Job Description

Overview

We are seeking a Principal Urban Designer to play a senior project-running role within our urban design and masterplanning team. This position is ideal for an experienced urban designer who is ready to step up from a Senior role and take on greater responsibility for project delivery, client engagement and team support.

Within our structure, a Principal Urban Designer leads defined projects or workstreams, working with a high degree of autonomy while being supported by Associate and Director-level colleagues. The role combines hands-on design, day-to-day project leadership and active involvement with clients and junior team members.

Your role

Project & design leadership

Lead the day-to-day delivery of urban design and masterplanning projects or defined workstreams, from concept through to completion.Contribute strongly to design development, spatial strategies and design narratives, ensuring high standards of quality and clarity.Exercise sound professional judgement in balancing design quality, deliverability, programme and stakeholder priorities.Review and coordinate project outputs to ensure consistency and quality across drawings, reports and presentations.

Project management & coordination

Manage programme, budget and resources for your projects or workstreams.Coordinate multi-disciplinary inputs from planning, transport, landscape, architecture, economics and engineering colleagues.Support effective project delivery with appropriate oversight of internal governance and quality processes.

Client engagement

Act as a key day-to-day contact for clients on your projects.Lead and contribute to client meetings, design reviews, workshops and stakeholder sessions.Communicate clearly and confidently with clients, helping to build trusted and productive working relationships.

Team support & mentoring

Provide day-to-day guidance and mentoring to junior urban designers.Support line managers and Associates in the development of junior staff through informal mentoring and project-based learning.Contribute positively to a collaborative and supportive team culture.

Business development support

Contribute to bids, tenders and fee proposals, including methodology writing and design input.Support senior colleagues in identifying opportunities and maintaining client relationships

About you

Experience & background

A master’s degree in urban design or a related discipline (with a first degree in architecture, landscape architecture or similar preferred).Strong experience across UK-based and International projects, particularly residential-led development, urban regeneration or strategic land.A good working understanding of the UK planning system, including experience contributing to SPDs, outline applications and design codes.Experience on infrastructure-related or complex urban regeneration projects is advantageous.

Skills & capabilities

Strong spatial thinking and design judgement, with the ability to communicate ideas clearly through drawings, diagrams and written narrative.Experience managing projects or defined workstreams, including programme coordination and team inputs.Confident contributing to and, where appropriate, leading client meetings and workshops.Excellent written and verbal communication skills.Strong graphic skills with fluency in AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite.Experience using GIS, hand sketching and 3D modelling software (e.g. SketchUp, Rhino)

Personal attributes

Proactive, organised and comfortable taking responsibility for your work.Collaborative and supportive, with an interest in mentoring and team development.Curious about cities, infrastructure and the role of urban design in shaping better places.Willing to travel within the UK as required.

About AtkinsRéalis

We're AtkinsRéalis, a world-class engineering services and nuclear organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world. We're committed to leading our clients across our various end markets to engineer a better future for our planet and its people.

Find out more.

Additional information

Security clearance

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.

We are committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop to be the best we can be. So, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee resource groups to support all employees. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability.

Worker TypeEmployee

Job TypeRegular

At AtkinsRéalis, we seek to hire individuals with diverse characteristics, backgrounds and perspectives. We strongly believe that world-class talent makes no distinctions based on gender, ethnic or national origin, sexual identity and orientation, age, religion or disability, but enriches itself through these differences.