Urban Designer - Mott MacDonald - United Kingdom

Location/s: London, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham; UK
Recruiter contact: Aoife Cullen

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit  
The Buildings Unit (BLD) has a major presence in Mott MacDonald's regional offices throughout the UK and mainland Europe, providing a wide range of diverse and transferable cross-sector skills across five key Sectors; Advisory, Built Environment, Energy, Transportation and Water. We also provide local services to customers and technical leadership to the rest of the Group in these sectors.

Overview of the role

This role sits within the cities team which forms part of the Building and Cities Unit. Our aim is to fully realise the potential of our front end consultancy skills to increase our market profile in cities based work from the earliest stages of strategy development and project creation.

Urban designers are an integral part of our cities business. They work alongside town planners and place economists to provide public sector clients with integrated masterplanning and placemaking services across the UK and internationally.

This role is being created to support the rapid development of our cities team and provide greater junior level urban design staff capacity to respond to existing client requirements and emerging opportunities and expand technical resource capacity.

Mott MacDonald’s cities team undertakes projects spanning a range of complex urban contexts including:

• Town centre and urban regeneration


• Transport hubs and Transit orientated development


• Mixed use urban quarters and neighbourhood

The post holder will support senior staff in the preparation of town centre strategies, site and area based masterplans, development frameworks, feasibility studies and public realm concept designs. All projects are likely to involve stakeholder and community engagement.

Significant career development opportunities will be available including involvement in a diverse portfolio of project work, development of analytical and delivery focused urban design skills, integrated multi-disciplinary masterplanning and the production of high quality graphic outputs. There will be opportunities to progress to more senior urban design roles offering greater levels of responsibility including stakeholder and client liaison.

Key responsibilities and duties include:

• Prepare key urban design outputs including reports, spatial frameworks, masterplans, site feasibility studies, design guidance working with senior designers and other staff within the studio


• Prepare project presentations to clients, working groups, stakeholder meetings etc


• Support the wider team in stakeholder and community engagement to enable the production of the above


• Support the preparation of bids


• Contribute to the development of Mott MacDonald’s cities business and raising the profile of urban design skills and services within the company and within the market

Candidate specification

Requirements:

• Degree in town planning, landscape architecture or architecture


• A post graduate qualification in urban design (Post Graduate diploma or MA)


• A recent graduate with minimal experience or a candidate with up to three years post qualification experience with a proven track record of relevant skills and experience for a more senior role


• Eligibility for chartered membership or a chartered member of a relevant professional institute e.g. MRTPI, MLI, RIBA


• Worked within a consulting environment on development-led urban design projects for a more senior role appointment


• A strong portfolio showing a selection of urban design and masterplanning work. This could include University course work for recent graduates. International project experience is desirable but not essential


• For more experienced candidates evidence of delivering projects at a variety of scales and in a range of contexts including urban regeneration, town and city centres, transit orientated development or growth areas


• Ability to develop, draw and communicate urban design and placemaking ideas from appraisal of the local context and early concept development to design development and early stage viability. This includes the preparation of written reports


• All applicants should have technical abilities and demonstrate proficiency in using: AutoCAD, Sketch-up, Adobe Creative Suite package, and Microsoft Office. Hand sketching skills are also desirable. Examples of work demonstrating software skills to be included in a portfolio


• A good awareness of the UK Planning system including planning policy and an appreciation of national net zero and climate adaptation objectives and impacts for urban design


• Ability to work well to deadlines


• For more experienced candidates, evidence of project work for public sector and Local Authority clients. Private sector project client experience desirable but not essential


• Excellent spoken and written English

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working  

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

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