-Owned Trust and an equal opportunities employer committed to creating an open, respectful environment where people can build lasting careers and do their best work. We welcome applications from candidates returning to the profession following a career break.